Have You Ever Been "Stuck" With A Counterfeit Coin?

BLUEJAYWAY

One that was a key,expensive date and you found out for whatever reason, 20+ years later it was a counterfeit. Specifically, bought in the 1960's then with the advent of TPG's your prize coin was deemed a counterfeit. I'm glad that I could not afford the 16-d Merc. Dime and other key, expensive dates way back then, when I could not ferret out the counterfeits for myself. Only after much reading, and trial/error was I able to become somewhat knowledgeable. Or at least could get in touch with someone whose opinion I trusted. In this regard TPG's serve a valuable place in the collecting world. I feel that their authentication of coins is more important than the actual grading aspect.

Cougar1978

No - Guess I have been lucky.

I don’t buy expensive raw coins. My take on big ticket raw coins - why aren’t they slabbed?

A long time ago a collector was shopping a raw $2.50 Indian set around the bourse. They were mostly (or all) fake and we all told him that. He went off in a huff but the next show he said “you guys were right.” Certainly he took a big hit on that project. The commonality with a lot of those individuals is their first stage is denial but then when the reality they got ripped sinks in…. It’s an expensive lesson to learn.

Investors need to take responsibility in their acquisitions. Like deer in the headlights many of them can’t tell fakes or even have an idea of what issues commonly CF. Ultimately many end up paying serious tuition.