Some people...

[Gabe]

Today I was at a coin show, and started to cherrypick through a selection of early wheat cents. In the lot, there was what was being sold as a 1914D lincoln cent in XF condition, for a couple of hundred dollars. I take a quick look at the coin, and I notice that the coin is an obvious alteration from a 1944D cent to a 1914D cent. I pick the coin, and I tell him that the coin is an altered 1944D. He looks at it, says thank you, and kicked me out from looking at the rest of his coins.

I guess he was expecting me to buy the coin, or was waiting for a newbie to buy the coin...

[eagames]

Maybe he thought if you just see one fake you'll assume he made a mistake but if you see a bunch it's hard to explain.

Recently at a show there was a table with red wheats for big money $200-1200 with high grades on flips like MS65-67, stuff like 25-S 26-D 26-S. Every coin was cleaned or wizzed. I had to bite my lip to avoid asking why if you think this is the highest graded 26-S known to exist if it's not cleaned why not get it graded!

On ebay I see sellers with obviouse garage made errors, they say "found in a roll" which could be true even garage altered coins can turn up in a roll but when you see the same seller listing other garage jobs saying "found it in a roll" then you know he makes the stuff himself.

[Bob P]

Gabe,
It is really too bad that a dealer would reduce himself to that level....especially when he could have just taken the coin, said thank you, and let you continue shopping and put a few bucks in his pocket. Of course, I don't know what his rationale was, but either he knew about it, didn't know about it and was questioning your analysis, or had been taken himself, and now was too embarrassed. I guess you can put him on the 'bad boys list'.

[Dick]

Where there is money involved, scruples ususlly are not!
Dick