http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=230218946840

Not sure what it is, but something about this coin makes me uneasy. Or am I just imagining?
Any opinions?

The seller has offered coins of questionable authenticity in the past.

This coin is apparently certified by NGC, but is not shown in its slab, only out of it (why?) and in a private auction (not a good sign).

Even if I was convinced that the coin is genuine, I would still be very cautious in any dealings with this seller.

Some buyers have complained of overgrading and other problems as seen in the link below.

LINK

The coin is not certified by NGC, but simply rejected by them because of the scratches. For the seller to say that it is certifiied and to show the sticker with rejection reason is unforgivable, especially for someone that sells coins all the time.
NGC first looks for a reason to reject the coin because of the mechanical defects (easy money for them) and only if it passes the first step, it will consider its authenticity.

Thank you for the correction Igor.

This is the normal procedure; however, I believe that NGC will not slab a coin at all if it is rejected, but return it in a "body bag". If this is a genuine slab, then it must mean something...???

There is not genuine slab here (or any kind of slab), just a reject sticker.

So, in addition to the other concerns previously mentioned, we have what now appears to be a false claim that the coin is certified.

Well, that's just great. No wonder it's a private auction!

Why would anyone pay $2,385.00 for a coin from some bozo on ebay when they could buy from an established dealer who cares about his reputation and adheres to high ethical standards?

It seems like every slimeball bottom feeder on the margins of the numismatic trade sells on ebay. And it just keeps on getting worse.

Though the coin is original, it survived in a miserable shape. To sell it at a good price requires some small tricks. So the buyer uses magic words:
"certified" - it is not
"superrare" - no way
"Very HIGH GRADE." - it is no grade.

I do not see anything serious more than I mentioned above.

Well, if the coin is really original, it will be good to send it to NCS.
http://cgi.ebay.com/NCS-ALMOST-UNC-RUSSIA-...1QQcmdZViewItem

Yes, Cheburgen is correct. There is no NGC certification of authenticity. Only Numismatic Conservation Service does this.

NCS is extremely picky on these coins and would likely to return it as "Can't determine Authenticity". It happened to me for 2 coins, which came back from NGC as authentic, but cleaned !

I would suggest to send it to ANACS, they spend a bit more time on coins and will determine if it's authentic or not. Although, ANACS moved to another location in December and had a huge backlog of coins, so it might take a month to get it back.

I prefer their being extremely picky. From my limited experience, ANACS grades more liberally and their slab is not the same size as that of NGC or PCGS.

When submitting to NCS, one has to read the directions carefully. Ideally I submit a coin their for review and conservation, then have them pass it along to NGC for grading - if they will. If they do not, the coin is returned in a clear slab such as the one referenced above. Before I knew this, I had a few coins slabbed by NGC that NCS could have helped. I am not sure there is much difference in cost.

If one does this, one always gets a slab back if the coin is authentic.

However the whole thing can be a hassle so I have let my NGC "membership" expire and only purchase NGC slabs.

To be fair to ANACS, their new slabs are the same size as NGS/NCS/PCGS and have extra identification at the top, which is pretty handy if you have a lot of slabs - http://anacs.com/contentPages/AnacsNewCoinHolder .

I think their grading standards as good as NGC or PCGS, but I also hated their old slabs.

In my experience NGC will 1st reject the coin for flaws, because it is a much more difficult process to authenticate it. They did the same with me. I was happy they rejected my coin for being cleaned and then asked them to authenticate it and came in as a fake Additionally, the same seller sold me 2 gold US coins 3 months ago and then after I got a Fake determination from ANACS, told me that he will take them back only for a 10% restocking fee, which is $55. I believe that if you sell a fake, you must refund a full price. Any suggestions?

That's a shame and why some of only buy slabs.

Yes, one would expect a refund up, but that isn't how they play the game. I learned the hard way too.

How did you deal with it? I figure I can complein to PayPal and they will freeze his funds until the issue is resolved.

You could try that. Others might have thoughts. It sounds like the transaction may have cleared.

Business seems to be flourishing for the ebay guy from whom I purchased fakes. He would not work with me and you just give in. He has a high rating too. I did not know ebay sellers could be so low.

They certainly can be. Even better, they grow more and more brazen as they know that ebay is usually on the side of the one with the best rating. Noney talks, bulls--t walks!