Verifying a TPG Certification Number

[Jim Beam]

I have a coin certified and graded by PCGS with a CAC sticker. Is there a way or place I can look to actually verify the coin in this holder is what was assigned the grade and certification number? I am asking this only because I do not think the coin in question is of the grade/quality that has been assigned - I think the coin is actually of lower grade and appears to have had some whizzing on the reverse. I can not see how it received the grade it did and especially the CAC sticker. Is it possible a coin can be placed in a holder that actually replaced the original graded coin? I am sorry I do not have a picture to show but I am not sure that is relevant anyway at this time.

[TomB]

PCGS offers online cert verification here and CAC offers online sticker verification here. I would imagine that anyone might counterfeit anything if the money is right. However, might it be also likely that the coin has flow lines or die polish that might be mistaken for something else? Of course, with no image that is truly just a guess.

[Jim Beam]

I did find my coin listed on both the PCGS and CAC links you provided. I have also spent an hour or so researching "flow lines" and "die polish" which I have learned more about. It would have been helpful if I could have found picture examples of each but since they seem to pertain to the cartwheel effect it may be difficult to produce a picture. I still think my coin has had some form of mechanical process applied as the scratch lines appear circular and non-uniform in nature and are found in two different places on the reverse of the coin. I suppose it is possible for a TPG to miss or overlook this type of thing but these are very obvious in my opinion. I again apologize for not being able to produce a picture for review but I just do not have the means to do that - yet. Thank you for the two links and for replying to my question.

[MarkFeld]

What is the type, date and grade of the coin? There is at least a slight chance that such information would allow someone here to hazard another guess as to what you're seeing.

[Jim Beam]

Sure - it is a 1944-D, Walking Liberty Half dollar, and is graded MS-66 with the CAC sticker. The PCGS certification number is 3233334 and I purchased it on ebay in October, 2008. Thanks, Mark.

[michael]

 

Cert Verification #: 3233334

PCGS Coin #: 6622

Date, mintmark: 1944-D

Denomination: 50C

Variety:

Minor Variety:

Mint Error:

Pedigree:

Country: The United States of America

Grade: MS66

Mintage: 9,769,000

PCGS Price GuideSM Value: $300

 

 

 

[michael]

you are worrying/overly way too concerned way too much over an extremely common coin

 

that if broken out of the holder is worth less than 55 dollars

 

and WAS certified and holdered by pcgs and secondly verified by cac

[Schatzy]

I looked them up and everything looks fine!!

[jpolz]

Is there a way or place I can look to actually verify the coin in this holder is what was assigned the grade and certification number?

 

If the person who submitted the coin paid for PCGS's TrueView service, a picture of the coin in the holder would be available when you plug in the cert # on PCGS's website. Since you already ran the cert, they didn't.

 

You could try contacting PCGS directly. Don't know if that will help, but as I tell my friends, not trying is guaranteed to not work.

 

Is it possible a coin can be placed in a holder that actually replaced the original graded coin?

 

It's possible. Not likely, but possible. PCGS admits as much in their cert guarantee at http://www.pcgs.com/guarantee.chtml (to be fair, the possibility holds for NGC or any other TPG holdered coin).

 

If it'd been done, you should be able to see the evidence of the tampering at the edges or corners of the holder pretty obviously. Either uneven sides, chips, or cracks.

 

Lastly, and please don't take this wrong, but I agree with michael that if someone were going to go to this kind of effort for a scam, they wouldn't do it with a 44-D MS66 Walker. It just doesn't make sense when the upside is what, at most $250 (swapping a ~$50 coin for a $300 coin) when it could just as easily be done with coins where the price difference between grades is thousands of dollars.

 

My .

[michael]

and unfortunatelyi know that after looking at the coin the die polish lines on the reverse are bothersome andhurt the eye appeal

 

remember it is1944 and die steel because of the war is scarce so they really used things and re used until they baiscally fell apart

 

okie clearly the die polish lines part of the minting processand reusing of the die does not bode well for the eye appeal of this coin as i can see it does bother you

 

and rightly so

 

but with pcgs they find this market acceptable with an ms 66 now you know that even with a pcgs holder graded ms 66 and with the green bean of approval it still does not meet your approval and since i cant see the coin in hand sight seen i cant tell if it will meet my approval and i am much harder than pcgs and cac combined!! coin would need to be a killer in terms of eye appeal for me to approve it along of course with having a thick original roll fresh skin to the coin NOT DIPPED OUT aND ALSO be ms 66+ for the grade on the holder

 

 

 

next time you go buy a walker or any coin even in a holder and with a green bean make sure it meetsYOUR standards for eye appeal if not pass

 

and this is okie it is a learning process

 

 

[Jim Beam]

I just want to thank all of you who replied to my questions and/or provided some very helpful information and suggestions. I appreciate it. Thanks.

[Conder101]

Is it possible a coin can be placed in a holder that actually replaced the original graded coin?

It is very unlikely that it can be done without evidence of the tampering (With the exception of those very few slabs that manage to somehow skip the sonic welder.) But if they could, then what good would the certificate verification be. The verification would would say the same thing that the label does. If the coin had been swapped it wouldn't match the verification, but it wouldn't match the label either. If the coin doesn't match the label, Why do you need to find out that it doesn't match something else?

[michael]

no problemo

 

just please ask first and we all will try our best on here to see if we can assist you BEFORE you take the plunge

 

so you can make better choices for yourself!! and get some really great coins!!!!

 

i want to see all collectors get what they pay for in top quality material/great eye appeal for the grade and type of coin they are thinking of adding to their collection