| Author |
 Replies: 16 / Views: 4,475 |
|
Valued Member
United States
100 Posts |
I am a new member here and this is my first post. I am just an everyday collector who apparently still has a lot to learn. I recently submitted 5 coins to ANACS for grading and was surprised, and disappointed with two of the results. I would like to solicit some opinions from other members. The first coin is a 1942/1 Mercury dime that I bought at a coin show from a Des Moines dealer. The dime looked to me to be in excellent circulated condition and I paid $700 dollars for it. ANACS graded it as EF 40 details, but that it is scratched. Having never noticed any type of scratch on this dime I really looked hard at it under the magnifying glass. All I can find is a tiny scratch that is only visible when the light hits it just right. Looking at it straight on you can't see it, and it definitely isn't visible to the naked eye. Would it be worth the effort and expense to send it to NGC or PCGS to see what they say? The second is an 1874 S Trade dollar that I bought off of ebay two years ago. Knowing a lot of these are fake I thought I was careful. The seller had a %100 feedback rating and there was a lot of bidding on it. When I got it I had my son weigh it on a drug scale at the police department and the weight was correct. It also has a nice silver "ring" to it. I showed it to a dealer in Omaha who told me that he thought it was fine and would have no problem buying it. ANACS, however, said it is a fake. I called ANACS to ask and was told they couldn't tell me why they determined it to be a fake unless I sent it back to them. I am at a loss what to do with it. Anyone have any suggestions? One last question. Does anyone know if any of the fake dollars are actually made out of silver? I have read that most are made of some other cmpostion and will not weigh or sound the same as silver. Jerry |
|
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1590 Posts |
Welcome! And let me be the first to say.......we want pics! lol, seriously, post of pictures of your coins and lets go from there.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1211 Posts |
While I am sure you are disappointed, you paid them to perform a service and they did. I'm sorry to hear that the results were less than expected but ANACS is a company that does this as their primary business practices and are regarded as being the #3 leader in the industry.
If you were disputing AU55 vs AU58 then I could see your point. Damage and authenticity is something that even the low-end 3rd party graders are fairly accurate with. I would certainly trust ANACS to get it right.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
7840 Posts |
 I would not send them on to PCGS or NGC as ANACS has identified them with "issues", it would be a waste of money. I have dealt with a Chinese "manufacturer of coins" that will make their "coins" out of precious metals as well as whatever they usually use. So, yes, there are fakes made out of the real precious metals. Quote:
I recently submitted 5 coins to ANACS for grading What about the other three?   Edited by oih82w8
05/23/2013 09:02 am
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3453 Posts |
! My first experience with a TPG (PCGS) left me puzzled. I submitted a 3 cent silver and it came back as details / tooled. I still do not see where it was tooled and every coin dealer I have had look at it had a different opinion as to where it was but could not point and say "There it is!". But remember, the TPG's have tools available that are not available to the general public. I am not saying they never make a mistake, however, they the top ones are on target most of the time. Sadly, I would believe them on the Trade dollar. You paid for their professional opinion and a nice protective coating for your coin - you can always crack it out and enjoy the coin au natural! Since submitting my first group, I have not felt the desire to use a TPG again. I have found I enjoy coins outside of their coated shell. I do purchase slabbed ones for various reasons, but most of them get popped out.  |
|
Bedrock of the Community
13014 Posts |
Just to repeat what everyone else said its one thing to try for another grade but damage is damage and would kind of be an act of desperation to try again. That said mistakes do happen from time to time so pictures would really be needed.
Like Kelly mentioned though the first time you send in things yourself for grading its usually a very eye opening experience and pretty much everyone has a similar experience in that regard myself included
|
|
Valued Member
 United States
100 Posts |
Well, I just spent an hour trying to load some pictures I took that really didn't turn out too bad. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get them loaded. Apparently I'm not only inept at buying coins, but I'm technologically challenged also. Maybe my grand-daughter can show me how.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2661 Posts |
Quote:
I would not send them on to PCGS or NGC as ANACS has identified them with "issues", it would be a waste of money. I must disagree with that statement. I sent a $2.50 Indian and a $5 into ANACS and they both came back over graded. $2.50 came back MS63 Details Cleaned. I thought It would fetch AU58. The $5 came back as MS60 Details Scratched/Cleaned. I figured a 55 or a 58 also maybe on a good day. Cracked them out and piggybacked them on a dealers submission to PCGS. $2.50 got an AU58 and the $5 got an AU 55. |
|
Valued Member
United States
100 Posts |
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
7197 Posts |
Your dime does have a visible scratch above the "we". The Trade dollar looks to be kinda pours in the fields of the reverse and the Eagles waist does not look right from the photo. |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1211 Posts |
Please post up close shots of the LIBERTY banner on the obverse of the Trade dollar. The scratch on the dime is clear as day... |
|
Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
The Dime is pretty obvious. The Trade dollar looks to be a pretty good fake from the images (if it is), but yes, they're known to be faked using silver ($20 worth of silver to create a $400 coin is pretty good math) and all ANACS would have to do is point an X-Ray Fluorescence tester at it to determine alloy composition. If the alloy is wrong, the coin can't be right. Keep in mind, the overwhelming majority of 1874-S Trade dollars went straight to the Orient, where they circulated heavily. Very darn few are left in Uncirculated condition (as yours looks), and any TPG is going to look very closely at a raw one when they receive it. |
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
14454 Posts |
the scratch going through the W in WE and G in GOD up through the portrait is pretty obvious that ANACS was correct with their details grade of this coin, the Trade dollar is a little bit harder to tell what is actually wrong with it from the pictures as it looks as if there are some artifacts of the picture that is throwing the images off a little around the waist of the eagle and in a couple other places that I am pretty sure is just the image and the coin doesn't truly look like this. The design looks really good from what I can tell by the photos but I am hesitant to say much more by the photos we have right now but it is a pretty good fake if it is fake. ANACS would have an advantage over any of us anyway because they would have had the coin in hand which is something we would not have the privilege of doing on the forum. I have seen many counterfeit Trade dollars ranging from hilariously looking to some that are so close you really have to know the series well and do some gravity tests and other things to be able to determine authenticity. As SsuperDdave said any Trader Dollar of this date in this condition would be under scrutiny from any real TPG as they are very few of them in this condition left. I know this isn't what you want to hear but we can see ANACS was correct on the dime and chances are they are also correct on the Dollar as well but at least I would check into the Dollar further before taking their word for it by doing all tests available to you so you can see for yourself where it fails the test |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
5212 Posts |
Sorry to hear about the results Mercury dime but I would be proud to have that one in my collection. |
|
New Member
United States
26 Posts |
I learned a lot from buying raw coins from dealers when I first started, so don't feel bad. It's a learning experience. I sent a Liberty Seated dollar to ANACS after I purchased it raw and the grade details were correct but it was corroded. So I learned from that. I also sent some coins in to ANACS that came back better than my expected grade, so you will also have good experiences. |
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
36878 Posts |
As the others have said the scratch on the Merc is very visable. You must have missed it when buying the coin. The Trade dollar is a very deceptive fake. The thing that stands out for me is the thinkness of the obverse rim. Think near the top and thinner near the date. The mint mark also does not look correct. |
| |
Replies: 16 / Views: 4,475 |
Posted 05/22/2013 12:04 pm
