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 Replies: 10 / Views: 1,574 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
759 Posts |
Hi, After about a 20 year layoff, I'm back to working on my gold type set. I don't have one yet, but I'm mesmerized by the $3 Princess and I'll be looking to pick up 1 or 2, kind of soon. I'd like to keep the budget south of $650, preferably $550-600ish, so I know I'm down there in grade. That's OK though. There's nothing in this endeavor better to me than holding a piece of history in my hands. I also don't want to freak out too much if I let a class of 10 year olds pass it around. So raw it is. I'm thinking ebay and I'm extremely patient meaning if it takes me 25 auction attempts to get something, no big deal. I am worried about fakes though. Can anyone offer some practical advice beyond basic due diligence on minimizing the chances of buying one (I'm not so sure I'd go the whole "read a book on gold counterfeits" though)? Are counterfeits of this type seen much in G-F/VF? Any general info/tips on $3G would also be appreciated. Thanks, everybody. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1534 Posts |
The $3 gold coins are highly counterfeited and I would suggest going with one slabbed unless you're absolutely firm on your goal of raw. Learning to spot a genuine one won't be easy, I'd first suggest comparing as many genuine ones on Heritage/eBay to counterfeits. Others will have better suggestions though, I'm sure.  |
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Rest in Peace
United States
4849 Posts |
My first and only time really getting hosed off of ebay is buying a $3 gold coin and having it be counterfeit, and then being unable to recoup my money. I completely agree with wheatguy and strongly urge you to only buy these certified. The fakes FAR outnumber the genuine examples. Buying these raw off of ebay is a big gamble unless you are an expert. What you may consider is purchasing one in a problem slab(anacs, ngc, or pcgs), cleaned or something like that for a greatly reduced price, and then youd feel more comfortable cracking it out of the slab and having other folks handle it. Either that, or a heavily circulated VF or lower coin(though it is actually tougher to find since these didnt circulate much). This is just my opinion. Oh, and welcome to the forums! I hope you enjoy it here and hang around for a while!  Edited by johnny54321
10/22/2010 9:15 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3234 Posts |
I'd be shocked if you can find a $3 coin that didn't have a host of serious issues for the price range you're looking for. I currently own 2 $3 Gold pieces myself now. I love the coins but they ain't cheap. I'm trying to stick to nice AU's. Once they get below that they can lose a bit of detail and or overall eye appeal.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
759 Posts |
Thanks, everyone. So let me ask this then...how does everyone protect themselves from the possibility of buying a counterfeit raw coin in general? I suspect research is up there. Does buying from a dealer rather than individual help? Returns accepted, of course. What do you do right after opening the package to alleviate any fears? Thanks.
And BTW, I do see some $3G in G-F that are in my price range and still meet my eye appeal standards, but Prethern is right, most do have serious problems. After watching now for about a year, there seem to be more 1856-S in well circulated condition than other dates. Any ideas if those got out into circulation more? Should 1856-S immediately raise any red flags? And again, thanks.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1534 Posts |
Quote:
how does everyone protect themselves from the possibility of buying a counterfeit raw coin in general? Research like you mentioned and with some common date coins you don't have to be overly paranoid of buying a counterfeit since most fakes are within the expensive, profitable series such as Trade dollars and key dates. Quote:
Does buying from a dealer rather than individual help If the dealer is reputable yes, although dealers can slip up sometimes and a dealer unknowingly selling a counterfeit to someone does happen from time to time. Edited by wheatguy
10/24/2010 7:33 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3234 Posts |
I've never seen anything less than a VF for sale. I'm guessing they exist, but I think that would be pretty rare to find those that used.
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Rest in Peace
United States
4849 Posts |
The answer to your quandry. Nice crusty problem free F-15 circ in an ANACS slab with a decent starting price. http://cgi.ebay.com/1874-3-Princess...em564079f031btw, I have no knowlege of the seller....just making a suggestion and would highly recommend something like this over a raw $3 princess. Edited by johnny54321
10/29/2010 8:25 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3234 Posts |
I guess they are out there!
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Rest in Peace
United States
4849 Posts |
Yeah, I actually kind of liked it and was tempted to bid myself since they are unusual. It looked nice and crusty. I wonder who won it.
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Valued Member
United States
455 Posts |
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Replies: 10 / Views: 1,574 |
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Posted 10/22/2010 9:15 pm
