Counterfeit/Fake PCGS Slabs? What Do You Think?

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Author	Replies: 7 / Views: 6,629
SwwPlayboy86 New Member United States 27 Posts	Posted 04/10/2017 8:30 pm I'm fairly new to the coin collecting world so bare with me please. I typically buy coins that have been graded by NGC, mainly because I can go to their website and confirm with the picture posted. Recently, my son bought some Sacagawea dollars from an ebay seller, all graded by PCGS. One of the first things I learned about coin collecting was if its to good to be true, it probably is. Well the prices the seller was asking were a little bit cheaper than recommended but not low enough to cause suspicion. And I also said, who would fake these coins. Well he got them in today.... First thing I noticed was, the 2009 and on Native American dollars, after grading, had the rear facing forward so that that years picture was displayed with the grading. This was true for all but one coin. The 2011-S has the heads side facing forward instead of the tails. Is that normal? Another thing I noticed was the cases were different. If you held them up side by side, as you see in the picture, the color is clearly different. Does PCGS send back coins in different cases? Another red flag, the raised corners on the front of the slabs are different sizes. I guess this goes back to the different slabs quest. Lastly, stickers on the back of the labels are different. Is that typical? Again, I'm not very coin savvy yet. My son is wanted to start his own collecting and I want to make sure I help as much as I can. All opinions are welcomed, but please no smart alec answers. I'm hear for information. Thank you Report this Post to the Staff

Crazyb0 Rest in Peace 10197 Posts	Posted 04/10/2017 8:37 pm No expert, but there was another thread recently that covered the different slab inserts of PCGS, that is not necessarily a sign of fake and I don't think the plastic color makes a difference...the amount of coins they process monthly means getting from different sources. Call PCGS directly and find out about your #'s. Report this Post to the Staff
JDB0673 New Member United States 38 Posts	Posted 04/10/2017 8:45 pm I agree, I have a hundred plus PCGS slabs and the color fluctuates greatly. PCGS also changes case and label designs now and then "called generations" but like stated above call them and ask. As far as coin direction it is not an indicator of a fake. Sometimes especially with DDR's they will put the reverse facing the front but other times they point it to the back, just depends on who is encapsulating that day I guess. LOL Report this Post to the Staff
Matt2727 Valued Member United States 219 Posts	Posted 04/10/2017 8:49 pm Like you, I mostly use NGC for grading because I find them to be much more experienced with world coins than PCGS. However, I do deal with PCGS slabs frequently. Both of those slabs look 100% genuine to me. The differences in their looks are only because PCGS over the years has changed the look and design of their slabs to continue to keep up with the technology of counterfeiters. The 2010 S Sacagawea was actually slabbed a year or so before the 2011 S, which is why the hologram and raised edges are a bit different. Regarding the placement of the coins, when you submit a coin to PCGS you can ask to have the coin's reverse facing forward instead of the obverse in order to highlight the coin's toning, commemorative aspect, et cetera. You can see the evolution of PCGS slabs here on their website http://www.PCGS.com/holders Hope this helps! Report this Post to the Staff
Druu Pillar of the Community United States 1000 Posts	Posted 04/11/2017 12:59 am You can check PCGS certificate numbers as well: http://www.PCGS.com/cert/ As for the rear facing coins, that's an option selected by the individual submitting the coins. As JDB pointed out, reverse facing forward is sometimes used for DDR coins. Report this Post to the Staff
Conder101 Bedrock of the Community United States 17884 Posts	Posted 04/11/2017 11:08 am The color of the PCGS plastic has changed at least three times, most recently with the addition of several anticounterfeiting features. The two slabs in the first picture are from different generations of slab and a color difference between those I believe should be expected. As mentioned whether the obverse or reverse faces forward can be requested by the submitter. Report this Post to the Staff
SwwPlayboy86 New Member United States 27 Posts	Posted 04/11/2017 11:06 pm Learning new things every day. Thank yall so much for the information. Report this Post to the Staff
Liquidsilver7 Valued Member United States 142 Posts	Posted 05/08/2017 01:31 am I got a green label PCGS. I thought it was fake until I found out it was the early labels. Also verified serial #. Report this Post to the Staff
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