Tag Archives: silver

Markers for 1955 Doubled Die Obverse

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This spectacular coin is the most famous mint variety, and as a consequence, also is one of the most counterfeited of U.S. coins. This article covers how it happened and then illustrates how you can tell if your coin is genuine.

To begin with, the 1955 DDO is dramatic! So much is doubled on the obverse. See:

The 1955 doubled die is a die variety. Even though employees at the mint made an error and did not stop production, this is a variety. The planchet was only struck once by the coining press, but the die used to strike it already had a doubled image.

In this case, during production, the hub and the die were misaligned and rotated slightly counter-clockwise, accounting for the large spread of lettering and numbers.

Coinage operators, under pressure to produce 1955 cents, failed to notice the mistake, allowing this defective die to be used in striking. Estimates are 24,000 to 40,000 coins were released being discovered.

That was the first error. The second had to do with mint officials releasing the doubled die into circulation to avoid a regional coin shortage.

Because this coin is considered an ultra rarity, it is one of the most counterfeited and replicated U.S. coins.

In genuine coins, the doubling has a large spread and is sharp, as if carved by a knife. Be wary of soft doubling and pay attention to the exact separation.

Here’s the difference between a genuine and replica, as offered by Etsy and Temu.

Note the mushy quality of the replica as well as difference in font sizes and orientation of “Liberty” and “In God We Trust.”

One more marker: In genuine coins, the portrait of Lincoln is sharp with no doubling or distortion. The above replica fails in this regard.

Any deviation or doubling on the portrait is a fake.

Only one pair of dies was used to strike the original batch, so every genuine 1955 DDO has the exact same reverse markings.

Someone claimed to have found this coin in Coinstar. Here’s how I identified it as fake:

The spread on the “55” is wrong. Hence, a fake.

One other marker. You would need a microscope to see this, but tiny vertical and polishing lines are present on the reverse in this area, along with die scratches.

Also take care to understand the difference between machine doubling and hub doubling.

FeatureGenuine 1955 DDOMachine Doubling (“Poor Man’s”)
CauseError is engraved directly onto the die.The die slipped or vibrated while striking the coin.
AppearanceBoth sets of details are raised, rounded, and fully formed.The second image looks like a flat, shaved-down “shelf”.
ScaleExtends across the date and all letters.Usually only visible on the last digit of the date.
ValueWorth thousands of dollars.Worthless face value (under $2).

Also on the reverse, a genuine 1955 Doubled Die should have a 5% slight misalignment on the die. You would need to identify that yourself.

Please do not be fooled by 1955 DDO errors as in this dramatically misaligned copy from Etsy.

All the markers in the above replica are wrong.

If you have or inherited or plan to bid on a raw 1955 DDO, make sure to check all the markers. These are expensive coins!

Holdering 1955 DDO cents is imperative to showcase authenticity. China exports tens of thousands of fake and replica examples. So if you have a raw example, or bought one, send to PCGS, NGC, ANACS or CAC for authentication.

If you like posts like this, subscribe so you can be informed whenever there is a new article or column.

Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and social media. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.

You can find more information about types, varieties, errors, grading, bidding and buying in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider buying or gifting the work for a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist blog. Thank you.

Bad eBay Sellers … and What We Are Doing About It

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By Jack D. Young

This is an updated version for Proxiblog; the initial version was discussed during a “Live Coin Q&A’s podcast” and can be found at the YouTube video below. You can view that or continue reading about an 1891-CC Morgan “from the land of the Bay” … with a new twist.

Here is the listing in question:

Current eBay listed counterfeit 1891-CC not-PCGS Morgan Dollar

This coin includes “Slash, the eagle”–a common reverse we have seen on multiple counterfeit China Morgan Dollars of various dates and a mislocated “not-PCGS” label! But here the label location was new!

Large image of the reverse- not only does it sport the “slash” but the wrong mintmark position for a genuine 1891-CC:

So I thought I would start a conversation with the seller. Seller says, “It’s my grandfathers!” I respond, “Did he visit China recently?” Seller deadpans: “He’s dead.”

