Opinion Wanted: Raw 1916-D Mercury Dime

I own both raw and certified coins. The key dates and better coins are ALL certified. The raw coins are purchased from reputable dealers. That's how I roll. Earle42 always advocates for raw coins and stores them in his albums but that doesn't mean that's the best strategy for everyone. Right now the market is dictating that key dates are slabbed and that will only continue.

Absolutely correct in that its not the best strategy for everyone. Unfortunately though the marketers have been able to influence the hobby enough that we see newbies coming here with the mistaken mindset that slabbing is an absolute necessity and just a normal part of the hobby everyone indulges in and desires.

Along with the false mindset that slabbing is a necessity, they also get the false impression that TPGS are well nigh infallible. The very existence of the much stated and wise saying to buy the coin and not the slab shows how well the marketers have done their job at profiting from the hobby. There has to be a balance or people get taken.




Then we better go back and correct the myriad of posts made by people like Coop who continually show how to tell a fake by mint mark positions, etc. There are also techniques anyone can use such as making an overlay, side by side tracing of lines between devices etc. which are reliable for determining fakes. Many posts on CCF have shown this. Weight, specific gravity, measurements, die markers, and details of device positioning, etc. are available to everyone who wants it.

Its not some unattainable magic to be able to analyze something according to a set of standards. People who handle massive amounts of real coins, like graders, can generally spot a fake right away - which is also why TPGs rarely slab fakes. The more a person studies and examines fakes, the better they get at it. Education is the key. And here on CCF there are many times fakes have been exposed by us simple folks b/c of the resources we have available.




Like every other area of life, The concept of how much an "expert's opinion is desired is a function of each individual's personality. Some people get along great being able to rely upon their own experiences and research while others want to spend time in other areas so choose to pay someone for an opinion. This is why I have also continually stated in this forum that slabbing is an optional preference, not an absolute necessity. Which is why I again responded to the words "SHOULD be slabbed," in the post I initially responded to.

People need to be informed by looking at both sides of the issue and decide for themselves which path they want. Newbies reading threads and blindly accepting "SHOULD" in a statement of that context end up knowing only one side of the facts.

I also find it interesting that these companies were only able to make a foothold in the US which at that time had the most disposable income of any country in the world. Most other countries thought we were foolish for paying someone else to do something we could do for ourselves. I personally don't think these other countries are full of stupid people. The main difference I see is that our society has been much more market influenced to spend money on every new thing that comes along.



Reading the guarantee shows its not all that simple...good marketing parlance though. . Their own guarantee online reads:
"PCGS guarantees that all United States and World coins submitted to it shall be graded in accordance with the PCGS grading standards and under the procedures of PCGS. In addition;

All U.S. and World coins graded and encapsulated by PCGS are guaranteed genuine.
The grade of all U.S. and World coins graded and encapsulated by PCGS is guaranteed.
"
The guarantee means you will not get a fake, and PCGS guarantees they grade it according to how they say they will.

The next paragraph specifically says they will take care of it if a person thinks its been overgraded (yeah - how many times is that likely to happen?), and continue to say grades can be re-evaluated. In other words, the grade they assign is fluid.




Not even close. I have found too many problems with slabs I have received and mistakes (in other areas than fakes). There is a lot of discussion concerning TPG errors on this forum.

But realize slabbing is not the one grand unification theory of the coin hobby. When, and if the sad day comes where, "buy the coin, not the slab" is not heeded by anyone, them marketers dreams will have come true.

This is NOT to say if you like slabs you are being suckered - if you like slabs... go for it! Its a hobby. Use discernment. I have said many times that slabs really do make a nice looking collection. Its preference.

It's more than just that. I think Newbies "SHOULD" by certified coins WITH a green bean sticker on it! It's not only to protect their investment but they can get a sense of originality and eye appeal.

Exactly. The actual ones that are a treat to people pass the basic tests.




It is a necessary part of todays hobby ESPECIALLY for someone knew. You are doing a great disservice to new people trying to convince them they don't need it with the minefield that raw coins are today. Unfortunately more people than necessary often end up having to learn that the hard way.




Yes actually it is that simple. If they slab a fake they will buy it back, or locate you a real one.




It can and does happen every year.




Because it cannot be guaranteed that nothing happened to it. Just like your new car cannot be guaranteed to be new once you drive it off the lot or your tv isn't new once its out of the box ect.

Regarding the 1916-D Merc in the OP, anyone buying that coin raw is nuts.

I wonder how many people have fakes in their collections and don't know. The counterfeiters are getting better all the time lately. And remember they are also making their own slabs too.
As a side note some time ago I walked around at a coin show and asked dealers what they thought of my 1915 Mercury dime. Oddly enough many said nice coin. Would grade about AU or better.

This topic devolved into another TPG versus no-TPG debate.

Meanwhile, the dime has been reported and the OP has moved on to other battles.