Possible fake ebay listing?

Check this out http://cgi.ebay.com/USA-10-Gold-Eag...ZUK_Coins_Bullion_Bars_SM?hash=item3a55185097

I'm no expert on fakes, but something looks off on the "9" and there are some marks near the mint mark. I'm probably not going to buy anyway, but I'd be curious what you experts opinions are on this one.

 

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nice peice check the breen cataologue
to see if theres a closed 9 varity

 

Well it went for under spot. You think nothing fishy with the marks near the "S"?

 

The "S" does bother me, and looks very odd, like it was just put there.

 

Yep, exactly. I'm obviously not going to buy it, but I seem to be buying a lot of these liberty gold eagles recently, so I'd appreciate advice as to why or why not you would think it is a fake.

So far my strategy has been to just leave any coin that looks even a bit suspicious alone, no matter how good the price. (And of course weighing and measuring upon delivery). The other thing I didn't like was that it seems the seller rarely if ever sells coins, so even though he has great feedback, they could have been passing a fake on unawares.

 

My suggestion for a strategy would be this: BUY PCGS AND NGC GRADED COINS ONLY! :thumb:

 

Well it's obviously safer, but it seems an awful lot to pay for plastic. If I start buying gold CC's or something I definitely would...

 

It's not just plastic it is a guarantee that your coins are authentic.
If you are okay with buying possibly fake, raw gold on eBay, because you save a couple bucks... So be it, but you and I both know that the safest thing to do is buy coins like this, slabbed, unless you KNOW your series inside and out.

 

Also, you've got to be sure that the slabs themselves aren't fake!

 

Well, here's an 1897 Philadelphia for comparison

 

I agree.

 

I agree there is something off on that coin.if I had in hand I could tell if it real or not.

 

This appears to be another eagle that I would think twice about. The date looks a little weird-- especially the bottom of the 1. And it looks like the star to the right of the date was recut

http://cgi.ebay.com/1897-10-Gold-Ea...FICS%2BUFI%2BDDSIC&otn=10&ps=63#ht_2301wt_909

 

I don't like the dentical, I don't like the rims, I don't like the mintmark, and there are a lot of tooling /spikes coming off the denticals on the obv.

 

Come on T$, you know "buy PCGS!" is a weak answer.

I think Condor pointed out all the major problems with this piece:
- odd mintmark
- odd flowlines
- odd denticles
- odd rims
- casting bubbles (?) around the mintmark

Of course, none of this eliminates the possbility that its a contemporary counterfeit.

 

Ardy, it might be... But for someone that doesn't know this series like the back of their hand, that is my suggestion.
I don't know this series, and I will be the first to tell you that...If I was going to buy this series, I'd get a feel of the market, look at some real examples of coins, (ONES THAT DON'T HAVE TOOLED MINTMARKS!), and get a feel of the coin as well. I'd also see if I could find a book with information about it, or any website, and I would definitely ask here for help.

 

It IS the fake

It IS the fake depicted in The United States Gold Counterfeit Detection Guide page 145.

 

The obverse is definitely depicted in Fivaz’s book.

Conder was absolutely correct when he noted the tooling spikes on the obverse. This is a classic example of a fake $10 gold. It has several features normally seen on fakes. It does not have several features that are normally seen on real coins such as flow lines, details, copper spots, etc.

The obverse is definitely depicted in Fivaz’s book. It has the tooling mark in the field just above the point of the LIBERTY tiera.

 

It sold for US$569. Assuming that it is gold (and possibly even finer than a US coin) then the bullion value is not so far off.:whistle:

 

The mint mark does look strange. The tooling marks on the obverse rim (spikes) are indicative of counterfiet manufacture. Spike like these are not seen often on US mint products.