What fake gold coins look like, part II
Weiss
Posts: 9,942 ✭✭✭✭✭
Since y''all asked.
The reverses:
We are like children who look at print and see a serpent in the last letter but one, and a sword in the last.
--Severian the Lame
--Severian the Lame
4
Comments
The $10 would probably fool me (at least the photo does) but the $2 1/2's look "off" - like they are too boldly struck.
I’d be fooled big time! 😟😳🧐 oh wait a minute I better take a good look and examine my 1911 & 1914
Thank you for sharing
Thought it would be good to get the obverse & reverse in one thread.
Buying raw gold can be very risky.... I have one I bought raw, many years ago (29 years). I checked the book on gold counterfeits many times in later years, just to be sure. Cheers, RickO
At least it's real gold.
Young Numismatist
Again, the point of these images was not to give a primer on counterfeit gold detection. It was to show what counterfeit gold coins look like in the wild, and how deceptive they can be to newbies as well as seasoned collectors. And how valuable the services of our host are.
And since nobody asked:
--Severian the Lame
I had a guy at a show offer me raw, fake set $2.50 Indians. They were fake and told him so. He was rather denial / indignant a normal reaction for collector finding out he had been ripped. Some major tuition.
At next show he apologized said I was right as he sent in came back body bagged. I Suggested he get money back from seller. He said seller nowhere to be found.
I suggested to him for good risk management he concentrate on slabbed AGE / AGB and slabbed numismatic coins within $100-$500 range keep risk under control.
Hi Weiss. That $10 sure looks like either an AU58 or an MS64, don't you think?
My father bought this from a coin shop in the 70’s. It’s a fake but it’s gold.
@skier07 The "Omegaman" made counterfeit MCMVII High Relief Saints and signed his work with a microscopic Greek letter omega within the eagle's talons. He also made counterfeit 1882 G$3 coins and signed his work with a microscopic Greek letter omega inside the upper loop of the R in LIBERTY. Does your coin have this omega? It's extremely small and you'll need a strong light and a high powered loupe to see it.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
@skier07 Thanks for sharing!
@PerryHall According to Skip F. ( @Insider ) it’s not a Omega counterfeit. The “artists” signature is the small mark on the bottom of the “R”.
Good counterfeits. Be careful. Good argument for certification.
With permission of the author.
@Weiss This post would be more helpful imho if there were comparison images and the tells shown; just saying
...
OK, here's a recent one
:
That one is really bad. Someone engraved dies rather than using a genuine coin to create a copy die.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Here's a comparison photo of the 3 counterfeit coins. Now can a gold specialist tell us dummies what to look for on these three coins? Is it just color/
?
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
It's got nothing to do with color. Nor does it concern weight. Or thickness. Or diameter.
Here's a hint: Look at the tail feathers on the reverses.
Still not sure?
Exactly my point.
If you're looking at (lovely if I do say so myself) saucer-sized blown up images of common 20th century classic US gold and you still can't see what it is you're supposed to be using as a tell, even when it's been specifically pointed out, then you should probably use caution when buying raw gold. Or use the services of our hosts. Or buy coins already graded and authenticated by them.
It's true that gold is gold. And so long as you're not paying a premium, you might still be getting some gold--though you probably won't know what purity.
But believe me: You do not want to be the last man standing when that music stops. Trying to sell gold coins you know or think are not genuine will put you in an unpleasant ethical position.
--Severian the Lame