| Author |
 Replies: 14 / Views: 6,909 |
|
|
New Member
United States
7 Posts |
I am new to coin collecting and this is the first coin I have purchased on ebay. I purchased this American Buffalo Gold. It is rated MS70 by NGC. The issue I am having is with the casing. To me it looks tampered with. Three of the corners look great. Two of the sides are in excellent shape. The other two sides (on the seam) look like they are cracked and then were melted. The texture in that area is also flat inconsistent with the rest of the seam around the casing. I notified the seller (who has 320 transactions, 100% positive ) about this casing and said that I wanted to return it. He said, "The item is as I bought it with no marks on the casing. I not saying you did it, but how am I to know that you didn't pry the case open yourself and switch it yourself. I'm not a thief, so you see the problem this is, that is why I sold as is, to avoid people changing coins and wanting their money back. I'm sorry, you can see by my feedback I've never wronged anyone, so I will have to say no, sorry." then he also wrote "I was looking over some other coins that I have, and all of the casing have some marking on them to seal them. You got a beautiful coin." Are all NGC casings sealed this sloppy? Or does this case look likes it has been tampered with? I have pictures below. Please advise. http://home.comcast.net/~SpokaneCon...buffalo2.jpghttp://home.comcast.net/~SpokaneCon.../buffalo.jpgEdited by BuffaloGold
08/31/2007 01:29 am
|
|
|
|
Valued Member
United States
57 Posts |
Looks totally normal to me. A little worse then some other NGCs (and that sucks on a nice coin) but it doesn't look opened
Edited by Sagan
08/31/2007 02:01 am
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2540 Posts |
Buffalo:
I checked some of my NGC cases, and they do not look like this, but they are older cases (over two years old).
I would e-mail NGC and ask them, include the pictures.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
750 Posts |
I have just gotten some stuff back from NGC and they all look about the same as yours. A few a little worse actually
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
19931 Posts |
I've seen quite a few like that, I think it's their sealing process...just a bit sloppy.
Lincoln Cent Lover!VERDI-CARE™ INVENTOR https://verdi.care/
|
|
New Member
United States
21 Posts |
Sending photos to NGC is a great idea. They are usually very cooperative and helpful.
It seems to me that if this slab were tampered with you would see a great deal more damage. You would literally need a hammer and chisel to pry it open.
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
14454 Posts |
I agree that NGC's sealing process lacks quality (maybe their machines are getting old or something) it seems the more time that goes by the worse the seams look but take it from someone that has cracked open allot of slabs NGC slabs are tough to crack open and it is "ALMOST" impossible to crack one open and not damage the whole slab beyond repair
|
|
New Member
 United States
7 Posts |
Thanks for the quick responses. I added another picture and sent an email with these three pictures to NGC. Third Picture: http://home.comcast.net/~SpokaneCon...buffalo1.jpgIn a way I am relieved that some of you are saying this case looks normal, I thought I got ripped off. On the other hand I can't believe NGS is so sloppy in their closing of these cases. For someone new to collecting it is so sloppy it looks tampered with. It looks so unprofessional. |
|
New Member
United States
7 Posts |
Well I did contact NGC and this was their resonse:
"All of our holders are tamper evident, meaning if someone tries to get
to the coin in any way they will cause some un-repairable damage to the
holder. Also, our holders are sonically sealed which does create marks
on the edges of the holder which one could mistake as super-glue. This
doesn't happen to all of the holders, but it's an uncontrollable
occurrence.
However, if you still have doubts you may always call or e mail us to
verify the certification number. I do not have access to the internet to
view those pictures though, I apologize.
Please feel free to contact customer service with any further questions."
I did call the person who responded and verified the certification number. She did say that they crack these cases open to put the coins in there and sometimes they even break the case. She also said I could resubmit the coin for $5 to get it re-cased, but she could not guarantee that it would look any better.
I am going to leave it as is and send an apology to the seller.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1691 Posts |
If it looks like a 70...then it is a 70. Send it back to NGC for $5 to have it repackaged if it makes you feel better. If NGC says it was tampered with..then you can contact ebay and seller to resolve. PEACE of MIND is job one! Edited by atlashealth
08/31/2007 1:05 pm
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
I think they applied a little too much pressure during the sealing process. he sonic welder astually melts the plastic there at the edges of the slab and it is possible fro it to squeeze out like yours shows if the pressure on the face of the case is too great. Normally if these cases are cracked or stressed you will see definite cracks in the ege, not along the seam (because the welded seam is actualy stronger than the body of the slab.) and sometimes white stressed areas.
From what I can see is just looks like sloppy sealing at NGC.
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
For the $5 I'd send it to them. I was at a coin show and a dealer I know well showed me an NGC slabbed coin that was am MS-somthing or other or so the slab stated. He had me examine the slab and I could not see any evidense of tampering. The thing was he did it as a joke and the coin in the slab was not only a well worn piece of junk but also a different denomination. You just don't know. As to people on ebay with fantastic high marks, feedbacks, my son and many others I know sell on ebay and have many others send in those fantastic comments. Be careful out there. |
|
New Member
United States
21 Posts |
Excuse me, but am I missing something here? Are we grading slabs now? Quote: "The slab you have is definitely not a MS70, it more like a damaged XF or AU at best." Are we talking about "post mint damage" on a slab? Benji, if this is a joke, then I must say that you have a wicked sense of humor.  But seriously Rusty, I really don't see anything suspicious about the slab. It is virtually impossible to open the slab only on one or two sides without causing the plastic to break. There is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY for anyone to grade the coin from a picture, so I must assume that the suggestion of substituting a MS69 for a MS70 is a joke. I remember how upsetting it is to buy a beautiful, expensive coin and then wonder about its authenticity. That element of doubt is always there. And it is true that when dealing with ebay you have to be extremely careful. But in this case I really believe there is nothing for you to worry about. However, for your own peace of mind, having NGC re-slab the coin may be the best recourse. Perhaps the slab will not look much better, but at least you will know for sure what you have purchased. The only draw back with this course of action is that the grading, since it is subjective, may vary, depending on the person who does the grading. So that if the coin comes back as a MS69 it will not necessarily mean that the seller substituted it. However NGC may be able to tell you for sure if the slab had been tampered with. Whatever you decide to do, enjoy the beautiful coin you purchased and good luck with all your future acquisitions. Edited by Maya
09/01/2007 8:00 pm
|
|
Valued Member
United States
112 Posts |
I think I would send it back also. Now every time you look at the coin, there will be some doubt. For what you paid for the coin, that is only a small fee to send it back and get a new slab...
|
|
Valued Member
United States
62 Posts |
I wouldn't worry about it. It looks normal to me, even with the cruddy sides of the slab. I also can't see what the point of switching coins would be. It's not like an NGC MS70 Buffalo is a big score for a submitter...most of them are graded 70 by NGC. But if if it gives you piece of mind, see what NGC has to say and go from there  Added: Arrrgh...I meant to say peace of mind  Edited by bitters
09/02/2007 4:15 pm
|
| |
Replies: 14 / Views: 6,909 |
|
Posted 08/31/2007 07:48 am