Didn’t see that coming. But looking up the on-line cert yielded this:

No image. I thought looking up the cited registry example would show an image of the genuine coin, but nooooo!

And the Chinese characters under “PCGS Home” seemed appropriate for this example!

More digging finally yielded a low-resolution image of the genuine example listed some time ago by APMEX.

I created this combination image of all three for reference:

What about Grandpa’s coin? It stayed up with active bidding. I posted it on my Facebook page as well as reported it to eBay through their (useless) reporting process.

I actually reported it twice, with the same results both times. Screen shot of my 2nd attempt:

Both times the Baybots said it is AOK:

So I suppose Grandpa would be proud as this finally sold for $332.00:

One has to wonder if the buyer will ever figure it out?

But once again, as Michael Bugeja, Jack Riley and I have done multiple times, reporting counterfeits to eBay, only to see the fake coins sell (as this one did), we have to wonder how can we counter this alarming trend of counterfeits being sold despite multiple reports, alerts and messages.

It seems the only recourse is to get out the word, as I did with the “Live Coin Q&A’s podcast” and as we do regularly here.

If you are interested in all of our reports, go to this tab on Proxiblog. Collectively, we have published some 21 articles about counterfeits with eBay figuring prominently in them.

If you like posts like this, please subscribe so you can be informed whenever there is a new article or column.

Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and social media. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.

You can find more information about errors and varieties as well as buying and bidding on coins in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider purchasing the work for yourself or a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist website. Thank you.

Proxiblog Featured in USA Today

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Bugeja discusses 1982-D Small Date Bronze Cent

USA Today published a comprehensive article on the hype about the 1982-D Small Date bronze cent variety, noting its rarity–only two found–and odds of finding the third, along with eBay sellers out to scam others by selling ordinary cents from that year. (In 1982, the US Mint made 16,729,361,847 cents in Denver and Philadelphia.)

Proxiblog and its founder, Michael Bugeja, figure prominently in the 8/17/26 USA Today piece.

“I’m happy to see the widespread distribution of this article by Mike Snider,” Bugeja said. USA Today has an estimated weekday print circulation of roughly 89,200 to 103,600 copies, alongside over 2 million digital subscribers, making it one of the most widely read daily newspapers in the United States. “Perhaps this will enlighten all those new collectors believing they will find the rarity in pocket change.

“There are better ways to spend hobby time.”

Excerpts:

The USA Today article quotes Bugeja and Proxiblog extensively along with these other experts: John Brush, president of rare coin trading and auctioning company DLRC;  Donn Pearlman, a spokesman for the Professional Numismatists Guild; and Mary Sauvain, executive director of the Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation.

You can access the USA Today article by clicking here.

For those interested in Proxiblog’s extensive coverage of the 1982-D Small Date Bronze Cent, read:

Proxiblog.org is one of the premier coin collecting sites on the web. Founded in 2011, by Michael Bugeja, former columnist for Coin World and past member of the US Treasury Department’s Citizen Coinage Advisory Committee, Proxiblog remains one of the earliest consistently accessible coin blogs. It has the largest illustrated coin glossary as well as a directory of errors and varieties with associated articles, a “new and youth hobbyist” tab, 20 most accessed articles, and some 40 coin videos about rarities, doubled dies, and other hobby insights.

If you like posts like this, subscribe so you can be informed whenever there is a new article or column.

Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and other social media. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.

You can find more information about types, varieties, errors, grading, bidding and buying in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider buying or gifting the work for a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist blog. Thank you.

The Philadelphia Cent That Isn’t

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Every 1922 cent should carry the “D” mintmark from Denver, which was the only facility to produce cents in 1922. But accidents happen, and a mint employee over polished a working die, erasing the “D.”

The Denver Mint struck a total of 7,160,000 Lincoln cents that year. Due to a shortage of coin dies, Denver workers polished and reused damaged, clogged dies. That is how the mistake happened.

