There are many ways, if the photo is clear. 1. check for casting lines. Counterfeits of this type often leave a line, sometime feint, that will run somewhere near the rim of the coin. 2. check the surfaces. If the flat areas appear grainy, that's a bad sign of a counterfeit. 3. check the devices. If you are looking to acquire a rare coin of any type, then either purchase them certified or know your coins - if you know your coins, you should be able to tell - perhaps the cheek looks too fat, or the mouth appears too crude - or the crown appears abnormal, etc. 4. Keep in mind that counterfiets can be very good... some can not be detected from a photo, but luckily a lot can. So the first thing you should do is know the market, and what sort of counterfeits are there. 5. Buy only when the seller accepts returns, then weigh the coin first thing. And if you purchase a coin for 10 dollars, and it has a market value of ten or more times that number - you have a right to be worried. If, on the other hand, you are paying a fair price for such a rare coin, then you should have no trouble paying for an authentication service.
Find a reputable dealer that you are comfortable dealing with and do as much of your business with him as possible. eBay is just too dangerous to be recommended to beginning collectors. Being a beginning collector and buying coins on eBay is one way to GUARANTEE that you will be taken advantage of.
High feedback, 99.8 or higher Read some feedback. Once you find a good seller and they prove themself honest buy from them again (bookmark there coins and check back). Be a good and honest buyer (your bid is your contract). The overwhelming majority of Ebay sellers are honest, but some sellers know nothing about coins, these will be obvious by their odd mistakes.
Thanks to you all for your great advice. But i think it is imperative to tell you what really happened. Sometime this year some people have excavated a drum full of U.S. coins. I can't tell you where but somewhere here in asia. I was asked to check those coins in the internet,since those people are not into collecting they are just rural ppl (im not also into collecting). Now they have given me some samples and i found out that they are 1870,1840 seated silver dollar,1879 trade dollar,1879,1898,1921 morgan dollars,and last is the 1804 drape bust silver dollar.Now i found out in the internet that the 1804 is a rare coin and also not "so rare" counterfeits. That's why i have asked your advice.i am no expert and have no resources for having those coins graded by PCGS and NGC i just happened to have an internet connection and was recommended by my uncle to check for values of those coins. Would it be alright to show you some pictures of those coins? I just want you to check on it if you have free time. (background of my country:we have been a territory of U.S. early 19th century.we have our independence but the U.S. have a base here for a long time.)
Sounds like the Phillippeans to me... Now as for your coins, the 1804 is definately a fake. All originals are accounted for and definately were not buried in a barrel in SE Asia. As for the rest of them it is VERY VERY likely that they are counterfeit as well, but please post pictures we may be able to point out the obvious fakes. Your next step is to invest in a good scale (must correctly measure weight to the 1/100 of a gram). If after that the coins still check out than send 1 or 2 of the more valuable ones to be graded. This is a small investment to find out if the hoard is legitimate. The profits from a couple of the coins could then be used to have the rest of the hoard authenticated/graded. Once graded the coins would be much more likely to sell near their true values, especially if you intend to sell them from SE Asia. Good luck, we're looking forward to the photos.
You'll have to wait guys i have to ask permission from the owner. Since i have been tasked to check about the coins i think i have learned a lot got intrigued. As they say it, every coin has a history...Guess ill try my hand on this hobby.
You are right Big. I guess these are all fake coins. Its too good to be true. But still i'll ask permission so i can post photos and you all can teach me how to detect fake from genuine ones.
I am by no means an expert in counterfeit detection, but in recent years I have seen a marked increase in the number of counterfeit American collector coins coming out of Asia. Most of them are badly done and are easily recognizable as fakes. Some of them are better and have even fooled the so called experts, but the word is out in forums like this one and others, in collectors's circles, in coin clubs, etc. Coins coming from Asia are almost always viewed with a some skepticisim because of the actions of a few individuals. Take a little time and search the archives of this forum. Look for threads on Trade Dollars to get an idea of what people have run across. Do what you can to reasonably ascertain whether or not these coins are genuine. Check out the story behind the discovery of the coins and see if the details add up. Others in this forum have suggested that you post photographs if you are able to do so. That is an excellent idea. Read any material on coins you can find. Study pictures and educate yourself as much as possible. I wish you luck.
you all have been helpful. sorry to bust up your asses but i can't deliver the photos to show to you. the owner of the coin wants me to deposit money before i can have them photoed and checked. but as most of you have stated they are more likely to be counterfeits. thanks anyway
well Markuss - with that statement I can promise you they are counterfeit - no doubt about it. So no loss there. If you were thinking of purchasing these coins in any capacity, I hope this has made you rethink that idea.
Hi all! I haven`t posted recently as much as I usually do. After being unemployed for 7 months, I am working again. Now I have 2 jobs. Both started out on an as needed basis a couple of weeks ago.(actually they both called me on the same day!!!) Now they are both wanting me on a full time basis. Choices........ In any case I miss the daily postings here. As those who have known me since June here, I always have tried to give helpful advice, answer questions (And/0r point you in the right direction), and occaisionally gave my opinion on a controversial subject. OK, I posted on this thread back on 8/22. Counterfeits are the topic now. Any "hoard" of US coins found offshore is immediatly suspect. I am not talking about US gold that has been stored in Swissbanks since the 1920`s and 1930`s. Although there are a certain amount of so-called "European" US gold that is suspect, we are mostly talking about the Asian origin US coins. Especially on ebay..... If you are buying US Seated, or Trade Dollar coins, You must REALLY REALLY know your stuff. You will not get a bargain If any coin you buy is significantally under market price, there is a reason for that. Yet MANY unknowledgeable, and uninformed newbie buyers, spend hundreds of dollars for coins that many of us would laugh at. The problems ARE NOT limited to ebay. Many small time flea market "dealers" either knowingly, or as have been swindled themselves, are selling these things by the thousands. There is no doubt, Tens of Thousands, perhaps HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of these things are here already. More are coming in.
As an e-bay buyer who has gotten some great deals on e-bay, I agree with the tips from "The-Cave-Troll." I have found that if you bid on coins as if they are 2-3 grades lower than what is advertised you will do o.k. I keep the red book, black book and PCGS trends sheet right next to me when I bid on e-bay and always use the lowest price of the three for bidding. Many sellers are ANA members and are very honest in their grading. You can find this in their "me" section.
