Counterfeit Canadian Coins!

and here is the third....

are they all real, fake or?
there is also a fourth...
HHB

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Item 4 does not look right. Its the only one with an 8 that does not compare with the rest. The 4 also does not look right. But it seems well made. Do you know the source?

This article is intended to educate the coin collector about the very rare scenario of encountering a counterfeit coin, this possibly is further reduced when buying from a safe place like E-bay, however, it is good to keep the following in mind as a matter of prudence and this will preclude any chance of it happening to you. The best prevention is knowing how to tell if a seller you intend to buy from is someone who you should be wary about. The following are valuable tips which I have gleaned from many years of buying and selling on E-bay.
The tell tale signs are that the sellers are always from a foreign land: China, Japan, India, U.K., Korea, Taiwan, etc. they tend to be new to E-bay, they have several negatives on their Feedback from buyers stating coins received are fakes, they tend to hide the buyers / bidders identity during auction, coins listed are the rarest found in the numismatic field and the coins have the appearance of being made of lead.
If the coin you have purchased is RAW (uncertified) and you suspect it may be counterfeit, the best and simplest way to determine it's authenticity is to weigh it. To determine what the weight is of a Canadian decimal coin, go to the latest 63rd Edition of A Charlton Standard Catalogue of Canadian Coins. At the beginning of each decimal Era the entire description of the coin's composition will be laid out in detail. This will include the designer / engraver's name, coin's composition, weight, diameter, edge, and die axis.
The best way to avoid being a victim of these scams is to always check the sellers feedback. Feedback is a sellers credibility and if it's hidden (private), you must be suspicious of his past dealings. Generally speaking the best way to determine future behaviour is by observing past behaviour. Another must to remember, "if it seems to good to be true it usually is". How many times have you heard this statement in the past? I'm sure all of us have countless times, then why not live by this golden rule. If you see a Canada, 1921, VF-20 nickel for sale at 5 cent start with no reserve, start asking questions?
By challenging, boycotting and reporting these bad sellers to E-bay authorities, I believe we can make a difference in keeping the integrity of our hobby intact.
Also keep in mind that 99.99% of E-bay coin dealers are decent people with good motifs, what I'm only referring to are an extremely small percentile of sellers that are not often on E-bay, however, they do turn up every now and then. E-bay security does an overall good job in weeding them out. If you know the "indicators" on what I've mentioned above, you can avoid being a victim.

Glenn Pinto

Foreign to whom? Canada is 'foreign' to me from where I sit in the U.S. The U.S. is 'foreign' from Canada.

I'm not sure where the data came from that says counterfeit sellers are an 'extremely small percentile of sellers that are not often on E-bay, however, they do turn up every now and then', but I'd sure like to see those stats. Got a link?

Past feedback is only as good as the knowledge of the person leaving it. If the ebay user does not know the coin is counterfeit, they can't leave feedback to that effect. Yes, past negatives should raise a red flag, but even with 100% positives, you have to actually look at the coin and know what to look for. For all you know, the seller may not even know it's counterfeit.

The *only* key to avoiding a counterfeit is your own knowledge. It doesn't matter if the seller is from a hole in the ground at the South Pole - if the pictures are clear enough to tell what the coin looks like and you can apply your knowledge of what the coin is *supposed* to look like, you're much less likely to be taken unawares. Know what you're buying - gain the necessary knowledge first.

I've purchased from sellers in Russia, UK, China, Singapore, Canada, and I could go on. In the beginning, I got a couple coins that weren't quite right (from sellers in the U.S.!) - but that was because I was a happy spending coin buyer without the knowledge to back up my wallet. After my lesson (thankfully not too expensive), I starting doing my research. I brush up and research before purchasing all the time now, because I have so many different countries I like and am not an expert on any of them.

As many, many people have said before now: Buy the book before the coin. Add a dash of common sense and mix well. Rinse. Repeat.

4th coin is fake, rest are real or real good fake.

wel, well...
I will wait a while with telling you which is fake......IF any.... or all?
lets get some more opinons... so far so good....
I will tell you guys that much.... Forgeries are not only from china...
there are forgeries of HIGH end coins from Lebanon!!, yes coins worth 20,000 and more... expeerts have been fooled -old German and swiss, and even, YES US coins.
i will try and dig up the story and what happened to the guys....but.... most coins they made were never found.....perhaps until now.....
more later
HHB

"For all you know, the seller may not even know it's counterfeit."

Yep, I bought one of these. Its a cast 5c coin from the late 1800s and fairly well done. I doubt the seller had any clue it was counterfeit. I still have it since it is the first cast 5c counterfeit from that time period that I have headr of. It surprised me anyone would want to produce a cast counterfeit 5c coin even then. It has some wear and grime on it, so it experienced a measure of circulation.

"The *only* key to avoiding a counterfeit is your own knowledge."

Yep again and this applies to anything you buy. Watches, parts for your car, medicine, etc.

"As many, many people have said before now: Buy the book before the coin."

Its surprising how few people do buy the book, and fewer even read the book once they do.