Empty holes in my Dansco make me nuts, but I also refuse to crack coins out of the slabs to fill those holes. If I were to buy some of the Alibabba copies to plug those holes with, am I giving fuel to the enemy? The thought of supporting the Chinese manufacturers that have sullied our hobby is repulsive to me.... But I gotta plug those holes.
Then I'd be very apprehensive in filling them. Too many times the general public is duped when it comes to these counterfeits, heck even some collectors are because the fakes are getting so good. Unless we can somehow permanently mark the fake, it's a no go for me. That being said, I don't complete albums or sets, so I don't have that urge. I think as stewards of the hobby anti-counterfeiting is all of our responsibility. This would include not purchasing unmarked copies of coins. I think there's a middle ground, but I'm not sure what it would be. I do own two fakes, both easily identifiable as such by weight alone...I've been torn on what to do with them myself. I think they could be used as a learning tool, but even though I have them marked in an envelope as fakes, I can't be sure the coins and that information would stay together.
I use other items like in my ihc 77 I use a nice love token to fill holes..and so on for others The GS thin mints fit perfectly in a Morgan dansco..plus. you got a snack and...the wife and kids never think to look there for a cookie.... I do it all for the cookie..I do!
I also have been tempted to break a coin out of its slab, but never have. I can't ever see me buyinga fake coin unless it says so. But a fake being tagged as fake by the producer is getting to be rare itself.
Being a relative newbie, I don't have many slabbed coins. The only set that I have been working on is the IHC. My father had already collected most of them, although he didn't put them in a book. Since I got them, I finished them and had fun doing it. As many of you that are collecting the IHCs, I'm sure that the 1877 is not filled in yet. I'm not fanatical enough to spend the kind of money that I would have to for a decent (or not decent) 1877 IHC. Putting a counterfeit never entered my mind until I read the many entries in Cointalk about the frustration about the cost of the 1877 IHC or even a counterfeit IHC. Once you start entering counterfeit coins in your collection, the integrity of the collection is suspect. I feel for your frustration. Stay true to your hobby and collection.
I have busted out over 50 slabs and counting over the last year.... and love the coins in the albums...never cared for slabs...or showering in a rain coat.
I've never tried this, and it may not work effectively, but the idea just occurred to me so I'm passing it along. You could buy 2 identical fakes cheaply enough I assume, grind opposite faces off of each, and put them back-to-back in your album. When somebody removes them in the future, they'll discover they don't have a marketable coin. You could even trap a small note between the halves, if you felt that necessary.
I appreciate everybody's input. I am deleting this quick link I had saved to the phony coin site.... I think I may use @Paddy54 plan and plug the holes with varieties or something else I may find in the deep dark recesses of my coin safe. Though @green18 idea ain't bad. I know how to use some spackle now.... The first home I sold had more spackle and painters caulk than lumber!
One option is to empty all of the holes and get all of the coins in slabs. Probably not a useful suggestion, but it would solve the stated problem by making everything consistent! On a more practical note, you could print out something like this (of the appropriate type), stick it to a correctly-sized piece of cardboard or other coin, and use that to fill the hole.
Buy details/ damaged to fill holes with... Cleaned coins wouldn't be a bad idea either. You might live long enough for some to regain patina and look nice again depending on the coin.
Well... We are talking about the last three years of the three cent nickel series. The business strikes are rare as hens teeth and the only conceivable way a working man can fill those holes is with the corresponding proofs, and they can only be found is slabbed.