COUNTERFEITS: THREAT OR MENACE?

 
Let's be clear about this.  We know that some forms of counterfeit money have historicity. 

The Bank of England £5 notes made by the Germans during World War II are a recent example. 

The many "evasion coppers" of the American colonial period (which, in fact, circulated as minor coins in Appalachia into the 1830s) are woven into the fabric of our national heritage.

Those are not a danger to the hobby.
What follows here is an indication of the current threat level. 

 

 

Inside a Chinese Coin Counterfeiting Ring

Photos of Counterfeit Coin Dies,

Minting Machinery, and Fake Coins

By  Susan Headley About.com Guide

 

The sheer size, scope, and professionalism of this counterfeiting ring will astonish you. Although the working conditions often appear dirty and the minting equipment is old, this is obviously a well-funded enterprise that is run like a legal business in China. There is no law in China against making these "replicas" as long as they are sold as such.
 

Read the article here

 
 

ANA Philadelphia 2009 Convention Report

on Chinese Fakes

Google Groups. Rec.Collecting.Coins

Subject: Philadelphia coin show

Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2009 07:03:28 -0700 PDT

From: Peter <w2...@hotmail.com>

 

It interested me to attend a lecture by Gregory Dubay.  He has studied the Chinese counterfeits and counterfeiters and had much of interest.

 

For their highest grade efforts (he described 4 quality levels), they use actual planchets made for the US mint, they have surplus presses from the US mint, they have discarded US dies and die steel, and they are able (for ca. $3000) to create computer enhanced, laser cut dies.

 
 

U.S. Mint Warns About Chinese-Made Counterfeit Coins

 

Imitation Pre-1950 Coinage

"The United States Mint is aware of recent reports that some companies in China are producing unmarked imitations of pre-1950 United States coins and are selling them on-line. This practice not only exploits unwary consumers and collectors, but also may violate Federal law. Both consumers and coin collectors should be aware of this practice and should exercise vigilance and good judgment when purchasing pre-1950 coins."
 

Goto https://usmint.gov and under Consumer Alerts, the dropdown offers the option,

Hot Items.  Read there about "Imitation Pre-1950 Coinage."

 

 

 

Counterfeit Coins Get Harder to Detect

by F. Michael Fazzari, Numismatic News
July 02, 2009

 

You may have read that computers have made die-making extremely accurate. That's one reason why modern fakes are so stylish with well-defined details. There are no more "new" fakes with "blobs" for the "dots" in their design. The relief of letters, numerals and lines is becoming sharp with no trace of the soft rounded edges we saw on the counterfeits made with transfer dies in years past. In their quest for perfection, the line between genuine and fake has become very thin.

Read the article here.

 

Chinese Fakes Get Harder to Spot Over Time

by F. Michael Fazzari, Numismatic News
June 04, 2009

 

Now, based on several recent news stories complete with photographs of the operation, let's make the assumption that China is one of the principal sources for the fake coins appearing in the numismatic market. I also believe there are several sources producing the coins because of the wide range in the quality of these counterfeits.

Read the article here.

 

Hobby Leaders Discuss Anti-Counterfeiting Actions

Posted on 6/2/2009
(Long Beach, California) – Leaders of five of the hobby and profession’s most influential organizations are launching a multi-pronged consumer awareness and protection campaign against counterfeit numismatic items sold and imported from China and elsewhere. The organizations in alphabetical order are the American Numismatic Association (ANA), the Industry Council for Tangible Assets (ICTA), Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC), Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and the Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG).

Read article here.

 

 

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