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 Replies: 10 / Views: 501 |
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Valued Member
United States
410 Posts |
Don't know if this topics in the right spot or if it's been discussed s million times... but I've ended up with a few fakes in my possession. Any suggestions on what to do with them aside from toss em in the garbage?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1134 Posts |
If you keep them you could borrow or buy an alphabet set of punches, use safety glasses and punch an F on each one for fake. Some may break into pieces. At least put them in something clearly labeled fake. Some collectors keep fakes for education purposes to show others.
Edited by livingwater
09/18/2023 07:34 am
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Moderator
 United States
51681 Posts |
Not trash. Some collectors, a few here on CCF like them. They can be used for education/reference. I think they are called "black cabinet" coins. You could try advertising them for sale here on CCF. Wherever you decide to sell them just make sure the buyer knows they are fake. John1  ( I'm no pro, it's just my humble opinion )
Searched 6.5 +/- Million Cents Since 1971
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Moderator
Australia
15412 Posts |
Be aware that if you decide to sell them, it is illegal in the US to sell fake / replica coins without COPY stamped onto them. It's also against eBay policy to sell them at all, COPY or not, so you'd need to find a non-eBay venue.
If you decide to keep them, make sure that your heirs know that those particular coins are fake. The number of times we see posts along the lines of "these coins must be real, grandpa wouldn't have collected fakes".
Alternatively, if you have a large number of fakes, consider making a "bait album". Get a cheap coin album with "COIN ALBUM" printed boldly on the cover, and fill it up with fakes, placed neatly in 2x2s and written up as if they were genuine, with fake pricetags to match. Then place this album in a conspicuous place in your house. Hopefully, any thieves that break into your house will snatch-and-grab the fake "coin collection" and not bother looking any further for the actual coin collection.
Finally, whatever you do with them, please don't just go out to a beach or park and scatter them about the place, or give them away to little kids. That's just perpetuating the problem. Even "tossing them in the garbage" is problematic, because garbage scavengers might find them and think they've hit the jackpot.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4536 Posts |
The problem with using them in a decoy collection is that if they get stolen, they will almost certainly end up back on the market at some point. And despite the good intentions of some collectors of contemporary counterfeits, it's quite possible that some of those black cabinet fakes may also end up back on the market decades after the collector is gone.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1641 Posts |
If it were me, I'd keep 'em. They make for good conversation pieces.
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Moderator
United States
28424 Posts |
Lots of good points on this thread, but I wanted to emphasize this one from @sap: Quote:
If you decide to keep them, make sure that your heirs know that those particular coins are fake "If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3388 Posts |
If they're recent Chinese fakes I personally would just bend or cut them and toss them in the trash. If they're souvenir fakes your grandparents bought on their trip somewhere, I might keep them for sentimental reasons. And if they're known contemporary counterfeits, I'd keep them and make sure they're labeled as such. A problem I see with passing them on to an anonymous "black cabinet" collector is you don't know whether that person really intends to keep them for research, or just wants them cheap in order to scam somebody else. In that case I suppose you could stamp or scratch R or COPY onto them.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1751 Posts |
I would keep them, learning experience.
You realize when you know how to think, it empowers you far beyond those who know only what to think.
-Neil deGrasse Tyson
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Moderator
United States
128395 Posts |
Quote:
I would keep them, learning experience.  As mentioned above, make sure they are clearly labeled as fakes. Add any documentation that aided the learning experience for future reference.
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Valued Member
United States
53 Posts |
...I've bought a few counterfeit cobs, milled Spanish reales & 1 "royal" Spanish cob ... some unknowingly, some on purpose ... I've kept them all, cataloged them as fakes, & do not intend on ever selling or trading them ... ...I see some like mine come up for sale on auction websites, & always contact the sellers to let them know what's up... ...I post pics from time 2 time, to warn others ... ...Dan Sedwick has a rogue's gallery of gold & silver Spanish coins on his website, with many pictures listed in his 'Modern Day Pirates' section (search: "Dan Sedwick Coins"...) ... two of which are my contribution ... ...modern-day technology combined with cnc machining capability has allowed this noxious practice to flourish ... buyer beware ... ...Here's a (pretty bad) fake Spanish Columnario 8 reales ... still, could fool a novice ...  ...Here's a real Reale,, peice of 8, most preferred coin of exchange world-wide in it's day...  ...(encapsulated ... no rim shot)... |
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Replies: 10 / Views: 501 |
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Posted 09/18/2023 08:02 am
