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Replies: 35 / Views: 4,387 |
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Moderator
 United States
188440 Posts |
Absolutely! Do not send it to a stranger. I would hope there would be more than a few reputable dealers in Pittsburgh. You might even consider having a friend go with you just for extra comfort.
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
Quote: I emailed him the picture today and he said he could not tell from the photo but if I sent it to him he could appraise it for me. He also said he is an agent for PCGS abd NGC but, I still do not think I would want to send it to a stranger in Nebraska. Was that by some chance Tom Reynolds? I understand your caution - it's justifiable - but Tom will not risk 40 years' worth of reputation over one coin. He's a pretty big name in this area of specialization, and I would certainly trust him with the coin. Again, that's only my opinion. This would be a pretty important, and valuable, coin if authenticated. Until you're sure of its' authenticity, treat it as if it's worth thousands of dollars, because if it's real, it is. Don't get your hopes up, though - as Conder101 mentioned, you could probably hold in the palm of your hand the total number of these which have seen this much circulation.
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New Member
 United States
16 Posts |
Yes, it is Tom Reynolds and I remember when I met him I liked him and felt he was honest, but I only talked to him for a few minutes. So I guess my instincts were right but I still am not comfortable sending it to him until I know what I have. He said he would be interested in buying it and I told him I would let him know before I sold it.
Thanks for the info. I did call a couple of coin shops and found out that not many of then are familiar with colonial coins.
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
Quote: So I guess my instincts were right but I still am not comfortable sending it to him until I know what I have. It's more important than anything else for you to feel comfortable with the whole process. I think your best bet, then, might be to send the coin to ANACS for authentication and grading. They are one of the Third-Party Grading services - firms which authenticate, grade and encapsulate coins for dealers and collectors. Of the three (or four, depending on who you ask  ) major firms of the type, they are the only one which deals with regular folk like you and me, without wanting you to buy a membership first. Look at their Services page here: http://www.anacs.com/contentPages/Services.aspxYou'd probably want to use the 15-day Non-US Mint service, costing $28 per coin. However, by policy ANACS grades only the Fugio Cent among Colonial issues, so you'll probably want to talk to them on the telephone to get their view regarding grading tier and shipping. Call them at 1-800-888-1861.
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Member
United States
3242 Posts |
send it to ANACS it maybe worth it
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Valued Member
United States
486 Posts |
I know old Tom Reynolds! Nice guy but I would look for a reputable dealer in your area there should be a few shops in the Pittsburgh area. -PP
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
14454 Posts |
I think I would probably send it to ANACS myself also if I were in your shoes because that way it only goes from you straight to the grading company which will lessen the misinformation you may get from a dealer that doesn't know the series very well or a dealer that may be out for himself and try to scam you out of the coin by telling you its worthless when he in fact knows its not (I am not saying its real I don't know the series enough to feel comfortable saying either way). The only thing you have to worry about with sending it to ANACS is maybe the mail losing the package (which doesn't happen as much as one would believe but it does happen) so insure the package as if it were real (because as of right now thats all you know) and once it gets to ANACS they definately won't switch,or take your coin because they will not ruin their reputation (which is built on trust) that they have built up for so long for a couple thousand dollars. Once its authenticated by ANACS or deemed fake you will know for a fact what you have and once its authenticated the price jumps up quite a bit from a raw coin because so few of these things exist and when people see them they have a hard time getting all the fake coins out of their mind and usually just throw your coin in that category with them so the slab from ANACS would ease anyones mind that its real
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Valued Member
United States
486 Posts |
STEP 1: Locate a coinshop STEP 2: Go to Coinshop STEP 3: Ask if Fugio is real/If not get another shops opinion STEP 4: Have shop send it off for grading
Don't make it harder than it is people, its a fairly simple process. -PP
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1130 Posts |
From the NGC website for certified dealers in PA Jim McGuigan Early US coins (Copper, Silver & Gold) 412-247-4484 N. Versailles, PA or Charles Litman Coin Exchange Foreign , US, Ancients, Medals, Tokens 412-261-9000 coinex@aol.com http://www.lbp.com/com/pit/coinexPittsburgh, PA
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Pillar of the Community
United States
986 Posts |
Tom Reynolds is one of the most respected early copper dealers in the country, and you should have no problems dealing with him. If you do feel the need to send the coin in for grading yourself, you could either ship it off to ANACS like everybodyelse is suggesting. Or, if it is possible for you to go the the ANA in Balitmore at the end of the month (or any other large show), ANACS, NGC, and PCGS will all likely be there. ANACS has a table where a couple of the graders sit there all day and give free opinions about authenticity, grade, and whether or not it's worth sending something in.
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
Quote:Or, if it is possible for you to go the the ANA in Balitmore at the end of the month (or any other large show), ANACS, NGC, and PCGS will all likely be there. If you make the effort of going to the Baltimore show, I flat guarantee that I'll be there, drooling over a chance to hold this coin. 
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
Quote: STEP 1: Locate a coinshop STEP 2: Go to Coinshop STEP 3: Ask if Fugio is real/If not get another shops opinion STEP 4: Have shop send it off for grading Step 1 Good Step 2 Good Step 3 Here you have a problem. The typical dealer handles one of these once in a blue moon and has no idea about the varieties (See earlier post that thought it was fake because UNITED STATES was not where he expected it to be.) and he isn't going to have a clue if it is real. I've had dealers who couldn't recognize a colonial/state coin let alone know if it was real.
Edited by Conder101 07/18/2008 11:37 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1984 Posts |
I disagree with those imploring a person who is not necessarily a collector to take it cold calling to a local coin shop. It would probably be a colossal waste of time and gas money. Not to mention all of the handling and potential for mishaps that go on. As a former Pittsburgh resident, I know you could drive from N. Versailles up to Monroeville, downtown, or even down to Washington (PA), and you would find maybe 0.63 people with 1/10th as much experience as they'd need to have to approach the authentication of the coin. And even if one of them said, "yeah, it's real," or "No, I am sorry it's fake," what more would you really know? The advice to send it to ANACS delivers a solid first step for determining if this is genuine, and getting it in plastic--even temporarily--is not a horrible idea. The cost is comparable to and maybe even better than a day of driving around the 'burgh. Second-best would be to send it directly to Tom Reynolds--it's a good enough sign that he wants you to send it to him as far as I'm concerned.
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New Member
 United States
16 Posts |
Thanks again for all the help. I called Jim McGuigan in N. Versaille and he was not in but I will keep trying. Jim is located not far from me. I looked up the ANA show in Baltimore and I am thinking about it. My children live in that area so it would work well for me. I will let you all know what I decide.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1984 Posts |
I take it back--Jim McGuigan might be able to help you if he is still in N. Versailles. I thought he had gone to Virginia to work for a new grading service, but he might be working from home for them.
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Replies: 35 / Views: 4,387 |