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 Replies: 90 / Views: 9,713 |
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Valued Member
United States
114 Posts |
Hello All,
I have an opportunity to buy 12 gold eagles from 2005 for a pretty good price. I am meeting the guy off of craigslist at a public location tomorrow. I will bring my caliper (to measure thickness and diameter of each coin) and a scale (for the weight). How else would I be able to verify the authenticity of such coins? Of course, this is a large sum of money so I want to take proper precaution. I'm not sure where I would go about getting a gold testing kit on such short notice, and I don't even think these have really been counterfeited at all. Please let me know on how to proceed! Thanks so much CC!
-Paul
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1247 Posts |
You are kidding right?
so you are bringing over 15 grand in cash with you? Banks get robbed in Malls in broad daylight, what is to stop you from being robbed?
I would find a secure place to trade, look over the coins THEN go to your money.
The police station is a public property and if you call them and explain, I am sure they will let you use a room or at least their parking lot for a meeting.
A couple of months ago, I sold a shotgun online, and met the buyer at my local Police Department where we conducted the transaction in the parking lot. This was so I wouldn't get ripped off. I called them ahead of time to let them know what I was doing, they are cool with it.
If the guy plans to rob you, he would be less likely to do it at a police station.
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Bedrock of the Community
13014 Posts |
I have to agree, thats to much to be doing like that. You can likely get them from a place like provident metals for about the same price while knowing you wont get robbed and what you buy is real.
At the very least a police station is the ONLY place you should be considering.
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Valued Member
 United States
114 Posts |
I mean, to be honest, I'm not completely worried about being robbed. The police department thing is a good idea, but I'm more worried about the authenticity of the coins (I don't want the deal to go completely smoothly only to find out they are counterfeit.) Is there maybe a reputable dealer in the NY/NJ area who will just verify authenticity without stealing my deal? The deal isn't too good to be true, but it's a good deal (12 of them for $12,600). We did lots of haggling and he apparently found them in a storage unit, but was offered $900/piece by a pawn shop but turned it down.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1247 Posts |
remember, if it seems too good to be true, it is.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1247 Posts |
coinkid... so he never thought of going to a coins store? he would do better than what you are offering at a LCS.
Just because he let you "haggle" him down doesn't mean you won't be robbed.
Why don't you google search for a LCS and meet him there?
I think you are in for a bad time....
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Craigslist? Are you serious? Stop and consider why would anyone sell Gold Coins on Craigslist? He could put them up on ebay and all would be done ligit. Same with a coin show. So many places a person could sell Gold Coins. Public location? People get robbed, mugged, shot, etc every day in public places. And your going to have a pile of cash? This almost sounds like a start of a TV show. IF your really going to do this, first figure out how to know if real coins. Then meet at a local police station and ask the seller if he would submit his mame to the police just in case the coins are fakes. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1247 Posts |
go ahead and meet him coinkid, let us know what city you live in so we can find you in the local papers, after you are robbed or killed.
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Valued Member
United States
114 Posts |
So, even meeting at a police station, and going to a coin store, you think there's still a good possibility something would go wrong?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1247 Posts |
I would be very careful.
So how open this person is to doing the sale at a police station.
and, honestly, if you can't tell the difference between real and fake gold, you shouldn't be buying the coins.
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Valued Member
United States
114 Posts |
I'm not saying I don't know the difference. It is a large sum of money, and I'm just not sure if measuring thickness diameter and weight is going to cut it.
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21786 Posts |
Better off buying the same items from a specialist bullion dealer.
Most dealers would have an XRF tester, so that the authenticity should be guaranteed in the first place, and you wouldn't have any of your present worries.
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Valued Member
United States
114 Posts |
Okay, the guy has no problem meeting at a police station.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
561 Posts |
I hate to pile on but I have to agree with many of the other skeptics. I can't see any way that this turns out anything but bad for you. I really hope I am wrong if you decide to go through with this but please take some precautions to increase your odds of a safe transaction.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
1949 Posts |
coinkid, I have a company that amongst other things, handles the collection of rent money from inner city properties. I have seen what people will do to steal a $100. Criminals and those criminally inclined are quite intelligent. If someone knows you have 12k cash on you, you know how easy it is to find out your identity, where you live and rob you somewhere along your way to the meeting? Not trying to sound like someone lecturing at all, but there are so many things that can go wrong with this (nevermind the fact that you are about to drop 12k on something you don't even know how to check the authenticity of)
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Valued Member
United States
114 Posts |
I'm not saying I don't know how to check authenticity of gold coins.I am lost on how to acquire a gold testing kit on such short notice; I know how to sue a scale and caliper to take accurate measurements in order to determine authenticity. Is there *another* step I can take to determine authenticity? And like I said, the person has no problem meeting inside of a police station. I don't really understand how something like this is unprotected, if we meet inside of a police station? Not if it counts for anything, but I will not be going alone.
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Replies: 90 / Views: 9,713 |
Posted 01/03/2014 4:34 pm
