Problem With ANACS 1909-S VDB Cent -- Need Advice

I agree but time is not on your side don't let it slide. A word of advice, don't trust anyone, I see this as not a mistake by the auctioneer but a right out fraudulent act. These guys know what they are doing mistakes cost them money and a bad reputation.

The auctioneer has since agreed (quite reluctantly) to take the coin back.

I had not provided pictures of the coin because I thought someone might tie them back to the auctioneer and I did not want to somehow taint his reputation until I saw how everything played out. I did not mean to offend anyone by not posting them. I really was just looking advice on how to proceed and was not seeking opinions on the validity of the grade, etc. I did not see any need to post them (and I still don't, to be frank). Regardless, I've attached them here. I've blacked out the cert # simply because I want to maintain a good relationship with the auctioneer (who I have bought a lot of coins from).

As you can see, it is indeed an old holder. I sent the pictures to ANACS and they say that it appears to be nicer than an F12, which again suggests to me that someone likely tampered with it. They've asked me to send them the coin and I am tempted to do that. Sending it back to the auctioneer who will in turn send it back to the consignor effectively means that it will be sold to someone else. I don't like the thought of that.

Some of the VDBs are very weak on the reverse. You almost need to pop the coin out of the slab to get proper light onto it to make a determination. For that reason alone I don't buy slabbed coins with weak VDBs. In fact, I'd always rather buy a raw coin with a strong VDB versus a certified coin with a weak VDB.

Example: http://coins.ha.com/itm/lincoln-cen...7261.s#Photo