Wow. I'm seeing more and more obvious fakes at eBay. Check out this fake 1885 (Kae Kook 494) 1 Yang pattern coin: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1898-Korea-1-Yang-Coin-/322046187189?hash=item4afb72d6b5:g:GAwAAOSwxp9W7rGR Yeah, we all probably know this, but eBay seems to have really jumped the shark. If this coin were real, it would be worthy of being a centerpiece at the Korean National Museum. But it's up for an opening bid of 99cents!
That reminds me of recently I was looking for a 1936 U.S. Bay Bridge half dollar for my coins with bears collection. There were some fakes out there so bad that it was obvious even to me and I don't know anything about the series. It looks like an Asian bear. Check it out: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1936-San-Fr...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 People are buying them though.
Wow! Now that IS funny. With such coins, I wonder just how many people are: 1) Buying to add to their collections (they think it's real). 2) Buying just for the heck of it (they know it's fake). 3) Buying to sell to some other sucker (they are evil, and know it's fake). 4) Buying to fill a hole in an album because they don't want to buy a real one (they know it's fake). ??
The price is high enough that it's hard to imagine people bought it knowing it was fake, but you'd also like to think if you were spending that much that you'd do your research. I don't know how to explain it. It's also being sold from Hanoi so that should set off some warning bells.
For a Bay Bridge half, since it's not that rare, you can pretty much eliminate #4. I got mine (raw, but I grade it at MS64) for $160, and it's a nice coin. That one in the link is just terrible... literally everything about it is wrong. Lol. I could maybe see two people thinking they'd bid $45-50 just to have such a terrible fake, but I'd rather buy genuine coins (or at least a good looking fake, if it was for research purposes) for that amount of money.
Yes, it would be a national treasure. But according to "Money in Korea" (朝鮮貨幣) published by the Central Bank of the DPR Korea (i.e. "North Korea"), a "1 yang" trial coin actually exists and, presumably, is in the bank's collection. However, this pattern coin is made of 100% tin. It has a diameter of 24 mm, a thickness of 1.5 mm and a weight of more than 3.5 grams. (There is also a 5 mun trial version of the coin but it is made of copper.) The coin was minted at the Kyongsong Mint and is actually dated ulyu (乙酉) which would be the 22nd year of the sexagenary cycle which is the year 1885. Whoever produced the fake coin on eBay has obviously never seen the image of the authentic coin in the book since there are significant differences between the two. Gary
I'm a bit confused - this is actually 1898 1 yang, which real examples do exist. This however is not genuine.
I bought a fake Seated Dollar off Ebay long ago, knowing it was fake, very cheaply, to fill a hole in my collection, until I could spare the hundreds required for a real one. It was dated 1840 but had "In God We Trust" on it. Was obviously thinner and lighter, and magnetically attractive. But it sure looked nice in that hole! The seller acknowledged it when questioned. I agree that those who pick these up to fill a hole, knowing they are fake, wont pay much. I believe the Dansco 7070 holds about 75 coins, and I would rather hold onto the money and buy a small number of real ones, rather than just fill holes. All those holes add up!
I swear it initially said "1885" in the listing... I thought it was weird to call it an 1885, too. Perhaps I read it wrong?
Besides collecting, I'm a silver stacker. Started buying on ebay recently. I bought a lot Chinese Pandas that turned out to be fake. Learned to appreciate the ebay guarantee. Did some research and found that in China these fake Pandas are a huge industry that is starting to expand into other coins. They've been doing it a long time, improving as they go. It is getting more difficult to recognize a fake. I don't buy anything that comes from China anymore. I do think I've found an easy way to spot a fake Panda. On all fakes I've seen, the milling on the edge runs diagonally instead of straight across. I have never seen this anywhere else.
