Featured A Lesson In Fakes

Discussion in 'Coin Chat' started by Randy Abercrombie, Feb 17, 2021.

  1. Randy Abercrombie

    Randy Abercrombie Supporter! Supporter

    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.

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    20DD5E9F-B7DC-43F2-8377-E23A3A83BC48.jpeg


    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.

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    DD841A79-543F-4644-ACC6-EAAFA993F4CE.jpeg

    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.
     
    Last edited: Feb 17, 2021
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  3. Bradley Trotter

    Bradley Trotter Well-Known Member

    I assume these fakes are from "Missouri." Regardless, thank you for being our guinea pig @Randy Abercrombie.
     
  4. furryfrog02

    furryfrog02 Well-Known Member

    That fake ASE is so bad.
    Thanks for taking one for the team!
     
    Evan Saltis, GH#75, AmishJedi and 3 others like this.
  5. medoraman

    medoraman Supporter! Supporter

    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.
     
  6. Bradley Trotter

    Bradley Trotter Well-Known Member

    Matthew Kruse, MIGuy and Evan Saltis like this.
  7. YoloBagels

    YoloBagels Well-Known Member

    My friends grandfather recently bought a roll of these at $10/ea thinking they were authentic. All compliments of Winnie the Pooh.
     
  8. LakeEffect

    LakeEffect Average Circulated Supporter

    Great post, thanks! The feathers and shield on the reverse of the ASE are all wrong - easy to see when compared side-by-side.
     
  9. furryfrog02

    furryfrog02 Well-Known Member

    Not to mention the overall "flatness" of the design. The real ASE has depth. I don't know how else to describe it.
     
  10. fretboard

    fretboard Defender of Old Coinage!

    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!" thumb3.gif
     
  11. coinup

    coinup Junior Member

    Good lookin' out!
     
    Randy Abercrombie likes this.
  12. Randy Abercrombie

    Randy Abercrombie Supporter! Supporter

    I received a my tracking number in Chinese characters but the envelope was marked as shipping from New York.
     
  13. coinup

    coinup Junior Member

    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.
     
    serafino likes this.
  14. Randy Abercrombie

    Randy Abercrombie Supporter! Supporter

    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.
     
  15. Randy Abercrombie

    Randy Abercrombie Supporter! Supporter

    Sadly, as long as I have collected I have never purchased a scale.
     
    JeffC likes this.
  16. coinup

    coinup Junior Member

    Gotcha.

    Another quick question - did you happen to call them out for the fakes?
     
  17. Randy Abercrombie

    Randy Abercrombie Supporter! Supporter

    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.
     
  18. Randy Abercrombie

    Randy Abercrombie Supporter! Supporter

    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.
     
  19. coinup

    coinup Junior Member

    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!
     
    LakeEffect and Randy Abercrombie like this.
  20. Bradley Trotter

    Bradley Trotter Well-Known Member

    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.
     
  21. Evan Saltis

    Evan Saltis OWNER - EBS Numis LLC Supporter

    Wow, that looks like the kind of stuff you see on Wish ads :eek:
    Does anyone here save pictures of all the worst fakes of CT?
     
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