eBay Item 390948160621 is an obvious fake, and I messaged the seller to that effect. After that, the seller replied that the coin was removed from an NGC holder, and the retained tag attests to its authenticity . . . yeah, right. Perhaps a few more inquiries from different eBayers might get this guy to pull it . . . I don't know, but it's worth a try.
Frankly, I don't like the rating system that much, as I don't think a rating of 99.2% really says enough . . . it sort of implies an A+ from our school days . . . there's got to be a better way.
Well, golly! If he's selling an ultra-key 1911-D quarter eagle, that tells me that all those "unsearched rolls" he's selling that just happen to have a quarter-eagle on one end might not be that "unsearched" after all. If he's selling key dates separately, I'm suspicious that he might be picking them out of his "unsearched rolls" before selling the rolls. Of course, I couldn't blame him. He's sold 75 rolls in the last three months with a quarter-eagle on the end. The temptation to start opening those rolls and looking for more quarter eagles must be nearly impossible to resist.
After not getting a reply from him, I decided to ask about the tags last night, as follows,"So where are the photos of this tag from NGC?", to which he answered, " I've already provided the needed information to Ebay. I don't answer to you. Ebay knows what is going on" . . . I think there's evidence strong enough here to turn this guy over to the Secret Service . . . other's thoughts?
It bears none of the diagnostics required for a genuine 1911-D quarter eagle in particular. Moreover, it doesn't possess the correct qualities for a mint product of this series, regardless of date . . . quality of strike, surface finish in areas protected from wear, etc . . . a rather poorly done forgery.
Is it fake down to the gold content or is it altered? There is something off looking about the mint mark but other than that it doesn't look too bad really. I am no gold expert so I would only buy one that is in a holder anyway but this is interesting.
I know nothing about these quarter eagles and rely upon the forums for guidance but..........if the subject coins is truly fake, then one could only assume that the quarter eagles in the rolls are fakes as well? Maybe even some of the other coins stuffed into these rolls? Right?
The seller might not know it is a fake. There ARE some really good fakes out there, and this one is good enough to fool most
I cannot answer that question. Many forged gold coins have the correct gold content, so as to be as deceptive as possible. This coin would have to be tested to make sure it was gold . . . even if it weighed and measured right, it could still be plated tungsten, able to be checked by hardness (tungsten is roughly 6 imes the stiffness of gold, and should ring at a much higher frequency than a gold coin of the same design). I have personally handled at least a few dozen fake gold coins that all contained the correct amount of gold in them, and still own 6 that I was never able to return to the sellers. Someday,I'll find an acceptable way to deface them and offer them for sale as curios. For now, they serve as a reminder that we must always be honing our authentication skills. - Mike
Like I posted in another post the other day.. I got ahold of a 1912 "d". If it was not for the D, I would not have known it to be fake. I still have not got the seller to reply.. a claim might be coming...
I can't believe that people really think they are getting an unsearched roll. Coin Vault was selling unsearched bags and the guy said, in a moment of momentum, " You'll hope maybe you found something we missed". How does a roll of pennies end up with a gold coin or a mercury dime on the end? They should get rid of that element.