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PCGS Slab Insert Integrity.
Zerbe
Posts: 587 ✭✭
in Q & A Forum
Collectors Universe Forums - Crackouts and Inserts
Mr. Hall, my question has to do with the security of the PCGS slab. I have noticed that the PCGS slab has been labeled by Collectors Universe as "TAMPER EVIDENT". I was under the Impression that the Hologram would indicate tampering if damaged, but that cannot be true, as the hologram is located om the outside of the slab. The reason I ask, is that when a thread on unreturned inserts was posted last month, a forum member e-mailed me and offered the following reason that some dishonest dealers hoard inserts. He said that it was possible to purposely damage a PCGS slab, so as to remove the insert and then place an insert one grade higher in the broken slab. The damaged slab with the higher grade would then be sent to PCGS to be reholdered. He said this fraud would be performed by a large wholesaler of coins, as they would have an expert grader on hand to match a mid to high end grade coin to the newly installed one grade higher insert. The wholesaler would have access to thousands of coins and possibly thousands of inserts that he kept for this purpose. For example; he has a PCGS MS 68 $10 Indian insert in his safe. A MS67 PCGS $10 Indian comes into inventory, and he breaks the MS67 slab, removes the insert and installs the MS68 insert he has been storing in his safe, then sends the damaged slab to PCGS to be reholdered . He or someone on his payroll is an expert grader, so the difference in the grade is slight, but if this process works he has doubled his money. We are talking thousands of dollars as they would only do this infrequently and only on very highend coins. Is the aforementioned senario possible or is there a Tamper Evident protection built into the PCGS slab ??? Thanks for your time. P. Taylor
Mr. Hall, my question has to do with the security of the PCGS slab. I have noticed that the PCGS slab has been labeled by Collectors Universe as "TAMPER EVIDENT". I was under the Impression that the Hologram would indicate tampering if damaged, but that cannot be true, as the hologram is located om the outside of the slab. The reason I ask, is that when a thread on unreturned inserts was posted last month, a forum member e-mailed me and offered the following reason that some dishonest dealers hoard inserts. He said that it was possible to purposely damage a PCGS slab, so as to remove the insert and then place an insert one grade higher in the broken slab. The damaged slab with the higher grade would then be sent to PCGS to be reholdered. He said this fraud would be performed by a large wholesaler of coins, as they would have an expert grader on hand to match a mid to high end grade coin to the newly installed one grade higher insert. The wholesaler would have access to thousands of coins and possibly thousands of inserts that he kept for this purpose. For example; he has a PCGS MS 68 $10 Indian insert in his safe. A MS67 PCGS $10 Indian comes into inventory, and he breaks the MS67 slab, removes the insert and installs the MS68 insert he has been storing in his safe, then sends the damaged slab to PCGS to be reholdered . He or someone on his payroll is an expert grader, so the difference in the grade is slight, but if this process works he has doubled his money. We are talking thousands of dollars as they would only do this infrequently and only on very highend coins. Is the aforementioned senario possible or is there a Tamper Evident protection built into the PCGS slab ??? Thanks for your time. P. Taylor
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That said, besides the jail time/getting caught deterent...we believe the holders are indeed tamper evident. if you get a funky looking coin, then check out the holder for signs of tampering and please contact us. We take the integrity of our holder very seriously and have put people in jail that have messed with our holders.