Ancient unclean fakes..a recent infestation...

dougdann

For those who clean ancient coins. There has been rash of uncleans fakes.

Here is a posting with pictures at the AncientCoinForum.

AncientCoinForum..unclean fakes

They are quite obvious after cleaning with fake patina and the dirt cleans off quite fast.

Don't see how there is money to be made in this but it has finally happened.
Most of the major dealers have already painstakingly sorted through their lots and removed these.
But there is still some that are bound to slip through.
Don't be afraid to ask the dealer about these before buying any uncleans.

Take care,

Doug

1jester

Does this portend the end of coin collecting as we know it? I mean, if relatively low-value coins are being faked (and not just moderns, but also other US coins and foreign coins are now being faked from Asia), then it will become increasingly difficult to tell what's real. I dont like this trend at all.

laurentyvan

Ancient unclean fakes..a recent infestation...


I was going to object to the thread title but ok, as long as we are not talking about any ancient dead kings...

1jester

CIVITAS

There was a short thread about these a few days ago with a link to a good webpage about these:

Link



<< <i>Does this portend the end of coin collecting as we know it? I mean, if relatively low-value coins are being faked (and not just moderns, but also other US coins and foreign coins are now being faked from Asia), then it will become increasingly difficult to tell what's real. I dont like this trend at all. >>



I don't think so. People have been making crappy fakes for years. Look at all that Chinese stuff. None of it would fool a collector (in most cases). They are made to deceive tourists. They take advantage of the overwhelming Western notion that non-Westerners are clueless. So they offer these "1804 Silver Dollars" and "rare Chinese coins" to tourists with the premise that the coins have been in the family for years or that they found them, etc...., counting on the fact that greed will take over. A few bucks for $0.06 worth of pot metal is a pretty good markup. Anyone who thinks they're going to buy a multi-million dollar U.S. rarity for a few dollars in China is just foolish to begin with. Sometimes, it is people in the know who are buying them just for curiosity's sake. (A friend of ours brought us a half dozen 18th and 19th century "U.S. Silver Dollars" (including a pair of 1804s) from China for $3.00US).

The above ancient fakes are designed to fill out quantity for bulk uncleaned ancients on the hopes that the importer won't look closely and just move them along. Once they are in the hands of any collector (who probably doesn't pay more than a buck or so for each coin) who has seen uncleaned ancients before, they won't get any further. Any seller who values his reputation will take them back. Then he will make sure his supplier knows of his displeasure. Most of these "coins" come from suppliers in countries where having a hand full of Euros/US$/GB£ is a hell of a lot better than their local currency. These suppliers wouldn't try to pull that trick again if it meant losing a steady buyer. I don't believe these counterfeits will end up doing much harm overall.

sumnom

Actually, there a lot of really good fake Chinese cash coins out there.......