ASE / Panda Fakes? Are They Common?

Gold Pandas are among the most expertly faked coins in the world, not sure about silver pandas and ASEs, but I'm sure they are also being made "expertly" for exportation, so Pandas are one type of coin I wouldn't buy without authentication, and the thing counterfeiters have really gotten good at is creating legitimate-looking slabs from recognized TPGs. So in essence, as much as I like and admire the panda designs, I generally stay away from them.

Some PM dealers that start up sometimes just start with a desk, chair, and a telephone in a bare room. It takes time to develop a business. Having said that, trust your gut instinct, always. If a place doesn't give off the right vibe, go elsewhere or ask for recommendations from other CCF members. Buy from a reputable dealer with a reasonable markup, particularly if you are new to the PM game, and get a feel for what legitimate coins feel and look like.

, DivChaser!

Pandas are commonly faked, ASE much less so.

Something concerns me, as someone who has dealt in coins for 46+ years. I'm all for reasonable caution, especially when dealing for expensive coins with distant sellers with questionable or no credentials.

However, it seems like lately, people have been jumping at the possibility of a counterfeit on any coin selling for more than a dollar. Keep in mind there are trillions of genuine coins out there, some of them bargain priced at any given moment.

If there were as many fakes as people seem to think there are, maybe it's time to fold the tent, because there aren't going to be any new collectors if they're all scared away.

Careful on the Pandas. It's a real pleasure collecting them and if you know what you're looking for (or if you are lucky), you can turn a big profit. This because most dealers treat them as standard bullion when in fact, the unreported mintage figures for older coins, the inconsistencies between the Chinese mints, and relative rarity can have some 1 oz silver pandas selling for a $1000 or more.

But, LOTS of fakes floating around, and they are getting better and better. To the point where my wife and I gave up on hunting pandas. Not so much because we end up with fakes, more so that we are getting tired of convincing others we don't sell fakes.

I remember when I would purchase Panda's for my ex there was some real convincing fakes out there and if I remember correctly it was on the Reverse where you could see the differences at. This was the Silver Panda's not the Gold but I think both had the same flaws on the reverse. Thinking about it I think it had something to do with the steps but I am sure if you do some searching you will find how to see the differences even though its would be really hard to see without the coin in hand. But I would really use caution when buying Panda coins because of this, because I am sure there are ALLOT of fakes out there

Was wondering this earlier, but about ASEs. Has anyone ever seen a fake ASE in person?

Not many years ago, when silver was at $11 to $13 an ounce, I bought many (as in 22 I think) colorized silver panda coins straight from China. I thought that a reputable ebay seller in China would send authentic coins. He pictured the coins which stated .999 1 oz. AG but did not mention it in his ad. Well, long story short....... they arrived. After looking them over good, I believed them to be fake. Went back on ebay to complain and him and his high rating were gone - ebay banned him because bad feedback was flooding in so fast they had no other choice.

I quit buying Pandas after that. I then went on to buying Australain silver rounds. And before you say it, I know those are all real because the seller that sold them to me 4 years prior emailed me asking if I wanted to sell them back to him! Can you believe that? Naturally he only wanted to give me spot on them.

Oh, well, just thought you all might be amused by my little story of getting suckered.