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Message:: [QUOTE="tmoneyeagles, post: 597711, member: 17557"]I’m writing this thread, because I’ve seen more and more people, just ask about counterfeits, and buy counterfeits. For all you people that have questions on counterfeits, please read, and for all people have other things to chime in about this topic, and even some examples to show off, I’d be more than glad if you’d post them!  When buying on eBay counterfeits are some of the things that you always have to be on the lookout for.  Some counterfeits and replicas are very good, and look identical to real coins  There are many ways to tell a counterfeit from a real coin, although it is rather hard to do over the internet. If you see any tiny writing on any spot of the coin, that you cannot clarify, this should set of red flags. A lot of replicas have the word “COPY” or “REPLICA” written on them, normally on the coin, just like it was supposed to be part of the coin’s design  Another indication of a COPY, REPLICA, or Counterfeited coin is price. If you see a key US coin, with a few seconds, minutes, or hours left, and it is extremely low, below $1, do not even touch the auction. A lot of replica sellers do not state in the auction’s title that it is a replica, but they state it somewhere in the listing. If there is no bidding activity, and it is a thousand dollar coin, and it is at 1 cent, this is obviously fake, if it is too good to be true, it is, and it will always be, don’t get your hopes up, on anything you see, on a site like eBay.Now the most obvious signs, of spotting a counterfeit are designs...Make sure you KNOW YOUR COINS! Make sure you know how many stars, or feathers a coin should have, or any other design that is important. Lets say a coin should have 12 stars, 6 on each side, but has 7 on one side, and there are none of these errors to exist...Odds are it is fake. I'd post it here before bidding.   Now sometimes, counterfeit coins, can be in NGC or PCGS slabs. Here are good links to help detecting counterfeit slabs, if these slabs are counterfeits, than the coin probably is too. You can look up the certification number on NGC or PCGS’s website, but this will do no good with a counterfeit slab, because the serial number, IS REAL, it is a somewhat “stolen” serial number, so you have to be able to detect a fake slab, from a real slab  <a href="http://ngccoin.com/news/viewarticle.aspx?IDArticle=954" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://ngccoin.com/news/viewarticle.aspx?IDArticle=954" rel="nofollow">http://ngccoin.com/news/viewarticle.aspx?IDArticle=954</a>      <a href="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://z.about.com/d/coins/1/0/2/D/-/-/pcgs_fake_slab_1200.jpg&imgrefurl=http://coins.about.com/od/coingrading/ig/Fake-PCGS-Slab-Diagnostics/PCGS-Fake-Slab-Diagnostics.htm&usg=__uQ9EDUho9VxNKKkPbr_uEnzSexQ=&h=1200&w=921&sz=147&hl=en&start=2&tbnid=FWvOXjlF1i01XM:&tbnh=150&tbnw=115&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dfake%2BPCGS%2Bslabs%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26rlz%3D1B3GGGL_enUS317US317%26sa%3DG" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://z.about.com/d/coins/1/0/2/D/-/-/pcgs_fake_slab_1200.jpg&imgrefurl=http://coins.about.com/od/coingrading/ig/Fake-PCGS-Slab-Diagnostics/PCGS-Fake-Slab-Diagnostics.htm&usg=__uQ9EDUho9VxNKKkPbr_uEnzSexQ=&h=1200&w=921&sz=147&hl=en&start=2&tbnid=FWvOXjlF1i01XM:&tbnh=150&tbnw=115&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dfake%2BPCGS%2Bslabs%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26rlz%3D1B3GGGL_enUS317US317%26sa%3DG" rel="nofollow">http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://z.about.com/d/coins/1/0/2/D/-/-/pcgs_fake_slab_1200.jpg&imgrefurl=http://coins.about.com/od/coingrading/ig/Fake-PCGS-Slab-Diagnostics/PCGS-Fake-Slab-Diagnostics.htm&usg=__uQ9EDUho9VxNKKkPbr_uEnzSexQ=&h=1200&w=921&sz=147&hl=en&start=2&tbnid=FWvOXjlF1i01XM:&tbnh=150&tbnw=115&prev=/images?q=fake+PCGS+slabs&gbv=2&hl=en&safe=off&rlz=1B3GGGL_enUS317US317&sa=G</a>    Now, the pictures are clear, there is no sign of writing of the word COPY or REPLICA on the coin, and you paid a decent amount, and you think you have a nice coin.  Make sure you know what the coin’s weight is. When you get the coin, weigh it, and if it doesn’t match, you have a counterfeit coin. Also, another way to detect silver, from some other sort of metal the Chinese use in counterfeiting, is the magnet test. Get a simple magnet, and if you can pick up the coins with it, then you have a fake coin, silver will not stick to a magnet, nor will gold.  I guess the point I’m trying to get across, is don’t buy into too good to be true scams, and don’t be so easily fooled by anything, ANYTHING on eBay. On eBay you need to be a conservative, safe buyer, and following safe guidelines, like I have given, and getting better at detecting these fakes, will make you a safer buyer, and a smarter coin collector.  My biggest tip I can give, is, if you don’t HAVE to buy on eBay, don’t. If you want quality, and authentication, buy from a dealer, heritage, stacks, or David Lawrence, or any other good online auction house.  Don’t get me wrong, deals are to be found on eBay, but when buying, it is a must, to be careful.  If you have a question on a coin, the people here are always willing to help, and we’d be glad to take a look at the coin for you, and give you our best advice.  Take Care, and Happy Buying[/QUOTE]

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