Coin collectors know that the Philadelphia Mint typically does not use a mintmark for coinage. So the missing mintmark has the appearance of being struck at Philly.

Only about 15,000 examples exist of the missing mintmark cent, a key date for collectors and a rarity, worth hundreds and even thousands of dollars, depending on the die pairs.

That’s why identifying the rarity is important. We’ll explore that here.

The 1922 Cent is categorized as follows:

  1. Standard 1922-D (Normal mint mark)
  2. 1922 “Weak D” (Faint, blurry, or partially filled mint mark)
  3. 1922 “No D” / Plain (Mint mark completely missing)

In addition, value is assessed by die pairs:

Die Pair #1 (Weak D / No D – Weak Reverse). Mushy or missing lines on wheat stalks.
Die Pair #2 (“No D” Strong Reverse). Clear lines on wheat stalks.
Die Pair #3 (Weak D / No D – Weak Reverse). The final “2” in the date is notably weaker than the first “2”.
Die Pair #4 (Weak D / No D – Weak Reverse): Very similar to pair 3 but typically even mushier.

Scammers find it easy to erase the “D” on a well-defined 1922-D normal mintmark coin. They do so by tooling or filling the area where the mintmark should be. Here’s a suspicioius example:

This is one occasion to use a coin microscope. Any deviation on the surface is suspect.

Also keep in mind that China mass produces replicas that dishonest sellers offer as authentic. Example:

As always, if you cannot distinguish die pairs, or are unsure, do not bid on or buy any unholdered coin.

As you might anticipate, die pair #2 values are expensive.

If you like posts like this, subscribe so you can be informed whenever there is a new article or column.

Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and social media. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.

You can find more information about types, varieties, errors, grading, bidding and buying in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider buying or gifting the work for a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist blog. Thank you.

Counterfeit Danger in Baited Dollar Rolls

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In 2017, I won in an online auction a roll of Morgan dollars supposedly from a Carson City, Nev., bank. The date 1879 was on one end of the roll and the CC Mint mark of the Carson City Mint on the reverse. I paid $2,400 for the roll and reported the results for Coin World.

If the roll was actually from Carson City, with 1879-CCs therein, it would have been a magnificent score, worth tens of thousands. I knew that would not be the case. This was research for an article. As it turned out, there was one 1883-CC low mint state (the coin whose reverse showed on one end of the roll). The rest were sliders with a few uncirculated common date Morgans. A few, though, were toned, so I did recoup some of the investment. In the end, I lost more than $1,300.

That was a baited roll. In other words, someone had access to a Carson City bank paper roll and filled it so that one end had a CC, fooling optimists (fools) that other coins therein had the same rare mintmark.

This article cautions against buying these rolls on eBay, HiBid or other auction venues. Not only because almost all of these have searched already; but because the specter of counterfeits in those rolls is increasing

For instance, Jack D. Young wrote an article titled “Bad Coin Rolls,” about a seller offering two mixed rolls of small cents with an apparent 1857 Flying Eagle counterfeit cent.

Here’s a clearly opened roll from HiBid. Note how loose the ends of the roll are, even though the seller states “SEALED. (For newbies, “sealed” does NOT mean “unopened.”)

Learn what an opened roll looks like, with loose ends that the owner could not get back into original form. Example:

Proxiblog has written about photos of rolls, important before you bid or buy. You should see both ends in any offering to identify if they show evidence of being opened. Here’s a legitimate offering of Peace Dollars with one side (left) tight and original and the other (reverse side, right), opened.

Veteran hobbyists know that you should never bid on these rolls, even if both sides look tight and unopened. A good scammer can use an Exacto knife to open and reseal a roll so that it looks original. (I won’t share how to do that; I learned from my local coin dealer, decades ago, who showed me all the scammer tricks, pre Internet.)

But now, with the onslaught of Chinese fake Morgan dollars, the risk has increased. Many hobbyists cannot identify counterfeit coins. Consider this Etsy copy (right) if inserted into a Morgan roll. Would you be able to tell the difference?

