Warning: Counterfeits - Very Realistic Silver Coins in PCGS Slabs

[dicker]

Hi All

Just a heads up that there are (as some may know) some very high quality counterfeit Silver coins in PCGS holders.

A non-TSF friend told me he had seen one in the hand a few weeks and that it was very very well done.   He is not a dealer but does have a collection of hundreds of Morgan’s, oddities rarities, goes to the big US coin shows etc

I am not going to post the link he sent me but will post example pics from the website.

- PCGS numbers check out at PCGS

- Rare Morgans, 8 Reales seem to be available

- PCGS blue labelled slabs mostly listed

- PCGS Hologram was apparently spot on

Be careful all!

Dicker

656C3B49-BFA9-434D-AD3D-016445D1E78A.webp 68B70401-5A22-4CFB-92BC-0A7487B6DA2F.webp B5A92CF3-B5E7-451A-BBBC-A02B35B8460E.webp 51736081-2A16-4098-A3F4-C0FD82EB4BE4.webp

Edited May 2, 2022 by dicker

[dicker]

[bluffer]

so are they copies of the genuine slabbed coins? Dont the qr code and barcode go back to the pcgs database? or does it go to a fake website or just not work at all?

[Simmoleon]

10 hours ago, bluffer said:

so are they copies of the genuine slabbed coins? Dont the qr code and barcode go back to the pcgs database? or does it go to a fake website or just not work at all?

Looks like valid PCGS numbers but the entries have no pictures so you can’t validate them visually against the coin that was graded originally? I generally stay away from slabbed coins if there is no image on the registry despite many may just be older slabs. I have just bought one without a picture but could trace it back to an auction in 2012 and it’s pictured there to offer enough provenance for me to take the dive.

[dicker]

There is no fake website. The numbers are simply been cloned from genuine PCGS slabbed coins so they check out.

I have looked up a few and they are definitely not the coins for sale.

These are selling for approx £85 on. Chinese website.  This gives you an idea around the quality - most counterfeit Morgans can be bought from the same site for under a fiver…

[dicker]

Some of the other counterfeits on the site do link to PCGS entries that have photos and they are not the same coins (obviously!)

 

[GoldDiggerDave]

Do all new PCGS slabs have a nfc chip? 

[dicker]

I checked this and I believe they do.

Although I don’t think coins are labelled as having RFID - perhaps someone who has a recent grading with them can confirm?

https://www.pcgs.com/news/security-chip-slabs

[Simmoleon]

23 minutes ago, dicker said:

Some of the other counterfeits on the site do link to PCGS entries that have photos and they are not the same coins (obviously!)

 

With older Morgan’s for example, at least you have some level of toning and marks to validate against if you have an image of the original. Other coins without these characteristics could easily be missed especially in the world of modern coins?

Was reading recently an article about how the fake Gothic Crowns became more and more precise to the originals and very difficult even for experts to validate especially without the coin in hand. I believe even the grading companies struggled validating these at one point. So now we are starting to see very high quality (in some cases) copies of coins and now the same with the slabs. 
 

Your post is probably a timely reminded for all of us about checking authenticity including that of the slab itself

[dicker]

I am half tempted to get one to do a detailed analysis on the holder and coin. But equally don’t what to give money to scumbag counterfeiters.

What do you all think?

[Bixley]

It would be a service to the community if you could do an analysis which I think outweighs your reluctance to give money to the counterfeiters, just hold your nose when you do it.