The PCGS Counterfeiters are getting too good. Watch out!
braddick
Posts: 24,116 ✭✭✭✭✭
So I came upon this California commemorative on eBay (it's listed now and by a seller whose two negatives out of 12 total were for selling counterfeit coins):
Seller's pictures:
The insert looked a bit off. For example, on all other coins graded by PCGS, the spacing between the grade and the type is not equal to what is shown on the counterfeit.
I did a little bit of digging and found the original coin, sold back in 2018:
If you are doubtful as to my claims (and this is why I am not listing the actual auction), there is also slight toning on the real coin vs. the bright white appearance on the counterfeit.
Your thoughts?
peacockcoins
4
Comments
The barcode appears to be different also.... Cheers, RickO
wow! I see the differences in the Barcode now that @ricko pointed it out... dayum!!!
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The label is a big tell. The relief on the bad coin is also different.
RIP Mom- 1932-2012
Does seem to be a very deceptive holder alright.
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
The font on the label is bad enough to give that one away as fake. I have seen better fakes than that posted here, but don’t recall the exact post or when.
I will add this thread to the forum resource list. If anyone else knows of similar threads that explain these type of fakes, please let me know or post them here. I feel explanations like this could help educate buyers.
http://www.pcgs.com/SetRegistry/publishedset.aspx?s=142753
https://www.autismforums.com/media/albums/acrylic-colors-by-rocco.291/
The reverse is rotated on the 'new' version as well.
The coin looks cloudy and the holder very filmy, coin is horrible
Good catch!
Thats why I always spend the extra 5 for gold shield and scan every barcode I get!
(l8-)>>
To me, this one isn’t particularly dangerous. The label isn’t even close.
Neither is the coin
https://www.ebay.com/itm/224989430083
Thanks for posting - a good reminder to be careful.
GONE!!!
Any experienced player would likely pickup that as coin fake by its poorly struck / lack of detail appearance.
However that is a scary situation. It’s important to know how to grade, look at the coins plus be familiar with the series.
If your skills are so weak you can’t even tell from that coin you should be focusing on lower ticket material.
Thanks, I scan the barcodes all the time. It's important for sure. Peace Roy
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For almost every member here I would completely agree, however when you think about the number of people that show up here and other chat boards with no real clue how to grade or do much (if any) research it is deceptive enough to fool some potential buyers.
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
Not long ago, I got very interested in learning more about how to detect counterfeit slabs. Counterfeit slabs seem to be more prevalent these days, and in my research on the topic, I came across a young numismatist named Isaiah Hageman. Isaiah has done so much work on the subject that he has been featured in the ANA eLearning Academy, and they just published one of his educational videos in January 2021. Here is the link to his video:
Isaiah does a nice job outlining several key features to look for in detecting counterfeit slabs, and several of those points have been made in this post. Apologies if this is old news, but I thought some may like hearing what he has to say...
Okay, let me ask about those sealed plastic pockets the counterfeit is in, is there a place that does those for genuine coins in genuine grading holders?
The reason I ask is because I've only seen them twice and in both case the coin and the slab was counterfeit.
"I Prefer Dangerous Freedom Over Peaceful Slavery"
Thomas Jefferson!
One aspect of wrong spacing/font on labels and wrong barcodes has always puzzled me -
why don't the counterfeiters make a better copy of the entire label?
It's sitting there on Heritage.
I guess it's because they can buy the fake empty slabs, fake holo sticker and counterfeit coin probably all from China,
but they don't have the skill to make a good copy of the label from a photo.
These counterfeiters are getting better and better. Pretty soon, they'll have a counterfeit forum to go along with their other fakes.