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 Replies: 10 / Views: 2,992 |
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Valued Member
Canada
166 Posts |
Hello, I hope that I am just paranoid, but after following some threads on TPGs I wonder how many of the uncertified pre 1937 Canadian coins on ebay were "minted" in China? Any thoughts? |
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Moderator
 United States
6563 Posts |
Are there any in particular that you have or are wanting to get that look fishy?
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Valued Member
 Canada
166 Posts |
I am such a poor grader (of the kind of ms/pl65+ stuff that I collect) that I ONLY get certified material (ICCS, PCGS NGC with caution and might consider ANACS). I was looking down a column of raw coins for sale by a seller named asyn (and I have no reason to suspect that they are anything but honest) and it took me several minutes (and great surprise) to notice that it did not have "replica" in all the descriptions. The pictures looked like the Chinese Replicas that are now on every night. Perhaps he just photographs and presents them the way Chinese Replicas are typically presented on ebay. And....perhaps I am just being paranoid. |
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Valued Member
Canada
166 Posts |
I am particularly suspicious of uncertified pre-confederation Canadian tokens. In high grade they bring good money. They were (relatively)crudely made and all had uncountable (and uncatalogued) varieties so they would be easy to imitate convincingly. Unlike the US, there is no "Hobby Protection" law that would make them illegal to produce or sell and since they are not government issued, they are not counterfeits per se.
Gosh.....it almost sounds like a good business to get into!!
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1248 Posts |
ASYN is from the Toronto area. I had a dealing with him with a coin 2 years ago. I still have the coin and am not sure if it is a real fake or not. The copin is an old German New Guinea coin.
I complained to him at the time about the "grading system" he used. looked like everything started at VF30. he then refunded some money and blocked me from further bidding.
At that time I was still naive and did not think of fakes....
HHB
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Valued Member
United States
324 Posts |
For Canadian coins, I would say that currently the biggest concern is switched coins from ICCS holders. As for contemporary counterfeits of tokens, I would say its not a market worth pursuing by a counterfeiter as its quite small. Any skilled counterfeiter would be much farther ahead counterfeiting $2 coins and such. The US market is different though because of its size.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
9866 Posts |
asyn sells hundreds of Canadian coins on ebay every week.They are always overgraded and poorly scanned,they rarely sell any high grade or rare coins.They don't knowingly sell fakes.Over the years I have bought more than 100 coins from them,mostly quarters,tokens,and provincials,never had a problem.Fake tokens have been made for over 100 years the Chinese aren't pioneers in this area. Edited by DBM
05/15/2009 11:58 pm
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
598 Posts |
I've bought scrap silver and bars from him with no complaints. His feedback is a little lacking and on a slow downward slide... I 'spose from coin people looking for higher condition coins and expecting more than what they end up getting.  I don't think he would purposely pass on a counterfeit, but then again I doubt he is looking for them.  Meh, a good place to get decent VG+... Good luck all the same! |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1051 Posts |
MKB, if the rumor I have heard is true, ICCS holder switching was done over a period of years by a dealer here in Canada. While I am not naming any names, some will know of who I speak. Even if this practice has mostly stopped, there are still many coins out there that may be one grade lower than the holder they are in, which makes it very hard to say for sure it was switched (could have just been a generous day at ICCS). As for the original post, I imagine there are lots of "replica" coins not marked as such on ebay. This seems to be scaring people a little, which is leading to good deals on raw coins that are genuine. I'm also very worried about how this will affect the hobby in the days to come. What happens when the "Chinese mint" is able to produce coins that are a carbon copy of the real thing? |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1554 Posts |
"I'm also very worried about how this will affect the hobby in the days to come. What happens when the "Chinese mint" is able to produce coins that are a carbon copy of the real thing?" Then we'll all have to switch to stamp collecting!  Glenn |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1248 Posts |
Hello Glenn....
Stamps are even worse.....
In europe there is a profession and a lot , an awful lot of business for people who certify stamps for authenticity.... However, it is the old story... the fine print when you hire them....They only express their opinion, they never state: this stamp is authentic. it always says: in my opinion................ they do not seal the stamp, they take a picture most the time, front and back, and then attach the stamp to a very official looking certificate.
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Replies: 10 / Views: 2,992 |
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Posted 05/15/2009 9:40 pm
