Quote:
You can say once a proof always a proof but the reality of it is that Grading companies and dealers will not recognize a circulated proof as a proof if it's not almost perfect in every way.
Once a Proof, it's always a Proof. Remember, the term "proof" refers to the process by which the coins are made and not to the condition of the coin. It's a specific minting process.
Quote:
why is it so difficult for someone to distinguish between proof and business strikes when a circulated proof loses scant metal due to handling
Due to the simple fact that what most obviously makes a Proof a "Proof" is the finish of the coin, if that finish is removed by circulation wear, then it automatically renders the coin "harder" to say whether it was a proof.
Again, it's a specific minting process, there's more to look at that strictly the finish of the coin.
Quote:
No one in there right mind would attempt to fake a $1000 coin.
I bought two CC Morgans once. For $14. Bid it right up starting from 0.01 on
ebay. Years ago. They were fake, obviously. I still have them. Just to remind myself, if it's too good to be true, it is. Sometimes you legitimately stumble upon really good deals (I seem to recall someone on here several years ago picking up a still-sealed Cheerios Dollar for somewhere around $10...if it were cracked out and be a Cheerios Dollar, as opposed to being a normal standard dollar that got distributed in the Cheerios boxes, it'd be a $5000 coin)
And it does go into the millions. Take a standard steel cent, copper plate it, and boom. You've got a 1.7 million dollar coin, you'll never send it in for
TPG authentication as it'll be plain as the day is long that it's fake. But, try to sell it on
ebay? Or to an uneducated collector? You could net a few thousand dollars for it, getting the buyer to believe they have a million dollar coin!
https://www.PCGS.com/news/PCGS-cert...r-17-millionQuote:
You can't find one in circulation because it will NEVER be authenticated without it in its case and in near perfect condition
This is not true. There are signs of it being a proof, even if it were worn. Is it possible that it could reach a point where it couldn't be determined anymore? Yes. But if you're focused on the mirror-like surface, then there must be enough there to make a straight-forwarded determination.
Quote:
I'm not sending this coin in
Short of sending it in, you'll never know. You can either accept that it isn't a proof, or pay the nominal fee to know, if you firmly believe that it is what you think it is.
Quote:
I was thinking that there were some very smart people that could tell if a coin was authentic or a fake or a proof strike just by examining it
Photographing a coin is hard. Look at the people asking for opinions on what kind of coin photographing set up to buy. You can take good photos without a nice set up...but you'll need to take high-resolution photos, different angles, farther away, closer up. Obverse and Reverse. If you're getting a glare, try to photograph it under different light.
Also, photographing is not the same as "examining" it. You can photograph a coin, and it can "appear" legitimate...but if you actually held that coin, and looked at that coin in-person, you'd clearly realize something's wrong.
The people on this forum can only do so much, with what is provided to them. We're here to help, or try to. But we also expect you to want to learn. We can't help you if you're unwilling to learn and are adamant about things which just aren't true.
For example, if you wanted to learn all there is to learn about Proof coins, I'm certain if you were to ask a general question, someone would be willing to point you to dozens of forum posts, or other websites where you could read and learn. If you had further questions, I don't think anyone would have a problem with helping you, so long as you showed some degree of trying to understand.
Posted 02/06/2020 3:47 pm
