2015 5 Ounce Liberty Round Says "Copy"

Just pulled this old topic up, have a read.... http://goccf.com/t/181956

I think the best thing to do is bring it to your local jeweler or LCS for them to non-destructively determine whether this is actually 999 silver or just plated base metal. Then you at least know what you've got.

Kyle133143,

You can plainly see it is a copy even without the copy stamp. Weight? tissue test?
John1

The manufacturer had to put "COPY" on it, because the design is based on genuine US coins (in this case, the one-ounce ASE), and it is therefore implying it was made by the government of the "United States of America", when it actually wasn't; in order to comply with the Hobby Protection Act it must bear the word "COPY" on it so it can be legally marketed and sold, so that (hopefully) no-one will mistake it for a genuine government coin.

This does not necessarily mean it is not 5 ounces of .999 pure silver - that depends on the honesty of the manufacturer. All that the word "COPY" here means is that it is a private bullion round, not a legal tender "coin". But if you don't know who the manufacturer is, and the person you bought it off didn't know either, then there's no-one to vouch for its truthfulness, no-one to stand behind the claim that it contains 5 ounces of silver. Healthy skepticism is warranted; the "coin" is already lying to you about being a coin made by the US government, it might be lying to you about the weight and fineness, too.

I'd recommend checking the weight. If it actually weighs 5.00 troy ounces, then there's a reasonable chance that it is not lying to you about the silver content - most of the Chinese base-metal fake-makers don't bother trying to get the weight right. Nor do they usually bother putting "COPY" on their fakes, for that matter.


This is a logical fallacy. Just because they are "reputable" does not mean it is impossible for them to sell a fake. Even reputable people can be fooled by fakes. Being "reputable" means that, if they sell you something that later turns out to be fake and you complain about it, they will offer full compensation (offer full money back, or offer to exchange the fake for another 5-ounce piece of silver), no matter how much time has passed.

The chances of this being genuine solid silver are basically none.

Well, not really. Neither of these are "coins". Legally, one could argue that the second one there should also have "COPY" on it, since its design also resembles a US coin. Though perhaps the manufacturer believes it does not need to do so, with the removal of the "UNITED STATES" name. It may also depend on what they've chosen to use as the reverse design.

In any event, I have no problem with the hypothesis that both actually are the 5 ounces of silver that they claim to be, and that the second one (without COPY on it) is merely older, or made by a different manufacturer who was unaware of the legal requirements of placing "COPY" on their lookalike or replica "coins". The weight and fineness just cannot be taken simply on faith, without knowing the manufacturer of either. The hypothesis remains untested, for both coins.