In the past, scammers had to shell out for at least one uncirculated Carson City 1882-1884 Morgan dollars. Now, counterfeits are in play. This, in itself, is a good reason NOT to purchase these rolls.

Recommendations:

  1. If you want to stack silver or buy Morgan and Peace rolls, purchase from reputable online sellers using their own plastic rolls, like APMEX:

2. Do not bid or buy any roll on eBay or other online venues if one end of the roll looks opened or if the seller doesn’t show both ends of that roll. Classic bad example with no ends of roll depicted:

3. Do not fall for baited Carson City bank rolls. Those are almost always opened. Below is a 10-coin roll from eBay. (Note for newbies: Morgan and Peace dollars are routinely offered in 10-coin and 20-coin rolls. Do not assume all rolls have 20 coins.)

Finally, learn about Etsy replicas. Proxiblog has documented these in several articles. CLICK HERE FOR EXAMPLES.

The more you learn about coins, the less chance of your being snookered.

If you like posts like this, subscribe so you can be informed whenever there is a new article or column.

Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and social media. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.

You can find more information about types, varieties, errors, grading, bidding and buying in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider buying or gifting the work for a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist blog. Thank you.


2004 Doubled Die Reverse Cent

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True doubled dies are becoming difficult to find ever since the US Mint installed new machinery (sing-squeeze hubbing) in 1997, virtually eliminating true doubled dies. But they still occur because the machinery requires several presses per working die, and if that is improperly align, viola!: Doubled Dies.

Also, because of the power now of the coining machines, pressure can cause a slight slip and even result in a ghost image.

One of the first examples in the Lincoln Memorial Cent category is the 2004 DDR (also known as 2004 DDR FS-801).

Like the 2006 DDO cent, the misalignment of the 2004 DDR cannot always be easily spotted with a naked eye. You’ll need a loupe or, if you prefer, microscope.

You will be looking for distorted, thick, somewhat bulb-like lettering in “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and “E PLURIBUS UNUM.”

Let’s review the markers.

Here are the main pickup points on “E PLURIBUS UNUM.”

After that, check the word “States” for thickness and doubling, as shown here:

Also look for any deformed dots, as here:

To help you visualize differences, compare thickness and doubling next to a regular 2004 reverse.

Based on condition, PCGS Values range from $30 to $500+ in red uncirculated condition. Red-brown examples are exceedingly lower in worth.

Because the markers may need magnification, we do not recommend buying raw examples from eBay and online auctions. Photos just cannot identify the above markers unless crisp and large. Never pay hundreds of dollars for any coin, especially a purported doubled die, unless holdered.

Here’s an example. No way to verify if this is a DDR.

Mintage of the 2004 cent in Philly was 3,379,600,000; so thousands of these doubled dies should be in bags, rolls and circulation. Coin shops and eBay often sell unopened mint bags like this one, identified by date. My local coin dealer years ago had a $50 bag of 1995 DDO cents! Several years ago I bought an unopened 1982-D cent bag. Great grades but, you guessed it, no 1982-D Small Date 3.1 grams.

If you like posts like this, subscribe so you can be informed whenever there is a new article or column.

Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and social media. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.

You can find more information about types, varieties, errors, grading, bidding and buying in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider buying or gifting the work for a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist blog. Thank you.

GreatCollections on fake PCGS coins

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I have known Ian Russell for a quarter century when he worked for Teletrade, an early pioneer in the certified coin market. He served as president of Teletrade from 2005-2010. He then founded GreatCollections Coin Auctions, which I whole-heartedly recommend. Good buyer and seller rates. I have used the site for years.

If you don’t known Russell, you can read his biography by clicking here.

Russell is treasurer of the Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation, which raises awareness about counterfeit coins and bullion and works with authorities to track down sources of fake lots and sales.

