How to Detect Fake Silver Coins

Although fake coins represent a very small percentage of the overall coin market as a whole, the risk of buying fake coins online, especially on eBay, is a real danger for the unwary. The best way to protect yourself is to follow the old common sense adages, such as "if it's too good to be true, it probably is," and "caveat emptor" (let the buyer beware.) Sometimes, though, even the most careful buyer will end up with a coin that just doesn't seem right. And don't think that just because it's in a major grading service holder that the coin must be safe! The holders themselves are sometimes counterfeited, as NGC reminded us in a recent consumer alert.

Your best protection against buying fakes is to buy from knowledgeable, reputable coin dealers. Don't buy from eBay auctions that don't allow a return period (if sellers don't guarantee their coins, you should really wonder why!?) Don't buy from sellers who hide their feedback; anybody who has good feedback has nothing to hide!

What if you follow all of the common-sense rules and still end up with a fishy-looking silver coin? The article linked below contains tips on how to detect fake silver coins. The top part of the article has some general introductory information. The middle part is a step-by-step procedure to analyze your own silver coins, and the final part is an example of applying the steps to a suspicious Silver Eagle.

• How to Detect Fake Silver Coins

Fake Silver Eagle photo courtesy of Silver-Coins.org.