Report of Tampered Slab
Project Numismatics
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Scary stuff.
Quote from CRO’s Baltimore road report:
“the collector who bought a graded / CACed coin at auction only to find out here that the coin in the slab did not match the image of a previous auction appearance of that coin in the same slab a few years earlier. Conclusion: Seems like some entrepreneurial crook found a way switch the coin in the holder for an inferior one and convincingly reseal it.”
https://www.coinraritiesonline.com/road-report/
@burfle23 - any thoughts or additional insights? How common do you think this is?
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Comments
I did not click the link, but are we certain it was not a counterfeit slab? Either way is not good, but just checking.
potential counterfeit plastic with reused label. i've seen counterfeit cac stickers
Would love to see the images and cert info.
I have seen a few counterfeit slabs with lower grade genuine coins inserted; NGC got hit with a group a few years ago. The only cracked open/ tampered genuine slabs I have seen were pretty obvious.
There was a period of time (1990s?) where one could crack out genuine gem coins, get them recertified and into holders again as gems and take the genuine "gem" paper insert and create a new slab with a lower quality coin. All one would need would be the plastic sealing machine and an accurate slab mold. Some counterfeiters were caught because the inserts were counterfeit, but make an insert or holder good enough and counterfeits may be undetectable.
Yes, this has been a threat that some have tried to exploit for over three decades now and it probably won't stop anytime soon. It has always been a concern. Security features are added over the years but there are plenty of older holders still out there and even security features can sometimes be defeated. Be careful and do your research.
It was not a PCGS slab.
Coin Rarities Online
Noted - title updated. Thanks for the clarification.
This (and the surge in deceptive counterfeits) are among the biggest threats to collectors’ enjoyment of this hobby.
I use a bench vise for crackouts. Put the slab in face up with the long sides against the vise and slowly squeeze. I do this because the slab faces usually pop open smoothly, with little risk of the plastic coming into contact with the coin as it separates.
About 4 out of 5 times, especially with NGC, the halves pop open so cleanly that I could easily glue them back afterwards. With a sonic sealer, this would be even easier.
Here is one currently on my desk. Almost perfect.
Now that we've identified the culprit, we need only decide on a punishment...
🤑
omg, i saw one not to long ago that someone took a vise to get the au 50 coin out (1931s) not good
So was the reported coin sold at the Baltimore SB auction?
I would suggest any slab coin you buy or considering buying go to Cert lookup and examine the image vs yours.