| Author |
 Replies: 9 / Views: 1,301 |
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
1077 Posts |
I am getting more concerned about the counterfeit coins coming out of China. I have stopped buying any coins from China, but by now there must be millions all over the world. It makes me wary of almost any purchase I make as they seem just as likely to fake fairly common coins as they do expensive ones. Also as a collector of coins from the entire world it is impossible to be enough of an expert in every coin to identify fakes. It is different if you only collect one type of coin. What are others doing to protect themselves from this as they flood the market worldwide? In my case buying only from a local dealer is not an option, as the choice is severely limited, not only of dealers but of the coins they sell. http://coins.about.com/od/worldcoin...eiting-Ring/ |
|
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
The answer is simple. Prior to purchasing a coin, taste it. If it taste like Lead, it came from China. Since we stopped all their Leaded toys, they now use it for coins.  I say that in jest of course but at a coin show I did purchase a half dollar that was so badly made of Lead I just had to purchase it. It was obviously Lead and only on one side. My suggestion would be to not purchase any coins of value unless authorized by a TPGS but they too make errors. Some time ago I thought as long as you stick to low denomination coins you would always be safe. Then I started to see the 1943 refurbished steel Lincoln Cents being sold as UNC or Proof. Nothing is safe from the forgers. |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
5318 Posts |
Quote:
It makes me wary of almost any purchase I make as they seem just as likely to fake fairly common coins as they do expensive ones. Extreme caution is a very good strategy.  With the newer die-struck forgeries, even experts can be fooled, but I suspect the best forgery work will be done on higher-value coins with broad appeal. Ultimately, I think buying coins randomly and sight-unseen will give way to collectors who apply specialized knowledge towards their collecting. But, this could be a good opportunity for a world coin authenticator who could verify the coin as well as the provide a confirming photo. I don't like the bulky plastic slabs which don't really provide any confirmation on their own, since they can be faked far more easily than the coin. PVC-free pouches are just as good here provided there's a secondary verification. Such a service could easily cost less than those excessive TPG fees.  Just some thoughts on the subject. |
|
Rest in Peace
United States
2668 Posts |
Easy, a microscopic hole and an RFID chip for each TPG coin. |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
5318 Posts |
Quote:a RFID chip for each TPG coin. If someone is motivated enough, it's easy to read a genuine chip and make copies on new chips--returning to the pointless task of verifying slabs. Hence my assertion that the best possible verification are the unique details of each coin. That's why I favor the TPGs plan to host detailed photos of each coin they slab. |
|
New Member
Canada
36 Posts |
Whats the most difficult aspect to fake...the weight?
|
|
Moderator
 United States
6563 Posts |
Detail, metal content, and weight.
Sadly the detail should be the dead giveaway for most but people normally buy something without doing research on it first
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
5318 Posts |
 details should be the first clue. After all, that's what a coin is all about--not the plastic box surrounding it. Weight can be easily approximated too by varying the thickness of the forgery to match. This is why I learned how to test for specific gravity, which is tougher to approximate for denser materials like silver and gold alloys. |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1267 Posts |
Believe it or not, use the simple magnet test. I've got a 1903 British Trade dollar which will stick to a magnet like steel. Edited by Bonedigger
01/04/2009 3:28 pm
|
|
Valued Member
United States
300 Posts |
I got a 1921 Walking Liberty out of a roll one time, it looked suspicious, very dark in color, slighty less in weight, but the give away was the mint mark, it has a "P" stamped on the back, well the WL's minted in Philly had no mint mark, I'm assuming it's from China, someone didn't do their homework! |
| |
Replies: 9 / Views: 1,301 |
|
Posted 01/04/2009 2:05 pm