I asked Russell to comment on what Jack D. Young, Jack Riley and I have been documenting on eBay and other online venues, i.e., counterfeit coins in fake PCGS holders whose certification numbers open to a Chinese site.

One of the first to note that development was Young, writing for Proxiblog in “Trifecta, CN Counterfeit Coin, Slab and Website.”

Here is a summary:

  • The Elements: The scam consists of three parts: a cheap base-metal counterfeit coin, a slab designed to mimic an authentic PCGS holder, and a fake URL/QR code.
  • The Fake Website: Scanning the QR code on the slab directs victims to a mirror website that falsely “verifies” the fake certification number as legitimate.
  • Prevalence: Investigated by numismatists on Proxiblog Coin News and Views, these scams heavily flood online marketplaces like eBay.

Proxiblog recommended these actions if encountering the sale of fake coins:

  • Verify Directly: Never use the QR code or URL printed on a suspicious slab’s label. Manually search the certification number on the Official PCGS Verification Portal.
  • Compare Markers: Scrutinize the coin’s die markers and weight, as counterfeiters often use stolen images of genuine coins for their listings.
  • Report Fakes: You can read investigative articles by numismatists at the Proxiblog Counterfeit Archive to stay up-to-date on current fakes.

The sheer number of “Not PCGS” counterfeits has reached epidemic proportions. See this video for examples:

Proxiblog recently contacted PCGS President Stephanie Sabin, who provided this statement:

“Since founding PCGS in 1986, our mission has been to protect collectors through leading authentication, grading, and the most secure holders in the industry. However, a powerful brand inevitably attracts counterfeiters, and we treat combating these fraudulent holders as an aggressive, ongoing priority. True security requires staying multiple steps ahead, which is why we continually invest in advanced overt and covert security features across all our product lines. We applaud the dedicated individuals and organizations within our community who work tirelessly to educate collectors on the dangers of counterfeit holders; their vigilance to eliminate altered and fraudulent collectibles is essential to protecting consumers and preserving the integrity of the numismatic marketplace.”

You can read more about PCGS fake holders in “Protecting the Good Name of PCGS from eBay Counterfeits.”

After that article ran, Proxiblog began getting emails and messages about whether their actual PCGS-holdered coins were legitimate. That shows the damage being done to the main reason that holdering companies exist: authentication. Proxiblog viewers also wanted to know what the big auction houses are doing to ensure that coins holdered by PCGS, NGC and other companies contain genuine coins.

So we contacted Russell to find out.

“The rise in counterfeit coins housed in fake PCGS holders has become one of the most serious threats facing the numismatic marketplace today,” Russell says. “At GreatCollections, every coin is carefully reviewed before it is offered for sale, and our team is highly experienced at identifying counterfeit holders, altered labels, and fraudulent verification schemes. Protecting bidders and maintaining confidence in third-party grading are top priorities.”

When questionable material is identified, GreatCollections removes it from consideration regardless of its source. While most consignors are acting in good faith and are often unaware they possess a counterfeit item, Russell says, “we will not offer any coin whose authenticity cannot be fully verified. The integrity of the marketplace depends on strict authentication standards and consistent enforcement.”

Russell is concerned about the growing sophistication of counterfeit holders. This has understandably caused some collectors to question genuine certified coins. “That is why auction houses, grading services, dealers and collectors must remain vigilant and work together to identify and remove counterfeit material whenever it appears. Confidence in certified coins is built on trust, and that trust must be protected.”

Jack D. Young also was among the first to report counterfeit coins in fake PCGS holders with GreatCollection labels. The label on the left side below is fake. Compare it to the real label, right.

Russell says, “We’ve also encountered counterfeit PCGS holders that use fake GreatCollections labels. Ironically, the counterfeiters often print a GreatCollections inventory label inside the sealed PCGS holder, as though it were inserted during the grading process. It’s almost comical, but it also illustrates how far these operations are willing to go to create a false sense of authenticity.”

As counterfeiters continue to refine their methods, Russell recommends reading Proxiblog and other numismatic publications, paying attention to careful examination and buying from reputable sources.

