Fakes from China

Coins are not the only collectable being 'faked' in China. Porcelain especially is frequently a target of counterfeiters. Recently there was a report of a large shipment of the famous "penny black" stamps reaching our shores. Another thing that wasn't mentioned in the article, is that counterfeiting has a long and established tradition in China, so obvious age marks are no guarantee. In the late 19th century millions of counterfeit trade dollars flooded our country from China (I have heard that as many as 2 out of 3 trade dollars are counterfeit). Learn everything you can about whatever it is you collect to aid you in obtaining authentic items for your collection. There is no such thing as too much research.
 

All the (JUNK) we get from there is fake is in not?
 

I'm not sure what you mean by (JUNK), but as an antique buyer once told me: don't buy any porcelain from China unless it's just something you like and that the authenticity or price is not something you can't live with.
 


On-line references suggest that many trade dollars (to pick just one example), such as some dug examples shared on this forum, may well be fakes. When we do find a real rarity (which probably won't happen to most of us, but we love the hunt) it is in our own best interest to have it examined by an expert and confirmed in writing. It doesn't cost that much and it will pay off if and when you decide to sell or trade it. Forum opinion, even concensus, is no substitute.

Just my opinion, of course, with all the usual disclaimers.

Chuck


 

It was much worse before because every day I'd see different Asian sellers with long lists of fake coins, and they actually did get bids more often then you'd think. Now the bids could have been fake as well, but there's always people who can't resist and roll the dice even if it is a seller with 3 feedback from China selling American coins by the dozen! What I just said is how you help yourself avoid buying fakes, you buy the seller first, and if they check out, you have a good look at the coin and decide. If you do both, end up paying in the range of what you would expect, all things combined probably means you got yourself a genuine coin. Once you get it do the magnet test, weigh it, measure it, compare it close to genuine pics, and if all that also checks out I'd say your up in the 99.9% range it's real.
 

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To add to this discussion, it's worth mentioning that if you make online purchases using Paypal, at least you have a chance to get your money back. It is, of course preferable to prevent being scammed as Iron Patch mentioned, however, if you have the misfortune of buying into a scam, take it up with Paypal (if you use them) and they'll most likely refund your money based upon, among other things, the seller's history and your physical proof that you were scammed. I recently had the misfortune of buying a pair of shoes online and received a typical household sponge instead (return address was in China). It turns out the website I purchased from was a fake, hosted by a Chinese scammer. I was able to get my money back through Paypal, but I would have preferred to avoid the whole business altogether. The agents at Paypal (and eBay for that matter) are well aware of the scams/scammers, who quickly create a new website to fool people once the current website loses its reputation. I thought it was funny to hear the agent say, "at least you got a sponge, most people get a hairnet." Good luck out there, and be cautious!
 

ggossage said:
To add to this discussion, it's worth mentioning that if you make online purchases using Paypal, at least you have a chance to get your money back. It is, of course preferable to prevent being scammed as Iron Patch mentioned, however, if you have the misfortune of buying into a scam, take it up with Paypal (if you use them) and they'll most likely refund your money based upon, among other things, the seller's history and your physical proof that you were scammed. I recently had the misfortune of buying a pair of shoes online and received a typical household sponge instead (return address was in China). It turns out the website I purchased from was a fake, hosted by a Chinese scammer. I was able to get my money back through Paypal, but I would have preferred to avoid the whole business altogether. The agents at Paypal (and eBay for that matter) are well aware of the scams/scammers, who quickly create a new website to fool people once the current website loses its reputation. I thought it was funny to hear the agent say, "at least you got a sponge, most people get a hairnet." Good luck out there, and be cautious!
Click to expand...

One thing add.... Paypal does work well when needed, and I have used it on $700 misrepresented coins. (Not fake, one was bent, the other was cleaned which unlike most, showed absolutely no signs of this in the picture) What you have to remember though is that Paypal will only give you the money if they can grab it back from the seller, and if you're dealing with a scammer you can be sure they got the cash out of their account as soon as possible. So you always want to take action fast, but better yet only buy from a seller who's page and history says he's going to be around the next week to sell more, therefore keeping a balance and the ability for a buyer to collect on a claim. Paypal typically rules for the buyer because they no doubt feel the best option is to simply undo a deal, so as long as you buy from someone with some solid sales and history you should be fine.
 

Good advice to all of us............Thanks guy's for the heads up!...............................HH
 

I just bought a Kwang Shu dragon dollar. Under weight and highly magnetic. I get to take it back. $28--Ron
 

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