Lately, I've been stopping in the various pawn shops and thrift stores just out of curiosity to see what coins they have for sale, if any. Today I was at a thrift/consignment shop when I saw that they had books of Morgans. I asked to see them and at first was amazed to see 3 or 4 CC morgans marked for 30 dollars each. However, as I turned the pages, I realized that they were all CC morgans. The coins were obvious fakes, much lighter than an authentic Morgan and had some other obvious issues. Saturday I was only in the store for about 5 minutes but today went back with my son to look at some of the books they had there (not coin books). The store is owned and run by a foreign couple and I didn't get a very comfortable feeling so I decided not to point out that they were fake. While we were there today, I watched them sell one of the coins to a father/daughter. What would you guys do? Honestly - I'm not sure that telling this couple the coins are fake would be the best thing for me but I'm not sure what else there is to do. I'm sure many of you have run into this before and I've been in pawn shops that have fake coins in bins labeled as such. Is there anything to do besides just telling them they are selling fake coins and hoping that they are completely unaware of it? Appreciate the advice.
I'd inform the store owner that they're counterfeit, and if he didn't pull them, I'd call the cops at that point. I'd also check back regularly to make sure he wasn't putting them back out.
If this is a consignment store the person who owns the counterfeit coin will just sell them some where else after the store pulls them from being sold. Call the police and stop some one else from getting ripped off. It is a felony to sell them.
Why not ask the owner if they're on consignment, and if he/she says no, then inform the owner that they're counterfeits and illegal to sell?
The sign actually says consignment/thrift but they buy/sell gold/silver jewelry and coins also. These aren't on consignment in that sense.
If you see a crime and do not take action are you not as guilty as the person committing the crime? It is just a matter of doing the right thing. How many times has the coin industry tried to stop the flood of fake coins and you have a chance to do a small part to stop some of the fakes. If you do nothing than don't complain about fake coins in the market place as YOU have your chance to make a difference.
Call the cops. They are illegal to have for sale, and they will confiscate them. If you give the owner a head's up, if he is aware, he can just put them back into the market elsewhere.
Ask if they are his. If they are, ask how many he has for sale. If it is a lot, the Secret Service will take action against it. US Customs likes stopping fakes, too.
I guess my question was what other options there were besides bringing it to their attention because I didn't feel comfortable doing it. I wouldn't mind saying I don't think their real but these two don't seem like they would take to it very well; hard to explain unless you see the situation. I guess I'll go have a talk with them this week and see how they react/what they say. I certainly wasn't going to say anything with my son there.
I understand your hesitancy to speak to the owners. I would notify the police chief or district attorney of what I saw and suspected. Then it is up to those sworn to protect and are paid for it. I would mention that counterfeit money ( and morgans are still legal tender ) is often associated with drugs and is a serious crime. No reason your safety should be compromised.
call the cops and/or secret service. This is a major crime that is becoming more prevalent. People need to learn that selling fake silver/gold has consequences. More and more people are turning to gold/silver/numismatics for investments. If the owner cannot tell if they are real or fake, they do not need to be in the business of selling them. Thats my 2 cents.
Most pawn shops, not the ones on t.v., buy coins for silver or gold content only with no respect to gradable coins or coins with a numismatic premium and you would be surprised at the lack of knowledge pawn brokers have about coins. However, if you are 100% certain these are fakes you should let these people know this so they can either get rid of them, or market them to numismatists who collect counterfeits for educational purposes.
