Ok, I recently started selling on ebay, and I have a newbie question. Maybe there is a discussion on this, but I was unable to find it in a search. I know ebay has a policy against selling counterfeit coins. I have a coin that I KNOW is counterfeit, but I also KNOW it has a significant amount precious metal. I would like to get rid of it. Am I right in assuming that I can't sell it on ebay even if I make it ABUNDANTLY CLEAR that the coin is counterfeit? I know that there are people who collect counterfeits, and I would like to find some avenue of selling to someone who collects counterfeits, or even just sell it straight up as bullion for its melt value. Being that it probably violates ebay policy, even as a stated counterfeit; is there any legal/ethical way to sell it? I have read somewhere that it isn't even legal to possess counterfeits, but I've also read from people on this board who seek out counterfeits and collect them. I'm not really sure where the line is with this kind of material as I'm really new to the selling world. thanks for the help.
Counterfeits can be sold as long as they are fully described in the title and description as counterfeit AND the coin is permanently marked with the word COPY.
Ok, well it doesn't have the word "copy" stamped on it, as I'm sure it was originally created to defraud. So, I won't even try ebay. It's sad, because I just saw an ebay auction with a coin that looked to have the same counterfeit characterstics as mine go for about 7 times melt value. Very Very sad.
I’ve had it examined in hand by multiple reputable dealers. All of them agree that it is a gold fake. The dimensions and weight are practically dead even with the real coin. What other metal used in coins has that kind of density? I suppose it could have a platinum core, but I doubt it. The coin passes the ring test. The vast majority of $3 gold coin fakes are used to fool collectors, as the numismatic value of the coin far outweighs the precious metal value. This was not a contemporary counterfeit. Trust me, It is gold.
Here is a good thread about gold counterfeits in general. http://www.cointalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=31328&highlight=gold+counterfeit
Tungsten and uranium are nearly identical to gold as would be some alloys with platinum, iridium or osmium. However, the net result is that none of these solutions is very practical.
Yes, I agree there are other possibilities. From what I understand it is much more cost effective just to use gold. Have there been coins produced using tungsten or iridium? It would be cool to have something like that, though I imagine it would be expensive.
In the 1800's and early 1900's pltinum was cheaper than gold. Many fakes were made in platinum and then gold plated. Today, those fakes are worth more than the genuine coins in many cases.
