This is for specialists who are familiar with 2013 1 ounce silver Panda coins.
There has been a lot of counterfeiting of the 2013 Panda silver coin but recent tests I performed on one that I picked up at a coin show Saturday have me very concerned.
Here are the salient facts:
The coin weighs 30.096 grams +/- 0.005.
Specific gravity tests resulted 10.33 with a maximum theoretical deviation range from 10.31 to 10.35.
The mean silver result is 893 fine not 999 fine. This results in a total actual silver content of 0.864 ounce or a 13.6% shortfall. Add that to the premium over spot that Pandas carry and there could be a significant theoretical profit.
I then did a microscopic evaluation of the surfaces and found an incuse impression of what appears to be a fibrous loop. I also noted a slight counterclockwise
Strike Doubling of the date side of the coin. The edge is diagonally reeded but I am not familiar with the mechanism used to impart the reeds. They do seem slightly irregular is surface texture and there is clear damage (scraping) of the reeds near one face of the coin (pagoda side not panda side) and these scrapes are predominantly along ONE edge of the individual reeds.
So is this NORMAL?
Also do these coins now rattle in their hard plastic holders? Do the "business strike" holders have three support pins cast into the plastic or are they tight fitting like the proof plastic holders?
How many people who actually buy these things ever do SG tests to confirm originality?
Posted 08/18/2013 10:41 pm
