The take away..
Coin Finder
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Well, some of you good folks have seen a couple of my posts on AT coins....
What worries me truly if you collect and buy third party graded coins, is that the coin doctors and scammers who, in my opinion perpetrate fraud, are learning to change a coin while in the holder. Whether it be via digital photography or other means, this is potentially a big problem. I separate "conservation" from "doctoring here, but it is a very fine line..No one conserves a coin already graded and in the holder.
PCGS to their credit, have a Gold Shield service that lets you see the coins as they appeared after they are finished graded and still in their building. I think NGC does this to some extent. This is a good first step, but more steps may be needed to insure that when you lay out good money for a coin that it is not doctored...
I wonder which holder the coin doctors feel is easier to get into and why? Does the edge view make it easier? Is it possible to doctor a coin in the holder so well that it cannot be noticed?
Comments
NGC is ahead of PCGS in this area I believe. NGC takes a picture of every coin is the slab, the photos aren't the best but they are still good enough to show that the coin hasn't been AT.
Producing tarnish in the slab is certainly increasing.... the early indications were easy to spot... That being said, the art of deception is always being improved. I would not want to make a bet that it cannot be performed in such a manner as to be undetectable. I believe the best insurance against this is the pictures from the TPG at time of grading. After that, at least in holders today, tarnish should not be occurring - at least not in a generation or two.... Cheers, RickO