U.S. Mint Warns About Chinese-Made Counterfeit Coins
The U.S. Mint has issued a Consumer Advisory warning citizens about the counterfeit U.S. coins that have been flooding into the United States from China. Although counterfeit coins are as old a phenomena as coins themselves, dating back to antiquity, the Chinese-made counterfeits represent an unusually dangerous threat because of the high technology being employed to produce many of them.
The U.S. Mint Advisory characterizes the coins as "imitations" and includes a photograph of a Proof Morgan Dollar. The Advisory states that the imitation coins bear dates prior to 1950. You can read the entire counterfeit coin advisory on the U.S. Mint's Web site.
I have been warning coin collectors about these Chinese-made counterfeit coins since early 2008, when I obtained photographs and the operational details of a working coin counterfeiting ring based in China. The fake coins are primarily entering the hobby marketplace through online auction venues such as eBay.
Comments
Wish the Chinese were making 2009 Proof ASEs; we need “something” to fill the big hole that the mint left.
The United States government should arrest the top officers of eBay for aiding and abetting counterfeiting, which is a federal crime. Countless numbers of people have reached out to eBay to urge them to stop selling so-called replicas.
The reality is that although the photos depict replicas and copies, the actual items sold typically do not have the incused lettering, and so, this scam has resulted in likely tens of thousands of counterfeits flooding the market.
I’ve addressed this issue in correspondence and more emails to eBay than I can count. The result? To see the answer, just check out the flood of listings from China, particularly after about 10 p.m. Eastern on any given Sunday.
It’s a crime, and eBay continues to both ignore it and contribute to it in a signficant way.
to: Bill D.
Greetings all and Happy Thanksgiving!
Reading of the indifference shown by eBay staff concerning the counterfeits really gravels my butt.
Do you think flooding the Secret Service with letters of concern would bring disciplinary measures where needed?
I’m guessing it wouldn’t take much more than one visit to eBay from the G Men and I agree with you that eBay is aiding and abetting if they continue to allow these fakes to be sold.
I feel they know it’s a big problem but have this misconception that they are too big to be busted.
Madoff may have felt that at one time also…
Good luck policing these activities when China’s government will not. Ebay only has so much resources for fraud detection, so collector education is our best defense. I’m also noticing more die-struck, key world coins on eBay bearing the “COPY” mark which no doubt will be absent in short order. Toned and slabbed fakes will be the future–and collectors will need to become experts at detection.
If Canada can make Chinese counterfiets and others illegal to sell WHY can’t our Government pass a bill to do the same!!!
RE: John D
You might want to look into the 2009 Lincoln Proof Silver or Braille Proof Silver dollar as replacements for the 2009 ASE. Also, I would suggest you write a letter to your senator because the Proof ASE is under risk of being a cancelled program. i.e. 2008 would be the last year they made any Proof ASEs. Unless the law is changed to require the Mint to produce the Proof ASE, there will be a high likely hood the Mint will never make another Proof ASE again.
-Huey
-Bring back the Proof ASE-
To Mudmandon,
Thanks for your note. To be honest, I’m not sure if the letter writing campaign would help. Perhaps Ms. Headley could explore this and report a suitable response.
Still gold coins remember the stories of all the icon peoples and the print of them is that much useful that we use them on new generated dollar note outside India.flag cases