For an inventory of Proxiblog counterfeit articles, click here.

If you like posts like this, subscribe so you can be informed whenever there is a new article or column.

Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and social media. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.

You can find more information about types, varieties, errors, grading, bidding and buying in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider buying or gifting the work for a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist blog. Thank you.

2006 DDO Lincoln Cent

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The 2006 Lincoln Cent DDO FS-101 is one of the few true doubled dies since 1996 when the US Mint upgraded their machinery with what is called a “Single-Squeeze” hubbing process. The intent was to eliminate doubled dies altogether, but still we can see the method is not entirely fool proof.

The variety has its own PCGS number, meaning if you use it in the submission process you do not have request a special error variety label costing more money.

The key markers are a ghost image of an earlobe:

There is doubling on the date, thicker than regular strike, with noticeable spreading on the “6.”

It’s difficult to see, but there is also some doubling on the lower portion of Lincoln’s beard.

“Liberty” is a main marker, too, exhibiting extra thickness. Note the notch on the “T”:

The error happened when the working die was placed slightly out of alignment. Thousands are out there in rolls and pocket change.

There also is an FS-102 variety, lacking a clear ghost image of the earlobe. Markers are similar.

As you can see, PCGS shows significant values, based on condition, from about $30 in low mint state red to hundreds in super gem.

If you like posts like this, subscribe so you can be informed whenever there is a new article or column.

Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and social media. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.

You can find more information about types, varieties, errors, grading, bidding and buying in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider buying or gifting the work for a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist blog. Thank you.

Clashed, Vised or Glued?

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Clash marks are valuable, but people often try to mimic them with a vise, pressing two coins together. Other times, for one reason or another, glue creates an impression of one coin on another. Do not bid on any of these until you can tell them apart. As you might imagine, eBay and online auctions often label vise and glue coins as clash marks.

Here are all three:

You can easily distinguish them by looking for specific tells under a loupe or magnifying glass. You want to check if the extra impression is raised or sunken, and whether the lettering is oriented normally or backwards. If backward, you’re looking at a vise or glue coin.

TYPECLASH MARKSVISE COINGLUE COIN
RELIEFRaised DevicesSunken DevicesFlat Layered
ORIENTATIONNormalBackward/ReversedBackward/Reversed
THICKNESSNormalFlat/DistortedThick/Sticky

A die clash happens at the Mint when erroneously the obverse and reverse dies strike each other without a blank planchet between them. The so-called “ghost” image will be raised, not sunken or flatly layered.

Vise coins are created by pressing two coins together with a vise or hammering them to mimic the clashed die. Because of the method, the lettering will be backward, flattened, distorted or damaged, especially by the rims.

A glue coin happens any number of ways when two coins are bonded by an adhesive. When separated, the ghost image appears flat and layered on the other coin.

Often the tone of the coin will be altered with a dried or amber look, as you might anticipate with glue. True, flat and layered can be confused with raised of a die clash. To be sure, dip the coin in acetone and the ghost will dissolve.

Sometimes people use a vise to create weird patterns, thinking those unfamiliar with how coins are minted will consider this an error or variety.

You’ll find many more examples of vise and glue coins on Facebook because few people know how to tell these apart from clashed dies. They find them in rolls, typically, because someone realized this wasn’t a mint error.

Sometimes glue takes strange shapes. Again, you need to know how coins are made to understand how this could never happen at the Mint.

Depending on the condition of the coin and the denomination, because clashed dies, vise jobs and glue coins happen across denominations, values vary from minor examples $30 to major ones in the hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

If you like posts like this, subscribe so you can be informed whenever there is a new article or column.

Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and other social media. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.

You can find more information about types, varieties, errors, grading, bidding and buying in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider buying or gifting the work for a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist blog. Thank you.

Proxiblog and Jack’s Counterfeit Corner

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By Jack D. Young

Today’s feature subject- the Trifecta all over again; counterfeit 1882-CC Morgan $, counterfeit PCGS slab, and counterfeit PCGS CN “authentication” website.

