Will Fakes Ever Ruin The Hobby?

This will be a boon for TPGs, and a boon to an ever-deeper study of die varieties... little clues to authenticity...

but how good will these fakes be? Will they be so good that they fool experts?... If so, this is real trouble, because if the fake is indistinguishable from the genuine... then for every purpose, the fake IS genuine. Will the fakes be that good?... Even the Hunt brothers can't corner the market by buying up all the good examples of a rare coin if some guy in China can whip out a few more on his high tech copier that are so real that they are real. In an odd way would this be a boon for the hobby? provoking more participation by collectors because their favorite coin is available again...?!! and imagine the lawsuits when TPGs cannot come to agreement on what is real.....might be a boon for the lawyers too.

I know of at least one member here (Lobby) who has such an instrument, and I would be very darn surprised if the TPG's didn't have it online.

I'll answer with a resounding "Yes," for a subset of collectors, which will, in turn, hurt the hobby as a whole while benefiting certain areas at the same time. Confusing enough?

Here's what I mean. I think many beginner to intermediate collectors, burned once or twice by counterfeits may simply throw in the towel. That will lower demand in certain segments and limit the number continuing on to advanced collector status. sel_691 is correct that all those tools exist to fight counterfeits, but how many really want to employ all those defenses? Many want to enjoy this activity without sweating bullets over whether a big purchase for them, be it 2 figures or 5, is authentic. It's somewhat comparable to someone wanting to enjoy car races without having to know how to build an engine, or enjoy blackjack without counting cards, or run without going under 6 minutes per mile.

Of course one could buy only graded coins and that segment should benefit for some time. But I see that segment perhaps someday suffering the same fate. The energy and expense associated with ensuring authenticity may result in things crossing the threshold into not truly enjoyable territory. I wouldn't say it's negligence, just a different level of interest.

So yes, it is a legitimate concern and along with the hobby not replacing aging collectors one for one, it makes me worried about the long term health of the hobby beyond a dedicated core of enthusiasts.

Changeless: Dunno about Gibsons
Nor do I know about violins.
I don't know an Amardi from a Stradavarius from a good fake.

I DO however have about 30 books on the manufacture and identification of fake gemstones. Cubic Zirconia is a favoured material among members for competition cutting in gemstone faceting clubs.

The science of gemnology applies itself to the identification of fake gemstones.

Another big problem is that there is an increasing number of fake TPG slabs coming in from China, and they use authentic certification numbers. Even buying a certified slabbed coin is no longer a 100% guarantee of authenticity. Now we also have to try to be able to identify real vs. fake slabs.

I worry greatly about this issue as well. I think anyone who is planning to buy a key date coin or high grade older coin should always, always do their homework. Study die markers for these coins and educate yourself before buying higher end material. Do not impulse buy and if the price is too low, and it's too good to be true, it probably is.

If the current flood of fakes continues, yes it will certainly damage and possibly kill coin collecting as we know it now. Regardless of who says what about figuring out a fake, it soon may be well to late. Most collectors do not have X-ray machines nor even accuate scales. Most do not have books on forgeries, magazines or any articles on forgeries. Usually a collector finds out the hard way if they have some when they attempt to sell them.
One dealer I know sent in a coin to a TPGS and it came back as a fake. He sent it to a different TPGS and it came back graded and slabbed. Sort of makes people wonder just how good TPGS's are. No one today knows how many fakes are in their collections now. Many dealers too do not know how many they have. And to make that worse, no one knows how many faked slabs they have either.
Fakes, if continuing at the present rate, will for sure make a real problem for this hobby. And although China is blamed for most of it, I wonder how many other countries will and are joining in on this counterfeiting craze.
Also, the many doctored up coins being made and sold right here are doing their part in this. As small as it seams, even the replating of 1943 Cents is so common, makes people wonder just what is real and what isn't.