Beware Of Fakes!

When the buying Stops, the faking stops also.

But this is next to impossible.

It is indeed illegal to sell a copy without it being so marked.

Hobby Protection Act
US Code > Title 15 > Chapter 48: Hobby Protection
2101. Marking requirements

(b) Coins and other numismatic items
The manufacture in the United States, or the importation into the United States, for introduction into or distribution in commerce of any imitation numismatic item which is not plainly and permanently marked "copy", is unlawful and is an unfair or deceptive act or practice in commerce under the Federal Trade Commission Act [15 U.S.C. 41 et seq.].

See: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/15/ch48.html

O.K., I couldn't resist...I sent him a link in the questions section and asked if he or she knew that this was an illegal sale...was that wrong>

We can pass all the laws we want about counterfeiting coins and currency but you have to find someone to inforce that in other countries and that is where those laws just fail. Try going to China and arresting someone for breaking one of our laws. Not a good idea. And now that they are also making the slabs with their faked coins, even more difficult to see what is what. Diplomatic attempts to stop the counterfeiting is also sort of a joke.
My suggestion is to go to our jails, find counterfeiters, pay them to make fake Chinese coins and currency, start to flood the China markets with them. The China government would catch on that we too can be nasty and possibly stop their counterfeiters. I've heard they have a lot of postage stamp collectors in China. So lets start making fakes of those too.
Do unto others as they would do to you.

Its this way in every hobby. There is always someone out to make a quick buck. It may take a while but what comes around goes around.

Karma is a very funny thing, as it always happens to people who think they are getting away with something.

The time will come when these crooks will pay for this, unfortunately many unsuspecting people will be taken for their hard earned money.

Very sad, but that's how it happens.

There is no way to stop it, no matter how we change the currency there will always be someone to copy it. Paper money has been copied sense day one and there are actual presses in other countries to make US currency. Coins to slot machines have also been duplicated and getting the right look and feel is more of a personal challenge to some than the actual profit. Then there is always conspiracy reports about the mint and/or government(s) being involved with it.

No matter how you look at it there will always be fakes and the technology we all process can do a good job at it. Remember when they made the first changes to the current currency that some kid using just his printer and scanner was making passable fakes.

What scares me is how good they are getting and the fact they can fool most people. I was talking to a dealer a few months ago about the same thing and they were shocked on the quality being produced. He told me he had a client come in with one and wanted an estimate of what it was worth. He looked at it for a long time and could not figure out what was wrong with it but knew something was not right. After some time the client could not hold in his laughter anymore and started to laugh and finally told him it was a fake and what stood out on it. The item was so small that without a microscope or knowledge of what it was it could easily be passed on to someone else.

Does any one know the best way to detect these fakes, I have not seen one personally but I am guessing they are underweight.