This really makes me angry.

[DonHeath]

OK, I got what I deserved. I bought a cheap coin in a PCI slab sight unseen to crack and add to my raw set. After cracking it, I saw a mark by the eagle that made me look with a loupe. I am posting the pics here with the hope it will help others recognize the risk and the potential problem.

 

Nice looking $30 coin.

 

superb mirrors.

 

how it got its cameo.

 

If you look closely at the date, you can see that someone with a dremel or dental tool half-finished the 1, missed and hit the mirror by the 9, and missed the lower portion of the 5 entirely. On the reverse, in the area by the eagle breast, the luster was disturbed to look like cameo by scratching the coin. It is on the other side of the breast going north south, and is not die polish. Caveat emptor. Why ruin an inexpensive coin?

[GP_]

prolly a practice piece before trying it on an expensive coin

[nwcs]

Hate to hear that, Don. It's annoying for sure, but at least it wasn't a $3000 coin.

[Weidel Legacy Collection]

Thanks for the lesson Don...its amazing what people will stoop to.

 

Another lesson from this is what you can sometimes get when you buy coins slabbed by 'other' services. Sometimes you get a bargain, sometimes you get a problem - its always a crapshoot.

[Wihlborg]

Don,

 

That's a shame, but I guess it is a good education on what the coin doctors are capable of.

As NWCS said at least it was not an expensive coin.

 

John

 

[Oldtrader3]

It is amazing what people will do to coins. I can not believe that PCI even glanced at the coin before they slabbed it. I have had a couple less than stellar experiences with PCI slabbed coins and will not buy them anymore. Even ACG, who I think is working at it and trying to establish a good reputation still grades out (1) grade low on many of their coins. Although I did get a MS62 Saint in an AGC holder that graded MS64 with NGC. NGC, PCGS and most ANACS are still the only grading services that maintain a very good (or in the case of ANACS) a good to acceptable quality level.

 

Actually, I like ANACS for attribution of coins. They do a really good job there. It is just that some of their slabbed coins are (to me) a disapointment and are low end for the designated grade. My main complaint is in the area of coin luster for grade.

[Hoot]

Bummer of an outcome Don. I hope that the coin (now cracked) remains that way. You probably won't want it in your collection, but someone might, especially if they know what they are buying. Unfortunately, I've had similar experiences - like with the first and last ACG graded coin I bought. We're not alone! We line up for the slaughter.

 

Hoot.

[truthteller]

Don,

 

This was a very good example of what to look for nowadays on supposed cameo proofs or DMPL coins. Many years ago, a dealer from TX would alter the finish on PL morgans, either painting the devices white or using a tool to frost them. They became know as the "California specials"( why not tx specials, I don't know), and were sold quite actively in the 1970's. I bought one very early in my numismatic life, it was a 1890cc DMPL, until I showed it to a dealer, who exclaimed "Ah yes, a California special", learned a lesson. I used acetone to take off the paint. The dollar still looked pretty nice, even without the dmpl effect.

 

TRUTH

[gmarguli]

I'm not going to be so quick to condemn PCI on this coin - at least based just on the pictures.

 

I cannot tell if the breast "scratches" are scratches or die polish (which you say it is not, but which is common and has a similar appearance). Scratching the coin would have the opposite affect and would make the coin look shiner than the cameo.

 

The "hit" by the 9 is not out of the ordinary. Early proofs are frequently found with 'potholes' around the rim.

 

Partially cameoed areas around the rim and not uncommon at all. In fact, having one area cameo and the other not is also somewhat cameo. I've seen Kennedys where only on of the eagles wings was cameo. Having half a letter or number cameo is not rare.

 

Having said all that, I did see a 1955 1¢ in a PCI PR68CAM slab this past week. The coin had the obverse artificially frosted. Whoever did the job appeared to add more frost to a coin that already had some frost. Not a good job and it could easily be seen that the cameo had been added.

[DonHeath]

which you say it is not, but which is common and has a similar appearance).

 

Greg, I wish the scratches were die polish, but they are blazingly bright new metal when held at the correct angle under the lamp. As for the date, The mark to the right of the 9 is actually a big fuzzy cavity in the surface. It is hard to get good pictures of such small detail, but it is pretty plain under a loupe.

[BankNote1]

Did this coin come out of a old green label or a newer gold label PCI slab?

[DonHeath]

PR67 Cam - gold label.

[Beijim]

Don,

 

Very sorry to hear about your experience. Looking on the bright side, however, you were able to determine the coin's probable history, so I suppose you can chalk it up to "continuing education."

 

Beijim

 

[kenwin1]

What the difference between the gold and the green colored inserts? I know that they are from different times but is it also from different owners or different graders?

[SeanJ]

gold - bad bad bad bad bad bad bad.

 

green- sub anacs grading, but atleast the company had its niche (ok grading at excellent prices)

[BankNote1]

The older green label slabs were for the most part graded correctly if not undergraded. Then PCI changed hands. The new folks aren't IMO, as good at grading as the first PCI was.