i got emailed by a counterfeiter

I guess it is at least illegal to sell fake drugs....

http://www.herald-citizen.com/view/full_story/7878808/article-Man-arrested-for-selling-fake-drugs

should be the same for coins, IMO

 

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…"there's nothing in the statutory or case law in the U.S. that indicates simple possession of counterfeit coins is illegal"

http://rg.ancients.info/guide/counterfeits.html

I assume possession (without intent to defraud by selling a fake coin as genuine) is perfectly legal. However, as discussed on these pages many times in the past, there seems to be a gray area, so I'm not sure anyone can give a definitive answer.

 

Seizure as evidence to be used in a court case is the most common form of seizure of counterfeit goods from end consumers, IIRC.

 

I doubt if anyone has ever had counterfeit numismatic coins seized (again, for mere possession... not for possession with intent to fraudulently sell). If they have, I would like to know the particulars.

 

I'm just stating what the capabilities of law enforcement are... not what has actually happened.

 

I think the scariest thing is I never knew Taylor Swift was a Chinese counterfeiter! This won't help her next album at all!!
Guy

 

fake CAC stickers will be next if things progress logically...

hint: there's a lesson in this for everyone!!!

 

i like how the fake 1877 has the feather design used on the Indian cent from 1886-1909.

 

This is how our hobby starts going down the drain .

 

it is also missing the diagnostic weak Ns on the reverse which, fortunately for us, makes it easy to debunk as a counterfeit

 

Yeah, I guess the global recession has hit all of us!

 

China counterfeiters

I received the same email after I placed legitimate orders on ebay for replica coins. I believe he's getting email addresses from china sellers of replica coins on ebay. I would avoid buying expensive PCGS/NGC coins on ebay from dealers who do not have a physical coin store. However if you do buy an expensive PCGS coin from ebay take it to your local coin dealer to make sure it's real. Futhermore, neither PCGS nor NGC will cover clerical mistakes they made. So even if a rare coin is marked PCGS MS63 and shows obvious signs of grafitti or scratches PCGS's guarantee does not apply.

 

I would say they are very unlikely to be silver i was In afghanistan and this guy bought some coins he asked me to look at them they were decent of presidents but i had never seen them i said they look like steel but not sure

Well the next day i went to the fle market there and sure enough he had as bunch of morgan dollars sitting in a bowl rusted. the Afghani tells me they are real and he will give me a good price. I told him they were fake and made of steal as silver doewsnt rust he takes me intohis shop and shows me a afghani silver coin but wouldnt budge from the 43 dollar price this was august of last year and i know nothing of afghani coins and it did look silver but .....

 

Chinese counterfeiters are now making some of the more valuable Morgans in 90% silver. To them, it's a small price to pay for a fake they are selling at 10 times the cost of the silver.

Chris

 

I see no reason to avoid ebay sellers who have no stores. B&M's are on the decline. More folks sell online. Your best assurance is to buy from those with excellent feedback, and to learn to spot fake coins.

PCGS and NGC don't guarantee obvious clerical mistakes, that is correct. But your example is not a good one. If you buy a genuine coin that is overgraded the guarantee will apply. "Mechanical" errors, as they are called, are for such things as a dime that is labeled as a quarter. A PCGS MS63 with graffiti would be covered.
Lance.

 

Considering there could be many fake slabbed coins already in collectors' hand, what can PCGS do?

One solution would be to add more security features to new slabs. But what about existing slabs? Charge folks to send their coins in to be checked for authenticity and reslabbed?

 

This topic has been discussed ad nauseum on forums for a long time. The best advice is to be smart about who you buy from, realize that if it sounds too good to be true it is, study and learn about the coin or series before you buy, and check the PCGS cert#s (you can do it here).

PCGS has begun posting images of coins they grade and these photos will often (but not always) appear when you check certs. The pictures are miserable as representations of what the coins look like but they are enough to show characteristics (flaws, e.g.) that will help assure you of genuineness. My guess is they will get much better over time.

The TPG's are well aware of counterfeits slabs and they know that such holders can kill their businesses, if not this industry. I'm certain we will see ongoing security improvements. I'm hopeful it can make a difference.
Lance.

 

I have read that 90% silver is readily avaiable in China. But to couterfeit 80% Canadian coins, they still use the 90% silver.

 

I'd forward it over to PCGS. If anyone has the resources to investigate it any further it would be them and cc: ebay while you're at it. Maybe they'd actually do something other than sweep it under the rug if there are other recipients. Yeah, that's what I'd do. Just send it over to as many companies as you can. Unfortunately our gov't is too busy with other matters.