Re: Question: What is going to protect authentic physical bitcoins?
Grading companies don’t authenticate these products as there would be no way to do so with many of the small makers involved, they grade it’s condition. It’s likely this misconception that has them refusing to further grade crypto coins. I doubt it would have been hard to get a fake graded a few years ago. People did used to address this concern with signed chains of ownership and dealing only with trusted members. I always thought at one point reputable sellers with long held collections would be a coveted premium, but we aren’t there yet from my experience.
I agree completely with OG here. When I first joined the forum I had lurked for a bit prior and when it finally came time to buy I made sure to buy from solid well known members with good reputations for doing business. As I continued to buy the reputation of the sellers only became more important to me over time. I don't know if this will matter for certain in the future but I certainly know it can't hurt.
iBHK8
Yes, but anti-tamper slabs are also valuable for time stamping. For example, there have been no great fakes of Casascius coins even to this date. So if you are buying a slabbed Cas from say 2018, and it looks like a Cas from any visible observations, and firstbits check out, it's likely to be real. Same can't be said for raw Cas in the future say if some compelling fakes come out. Provenance and chains of custody are great, but I don't see it as an OR but an AND situation. Also slabs do a good job at preserving the coins and preventing the urge to touch your coins