This article documents what is happening to our hobby. It is important for every collector to know what is happening on eBay and other venues with counterfeit coins, slabs and websites.

I wrote an article on a similar issue at the beginning of the year; the subject was important enough to cross several forums including Coin Week, Coin World and Proxiblog : Trifecta, CN Counterfeit Coin, Slab and Website | Proxiblog Coin News and Views .

We also discussed it on the weekly “Live Coin Q&A” podcast on Thursday June 18. ❓What the Heck are EBay Sellers Doing Now? + New Discovery!

So, let’s start with the current one. I notified PCGS about this 1882-CC Morgan. As I have noted previously I use eBay for new material to write counterfeit articles on, and eBay apparently remembers me and my dumpster dive searches! The following is one page of a series of “inspiring” Bay offerings that came up the other day:

So the 1882-CC looked different and I thought worth taking a deeper dive on (notice the similar looking 1880-CC to the right as well). The original listing:

I have seen many odd listings on the Bay, but this one is notable. Starting with not-PCGS label the nomenclature seems bizarre; I have never seen a genuine one with the word “America” on it, making me think of others with “Morgan” on the label! And I had no clue what the “LM” and “Y” designations stands for; turns out they are attributions for Chinese coins!

The barcode doesn’t scan, the cert number doesn’t exist in the true PCGS database, and the gold shield looks like a child’s coloring book effort.

The seller shows front and back images and then a raw one on a scale while stating “With NFC C” for whatever that is supposed to mean.

And an old friend, “slash” the eagle! And where do you suppose the scale came from?

So bad cert #:

So, what about the reverse QR code? With that many “cn’s” in the address where do you suppose it will lead?

So a note for reference- the site we exposed at the beginning of the year was entirely different and was taken down quickly after notifying my contacts at PCGS and reporting on Proxiblog:

And the new site and images:

And like the previous site there is a “TrueView” type image to aid with authentication…

A little pricy to me at the time as I had 2 others going through the eBay refund/ return process then. Interestingly, both of them were reported through the Bay AI reporting process and came back AOK, but when I posted each on my Face Book sites and stated I bought one, they suddenly were removed along with the sellers…

So I reported this one and the bogus site to my contacts at PCGS and then posted on my personal FB page:

And poof, both the seller and listing were removed from the Bay…

From my post one can see there are Chinese coins included, as I went through the effort to find other ‘coins” on the site. Many CC Morgans and even more CN coins including this example:

Notice the cert #, 66259150 and the subject example, 66259979- each cert # in-between these shows another counterfeit. It goes on and on…

And an image of the ones I screen printed:

Saved images from the bad website

A true nightmare IMHO.

And the story continues, as after the subject listing and seller “disappeared”, more showed up to the party.

2 new sellers with the same appearing stuff, they now state “with grading box”.

I looked at the 1880-CC, and it matched the website examples but decided to purchase the 1882-CC.

And what about seller feedback? WOW, I didn’t know there was even such a thing as counterfeit perfume😎!

Yep, I took the chance of submitting feedback before receiving the item, so we will see how that worked for me.

And I did also report the 1880-CC, but both of these and the website are still up.

And eBay’s responses to both reports:

eBay’s report response states made by a “customer service agent” in both cases!

And the 1882-CC seller’s response to my feedback? Well, like another seller he cancelled my order stating I requested the cancellation.

And he added to the negative feedback chain and asked I contact them “directly to discuss”:

And an interesting anecdote, Paula Bluhm found a Chinese coin with the variety nomenclature used on this “Morgan” counterfeit! (Maybe a viewer can help with the Y and LM designations.)

I actually tried to purchase another one from the same seller, but he cancelled it after I paid for it; I was refunded by eBay.

And a 6-18 update- more sellers of these counterfeits hit the Bay, and they must have read my negative feedback and now obstruct the reverse QR code!

I purchased an 1880-CC, so we will see what I receive.

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