FAKE U.S. Gold Coins on eBay

[aholds.ms-69]

This is a neverending task to try to protect the novice from buying fake U.S. Gold Coins on eBay.  I regularly advise my Powerseller manager about fakes which I spot but normally the reaction is nothing.

Here is a Powerseller with 13,000+ feedbacks which I advised my manager, by email, as well as another manager about in a conversation.  The following coins are both cast counterfeits:

200528322114  Item picture
   
1861 $2.50 GOLD EAGLE LIBERTY HEAD GOLD COIN GORGEOUS

200528321811  Item picture
   
1868 $1.00 GOLD INDIAN PRINCESS HEAD GOLD COIN BEAUTY!!

eBay's ignoring my expert opinion is despicable and these buyer's if they keep the coins are truly buried

[aholds.ms-69]

Here's another seller who had a number of counterfeit Type III $1's listed.  eBay was also informed about him and did nothing:

320599443817  1859 TYPE III $1 GOLD COIN
PRE-CIVIL WAR OLD GOLD

Quite a number of this seller's fakes sold for real money ($200-$250+).  Sounds like a money spinner to me turning $60 in gold into a $140 profit!  You can see the other fakes by copying and pasting the following link:  http://completed.shop.ebay.com/rickzeller/m.html?LH_Complete=1&_dmd=1&_ipg=50&_since=15&_sop=10&_rdc=1&_rdc=2

[aholds.ms-69]

Here's a sharp operator who told me to GO F--- MYSELF when I told him the coin was a cast counterfeit.  The coin looks like a 63 or 64 but he has it starting for $299. 

170553196939  1852 O Gold $1 dollar Liberty Head


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170553196939&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123

He ended the listing because I don't know if he was more afraid that I was going to report him to eBay or the Treasury Department.

[aholds.ms-69]

I seriously think the ANA needs to take issue with eBay about the fakes which are being sold on their site.  When one sells a coin on eBay, there is this big spiel invoking the name of the ANA regarding counterfeits.  Yet, when one reports a fake on eBay to eBay, they tend to have no reaction.  One thing eBay did do was get rid of all of the Chinese "reproductions" which outnumbered the listings for the genuine items. 

If Louis Vuitton could strike fear into the heart of eBay with a multi-million dollar suit for all of the fake LV stuff that use to be sold on eBay, someone can take on eBay about the fake coins which are being sold there as well.

[aholds.ms-69]

Here's a horrible looking fake 1862 $1 listed on eBay the other day:

http://cgi.ebay.com/1862-ONE-DOLLAR-INDIAN-HEAD-GOLD-/220686231420?pt=Coins_US_Individual&hash=item3361eca77c

[aholds.ms-69]

Fake 1878 $3 listed on eBay the other day.  This is a cast counterfeit:

http://cgi.ebay.com/1878-INDIAN-HEAD-3-GOLD-COIN-AU-/320607144173?pt=Coins_US_Individual&hash=item4aa5acc8ed

[coinsarefun]

 Wow, a ton of gold fakes on eBay!
With gold so high now, one really needs to by gold coins in a third party holder.
And make sure the slab is real and not a fake too!


Thanks for posting

[mmarotta]

I understand from the context that Louis Vutton must be a fashion designer.  He owns his label.  (He does not own his designs, oddly enough.  And those laws are different in the UK than in the USA.)  Unlike the designer's label, the ANA does not own anything that is being taken on eBay.  Legally, they have no standing for a complaint in a court of law.  The ANA's status as a legal individual (*corporation") is not clear to me.  They have a federal charter, but are not incorporated in any state, as far as I know.  So, while General Motors and Microsoft are legal individuals, I am not sure that the ANA is.

That said, you are right, the ANA could warn its members not to shop on eBay.  That would be difficult for all of the ANA members who sell on eBay now.  But it could be done.

More to the point, with one or two notable exceptions, all US coins and notes are the lawful obligations of the US Treasury.  A fake $1 gold coin from 1860 is no less illegal than a fake $100 bill from 2010.  The US government does have the resources to remediate the problem, if it chose to do so.  As a criminologist, I subscribe to bulletins from the Department of Justice: they can be pretty aggressive. 

Back in 2004, I gave a talk at an ANA convention in Pittsburgh on fakes and counterefeits.  I pointed out that just because a perpetrator gets away with something does mean that there is no enforcement.  Many more people break the speed limit than are cited.

Myself, I never bought anything on eBay.  I have shopped via Amazon aboutt half a dozen times with mixed success: the loss was not worth the hassle of recovery.  ABE Books was a bit better in three or four goes.  Mostly, when I shop for books -- my main interest -- I go to real stores with real clerks and real customers.  On eBay, identities are fluid, at best. and ethereal too often. 

For numismatic items, I prefer shows and conventions and stores.  At the stores, I only patronize ANA members.   Online, I look for offline validation.  Realize that I am not a collector: I write.  So, when I buy, it is for research materials.  I find my online dealers in the magazines that I write for: The Celator, The Numismatist, etc.  Via The Celator, I met the VCoins ring.  From several of them, I bought several items for an article that ran last November.  I have not purchased anything online in over two years.

I go to conventions and shows and stores where I meet ANA members, MSNS members, and other trusted individuals who recognize me on sight. 

I understand that some people here were happy with the recent Stack's Americana auction.  Stack's is fine; Heritgage is nice; Superior Galleries are trusty ...  You get the picture. 

[Zantetsuken]

Wow, a ton of gold fakes on eBay!
With gold so high now, one really needs to by gold coins in a third party holder.
And make sure the slab is real and not a fake too!


Thanks for posting

Unfortunately, this isn't a fool-proof method either. I've heard and read how some people have copied the slab casings with the labels and would put fakes in them to pass as certified genuine. When looking at photos on Ebay  (and other auction sites), it can be difficult to note the differences. I also see the outrageous prices some people will pay for slabbed coins, so I personally avoid these types. One, I would never pay $600 for a coin that is only worth $150 (certified or not). Two, as stated, you never know if the slab (as well as the coin inside)  is genuine, unless you know what to look, for.  Anything to make a buck I guess.

~Daniel

[BCNumismatics]

It beggars belief that no-one has taken a class action lawsuit against both FleeceBay & PayPal in the American courts.

As for the 51 Attorneys-General in America,why haven't they bothered to file legal cases within their state legal systems.

As for FleeceBay requiring its members to take PayPal,that is totally illegal.The American federal government needs to come down on both FleeceBay & PayPal like a ton of bricks.

Aidan.