Hello, I appreciate the wisdom shared in this forum and wanted to ask your opinion on a recent purchase... having just picked up a second Zecchino gold coin, I immediately compared it to the first one and noticed a couple obvious differences... 1) the PCGS slab appears to hold the coin in a different manner (one has a 3 slotted design while the other does not), and 2) the obverse of the coin is positioned differently between the two different slabs. Presume PCGS simply changed/updated their slab type and the presentation may be just subjective, but thought it prudent to run this by the group here given everything I’ve read about counterfeits coming from China, etc. - sincerely appreciate your help! Take care
The label says Italy-Achaia, if true (I can't fully see the legends, but it looks likely) the coins are contemporary imitations of the zecchino of Andrea Dandolo by the Acciaioli interest in Morea in the 1340s. So not exactly Venetian, but a Levantine imitation.
I have one from there too. I got mine from Heritage Auction AV Zecchino ND Achaia Mint/ Crusader States Robert d'Anjou of Tarante 1346-64 He was married to Joanna of Naples/ was Emperor of Constantinople/ Prince of Achaia and Taranto These coins were struck to imitate the Venetian Zecchini of Andrea Dandalo.
There are a lot of "fake slabbed coins" coming out Communist China. However, it seems the "Corona Virus" was the real McCoy.
Per PCGS: “The on-line PCGS Certificate Verification is a method for confirming that a particular certificate number matches the information in the PCGS database, but the counterfeiters are aware of this detection method and are now using valid certificate numbers.”
So true, panzerman! I’ve attempted to learn more about how to detect counterfeit slabs, but have not found any clear indicators... per PCGS: “The counterfeit PCGS holders are well-executed, but with minor differences from a genuine holder.” Was hoping someone here could share what they know on what ‘differences’ to be aware of?
i dont have a lot to contribute to this thread buy ive seen both type of holders and I believe you can request any type of holder the seller has. certain types of holders are used so that the edge can be seen. hope this helps
The one slabbed with cert 18751510 is a genuine PCGS slab. I was the submitter of that coin to PCGS. The one slabbed 20403979 appears genuine. I have slabs with cert numbers 200 away from this and they used the 3-prong slab. FYI, the one with cert 19716063 came from the same hoard that was mainly dispersed at the NYINC show in 2011.
The left holder is an old-style PCGS holder, while the right one is a little later. I’m currently not aware of Chinese counterfeits of venetian gold. They look like Gen 4.4 and 4.5 https://www.pcgs.com/holders
Have learned so much in the past 48h... fully concur with your assessment. Also comforting to know that counterfeit Venetians aren’t on their radar!
i think now they offer photo services too - so you can examine the image of the coin when you lookup the cert - that only works for the newer ones and that added that service.
