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Fake slabs: the plastic can lie too
A holder is not a halo. Fake grading plastic exists. Real holders get cracked and stuffed. Look up the cert. Still use your eyes.
A slab is supposed to end the argument. Authenticated. Graded. Sealed.
Then someone makes a pretty decent fake holder. Or someone cracks a real holder and puts a worse coin in it. Both happen.
Look up the number
PCGS and NGC let you check the cert. Does the photo match this coin — marks, toning, the ugly spot at two o’clock? If the website coin is a different coin, put it down. If there is no number that works, put it down.
What else we look at
The hologram, the fonts, the prongs, the way the label sits. Whether the grade matches the coin. An “MS67” that looks like a truck hit it is not a debate. Magic prices on famous keys in holders are how greed turns off the brain.
When to slab. PCGS vs NGC. Details grades.
Parking-lot slabs are a sport I do not play. Meet at a shop. Pay a testing fee. If the seller refuses a lookup, you already have the answer. Marketplace gold. Buying online.
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Extra pad history for fake slabs
A slab is supposed to end the argument. Authenticated. Graded. Sealed. Then someone makes a pretty decent fake holder. Or someone cracks a real holder and puts a worse coin in it. Both happen. PCGS and NGC let you check the cert. Does the photo match this coin — marks, toning, the ugly spot at two o’clock? If the website coin is a different coin, put it down. If there is no number that works, put it down.
Parking-lot slabs are a sport I do not play. Meet at a shop. Pay a testing fee. If the seller refuses a lookup, you already have the answer. Marketplace gold.
What else we look at
The hologram, the fonts, the prongs, the way the label sits. Whether the grade matches the coin. An “MS67” that looks like a truck hit it is not a debate. Magic prices on famous keys in holders are how greed turns off the brain. When to slab. Details grades. Error hype.
We still look up certs on coins we like. A real holder with a problem coin is still a problem coin. Do not crack a holder in the car to “make sure.” If you already did, say so. Don’t clean whatever falls out. How to tell if a shop is legit: they will look the number up in front of you.
People also ask
Is every bargain slab fake? No. Enough of them are that we look.
Can a real cert have the wrong coin? Yes, if someone recased it.
Should I buy a slab on Marketplace? Only if you will verify at a shop first.
Does a fake slab mean the coin is fake? Often the coin is junk too. Sometimes a genuine cheap coin is in fake plastic. We still look at the coin.