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Silver panda fake, or new discovery variety?
gecko109
Posts: 8,231 ✭
Here is what I believe to be a counterfeit 1985 silver proof panda. However, this "fake" is so well made that the blatant discrepencies surely would have been addressed by any serious counterfeiting efforts, or would they?
Real obverse.
"Fake" obverse. Notice the obvious holes in the eye pupils. Also the presence of pronounced ridges in the larger panda's belly. A final discrepency is the "closed" (matte finish) snout of the large panda.
Real reverse.
"Fake" obverse. Some of the most pronounced differences are the extra finnial design elements at the top of the temple. The center stairway is "crossed" twice rather than being continuous. The date is slightly larger as well as being centered on the stairway rather than offset to the left. The rectangle near the top of the temple is devoid of any markings. There are several more slight differences between this and the genuine coin as well.
So it begs the question.....with such a delightfully detailed and prooflike piece such as this counterfeit coin, why didnt the engravers just take a little more time and care in making this coin? With the exception of the "holes" in the pupils of the eyes, I would guess that MANY people would be indeed fooled with this one.
Real obverse.
"Fake" obverse. Notice the obvious holes in the eye pupils. Also the presence of pronounced ridges in the larger panda's belly. A final discrepency is the "closed" (matte finish) snout of the large panda.
Real reverse.
"Fake" obverse. Some of the most pronounced differences are the extra finnial design elements at the top of the temple. The center stairway is "crossed" twice rather than being continuous. The date is slightly larger as well as being centered on the stairway rather than offset to the left. The rectangle near the top of the temple is devoid of any markings. There are several more slight differences between this and the genuine coin as well.
So it begs the question.....with such a delightfully detailed and prooflike piece such as this counterfeit coin, why didnt the engravers just take a little more time and care in making this coin? With the exception of the "holes" in the pupils of the eyes, I would guess that MANY people would be indeed fooled with this one.
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<< <i>maybe they used a counterfeit as a reference without knowing?
-sm >>
That is quite possible, yet if you or I were to buy all the needed equipment to mint our own modern bullion counterfeits, as well as go through the trouble of having a master die engraved, wouldnt we want to use what we knew to be a genuine coin as a reference? What stuns me the most on this counterfeit is just how scary close it looks to the real deal. And without very many panda experts or literature on panda coins, this series is ripe to be riddled with WELL MADE counterfeits. Especially when you consider that the genuine 27 gram 1985 coin is worth between $600-$1,000 retail!
<< <i>That is quite possible, yet if you or I were to buy all the needed equipment to mint our own modern bullion counterfeits, as well as go through the trouble of having a master die engraved, wouldnt we want to use what we knew to be a genuine coin as a reference? What stuns me the most on this counterfeit is just how scary close it looks to the real deal. And without very many panda experts or literature on panda coins, this series is ripe to be riddled with WELL MADE counterfeits. Especially when you consider that the genuine 27 gram 1985 coin is worth between $600-$1,000 retail! >>
or... too really blow your mind... maybe the PCGS one is the fake and the raw one is the real one?
(But either way... yes that is pretty scary stuff there)
-sm
The Maddy Rae Collection
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fake
Reverse: the top of the 1 in 10 is much closer to the ground on the fake than in the PCGS coin.
Obverse, the tail on the 1 (making it look like a 7) (not really, but you'll see what I mean) occurs on the fake but not the PCGS coin.
I love the pupils on the reverse! SWEET!
Have you did a specific gravity measurement yet? Is it Ag?
Neat find.
very cool discovery!