We had some discussion here about a website called coinshx.com. It was apparent they were selling fakes so I purchased two pieces for educational reasons. Both for myself and any newer collectors here that may be attracted by the apparent bargain basement prices. I paid $20.00 for the Morgan and $10.00 for the ASE. An experienced collector knows that these prices are far below silver melt value. So lesson #1 is that if it appears too good to be true, then it is probably bogus. I’ll start with the ASE. A genuine ASE is on the left. This is probably visually the more convincing of the two pieces. The fields of the piece are stunning. That I am sure is a ploy to get you to overlook the flaws. The piece has a medal orientation. Genuine ASE’s are oriented like any other coin. The reverse is fairly convincing however the obverse is a hodgepodge of mistakes. A quick look at the greenery in Lady Liberty’s arm isn’t even close to the genuine ASE. Take a close look at the stars and folds in the flag. It is as though the engraver just gave up. The face of Lady Liberty looks more like a civil war soldier than it does Lady Liberty. And finally the piece is quite magnetic. A few things on the Morgan. This piece is not magnetic however I am confident it is not silver either. I don’t have the equipment to confirm that. Again a genuine Morgan is on the left for comparison. And again the reverse is a bit more convincing than the obverse. And again the obverse is a comedy of mistakes. Numerous errors in the curls of the hair. The nose and jaw are cartoonish. And the spray on toning is worse than a spray on tan. I could go on.... But the main thing I wanted to do is offer a visual side by side comparison for collectors that may not have handled as many of these coins as some others. Do not be fooled by the absurdly cheap prices. And if you are in question.... Before you spend your hard earned cash, ask the crew here at CT. We won’t let you buy junk if we can help it.
I assume these fakes are from "Missouri." Regardless, thank you for being our guinea pig @Randy Abercrombie.
Given the money the mint makes from the AGE/ASE program, you would think they would give a crap more about their products being so heavily faked.
My friends grandfather recently bought a roll of these at $10/ea thinking they were authentic. All compliments of Winnie the Pooh.
Great post, thanks! The feathers and shield on the reverse of the ASE are all wrong - easy to see when compared side-by-side.
Not to mention the overall "flatness" of the design. The real ASE has depth. I don't know how else to describe it.
Good for you @Randy Abercrombie, I hope some young coiner who sees this realizes that "if it looks too good to be true, it certainly is!"
I received a my tracking number in Chinese characters but the envelope was marked as shipping from New York.
Did you happen to weigh them? I need to get a scale I guess....if I don't have an original to compare one with I suppose that's one of the best ways to find out.
One thing that jumps out at me.... A lot of the seasoned collectors here talk about the denticles being very off on the Chinese fakes. Considering all the flaws in the Morgan, the denticles appeared to be done pretty well.
You know FF... I think you are on to something there. You are 100% correct. The Chinese ASE does not have the depth of the genuine article. It is a much “flatter” coin.
No.... I went into this deal knowing full well what I was doing. If I called them out on it then I would be dealing from below the deck just as they are.
Yeah I know you were aware. Just curious to see how that might play out. After all...it might cause them to shut. They're scamming a lot of buyer's it seems. I'd report them myself, even knowing. Especially knowing!
The biggest thing that stands out in my eyes about the fake ASE is the lack of attention to detail. For instance, the lack of fine details on the Eagle's feathers and the fake's font-size were the biggest giveaways to me.
Wow, that looks like the kind of stuff you see on Wish ads Does anyone here save pictures of all the worst fakes of CT?