Why are fakes being sold for so much?

Nice test...

 

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The sold listings are eye-watering.

 

eBay removed most of the "coin" listings so far from this seller...

 

That's astounding, well done. Can you tell me exactly how you did it? Was it a matter of numbers?

I doubt any of the other stuff he's selling is real either, but don't know anything about them. It's a shame they don't shut him down - what's to stop him waiting a week and then relisting?

I see that your confidence is not misplaced as I thought. Hat off to you.

 

@mrbadexample I have a good line of reporting and a group that helps validate bad "coins"- an expert network on most areas of numismatics. I won't report items I/we are not sure of which adds credibility to the Group. But to your point it is like "whack-a-mole" out there. We were able to get several sellers of bad 1889-cc "Morgans" reportedly from Argentina unregistered but it is a process. Best, Jack.

 

Good analogy. If anything as bad as the one I linked to comes to my attention, you might get a message. Keep up the good work.

 

Feel free to message me!

 

My lincoln cent collection has mostly gaps. Doesn't really bother me. But i do have a lincoln cent thats a 1910 D. Didn't know it was a fake till i gave it to my grandbaby Capri and her book didn't have that gap

 

Mr. Young. Is there a link for electrotypes. Wondering what type of coins being mentioned

 

Me too jack

 

My "Baby Head" posted on the 1st page of this thread!

 

I think he is asking if there is a link that will take him someplace that explains what electrotypes are and potentially how they are made.

Quick, simple explanation of an electrotype, two metal shells (obv and rev) that are filled with a low melting point lead alloy and joined together.

Quick and simple explanation of how they are made:
Take a small block of wax, heat coin a little and press into the wax.

Remove coin from wax block, this give you a negative of the coin surface. Do the same in another block for the other side.

Dust negatives with graphite powder to make them electrically conductive.

Plate the negatives with copper, silver, or gold depending on the coin. Make the plating thick enough that it will have some structural strength.

Melt the wax. You now have two shells each showing an exact replica of one side of the coin.

Just fill each shell with the low melting point lead alloy.

Put the two pieces together and apply just enough heat so the alloy starts to melt bonding the two sides together.

Clean up the edge between the shells.

Electroplate the finished piece with the proper metal.

You now have a lead filled metal shell that looks exactly like the original coin.

I could go into more depth but that should give you the basic idea.

 

Very good explanation @Conder101! I actually have a cast of a 1794 S-47 large cent and a friend has an electro apparently made from the same source example- no way to know for sure why both were made...

You can see how accurately everything can transfer!

 

Well add something to this coin. What bothers you cuz just wanna know. Not sure what is wrong in idiotic turms

 

What???

 

Loved "Tommy Boy" - anything Chris Farley. Almost as much as B. Franklin, i.e. "The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweet taste of low price is forgotten."

Can someone describe identifying characteristics of a electrotype fakey?

 

Larry, what I look for as "tells" of an electro include:

Weight- often off heavy due to the base material used, often lead

The edge- the best try to hide the tell-tale seam but are messed with and close examination aids in detecting this. Also it is difficult at best to duplicate any edge devices seen on a genuine example like my chain cent.



Often the base metal shows through as seen on my "1799".



Surfaces can also look like a cast with pimples and bubbles.

 

Report it to ebay then hold your breath!!!!Unfortunately fakes are here and unless WE report it to the right people it will continue. Read the most recent article in Coin World concerning fakes. If you purchase from one of the social media platforms, you get what they send you. The old saying goes - You can't fix stupid - applies if you send someone your hard earned $ to purchase a deal that you found on-line it is absolutely BUYER BEWARE!! Purchase from a reputable dealer. If you encounter one on ebay, let us all know who the dealer is so we can avoid them.
Semper Fi

 

Thanks Jack. Are the pimples, bubbling in electrolytes also accompanied by the soft, smudgy lettering and bubbling that ya might see in a non-electrolyte fake coin stamp? Or do electrolyte features generally tend to come through with a little more definition?

 

@Jack D. Young wow thats impressive, good job with taking down the argentina sellers. I know last year I saw a lot of fake sellers from morocco I kept reporting, but seemed like it took forever for them to go away.

Thanks for your service!