A little surprised you didn't mention the obv/rev orientation is wrong. The fake uses medal alignment and not coin alignment. Granted, some fakes will have the correct orientation so this is not a fool proof check (albeit an obvious one if wrong). Also, be careful using calipers in that fashion as you could easily get a false negative (or positive). You want the prongs of the calipers to be on the same plane as the coin and not perpendicular to it.
I bought one of these from China and when I received it, it was the size of a half dollar. I appealed to E-Bay and they refunded my money. God bless E-Bay.
Two points Speg, you didn't mention the medal orientation and when you used the calipers to measure the diameter, you should keep the calipers in the plane of the coin to catch the full width.
When your face-to-face with the coins it’s fairly obvious but when you’re buying online it is extremely difficult until after you have received it by then it’s too late thanks for the video👍
mm ix I know.. I don’t buy online anyway. Not on sites like EBay anyway. If I have to resort to buying online, then I will buy from a large, reputable dealer.
That's how scammers get you, you need silver bad, and you need it cheaper, never trust eBay, or pictures, trust the authorized dealers only who receive your coins directly from the mint.
Completely agree with you. And the amount of fakes coming from Communist China are increasing. No collector, stacker or dealer should have anything to do with buying from there, for that matter.
That's a reverse proof coin. It looks real. The details on the second coin is off. Plus, he flipped the coin along the x-axis and the tails (reverse side) is upside down. That's a dead giveaway for a fake: US coins flip in the horizontal axis; US medals and foreign coins (such as UK) flip in the vertical axis. The details of the third coin matches the first, so it is authentic, like the first.
My dad bought counterfeit Chinese silver twice on Ebay. He has learned is lesson not to buy Chinese silver again. I heard that there are companies in China licensed by the government to produce Counterfeit American Silver coins.
Fake coins are from all over the world, right now the majority of fake coins are from Ebay’s venues. So I think EBay should take part of the blame, and not buying silver or gold merchandise from China if I were you.
Thank you Speg and to Mark who willingly gave up his coin to educate others! But be aware that some people/dealers will be clever and buy coins from non-American counties then repack them in boxes/plastic and say they are legit.
2. Now going to watch the rest. I'm back...The diameter seemed smaller to me as soon as I saw it. Sort of impressed myself that i saw it so fast. Great video buddy. Thanks.
For me I was really lucky to find a silver dollar coin at work. And the customer used it at face value, and I asked my boss if I can trade it with my dollar and he said yes. And seeing your video it confirms that it's real, thank you!
Great video, very educational, there's just one thing I noticed. When measuring with the calipers you should be aligning them with the coin longways, that way you know youre touching the furthest distance across. Of course you knew it was off before that anyway so it's of little importance.
Everyone needs to be aware that fakes such as this are being sold on e-bay all the time . Before you buy make sure to do a little review of the seller's information and their feedback.
After seeing the closeups of all three, I'm saying number 2 is the fake, because the reflective background is both mirror-like and distorted, like a fun-house mirror.
It would sure be interesting to know what alloy or amalgamation that coin was made of. The weight was very close to that of silver, but all of the magnetic elements are notably less dense than silver. In the light the cut looked copper-colored, but maybe that was just some sort of lighting artifact in the video, since nickle, cobalt, and iron are all somewhat silverish in color.
Good video Speg! I noticed the one in the middle looked a little “wavy” right away, and the surface looked plated. I bet if you rub your finger over the plated one & a real one they’ll feel different too, I notice that with karat gold jewelry vs. plated jewelry all the time. 👍👍👍
One can do the "soundcheck" with silvercoins. Put it on a fingertip and hit it slightly with another coin. If it does a nice vibrating "pling" sound it is silver, if it does a kind of short "smack"-sound, than it's most likely fake. Silver, and gold also, "ring" like only eternal money can do!
one other thing not pointed out was how noticeably further away the writing on the reverse was from the edge of the fake Eagle; most noticeable w/ the naked eye @ the "1oz FINE SILVER" area. Much easier to see IF You have a US Mint purchased Eagle to compare it to.
If I may: when you want to cut a notch into a coin like you do, I suggest you shove the coin as deep as you can into the cutter's jaws. You get much better leverage that way. Such would be better both for the tool and your hand, and probably reduce the chance of the coin going flying as well.
Yes. This is the first thing I noticed. The typeface overall is close but incorrect. The U is the easiest to spot. Also, the crossbars on the A's are too thin and the C narrows too much at the top and bottom. In general, the stokes are all wrong. On the real coin, the width of the letters is much more consistent.
I for one am sick of China ripping off our coins and basically everything of value that’s American. Even Silver eagles are technically legal tender and it’s considered an act of war for a country to make counterfeit money from another country. The Chinese government doesn’t make them themselves.. but they sell permits for companies to make them and that’s just as bad. Our government needs to take the gloves off with China and pick our pride up off the floor!!
There's several times I could do but there's no need to do every single test in every single video. That would get a little repetitive wouldn't it? When one or two of these tests are such a "nail in the coffee", we can generally stop there. After all, this is not a "how many tests can you do to test silver" video.
I don't know if someone else said this cause I have not read all the comments. But on a real silver eagle the head and the tail are inverted just like every U.S coin. On the Chinese fake the the head and the tail are both facing the same direction
If you see them side by side you see immediately that the diameter of the 2nd "coin" is smaller. If you see it online it's possible so see the differences but it's much harder if you have a good fake.
Thanks for the video. You linked the verifier. Could you recommend where at get the magnet? Google search didn't look promising. Again thanks great video.
to determine proof of DENSITY ala Archimedes... precision weight, then using distilled water, see how much water it displaces. divide the volume by the weight and get a number for apparent density. compare that to silver. eureka
I highly recommend the Sigma Metalytics precious metals verifier. I almost bought a 20g Gold bar from the Perth Mint in 'original' packaging but when I tried to verify it the Sigma determined that it was an undetermined metal plated with 24k gold. I did an internet search on these bars and found numerous high-quality Chinese fakes available. The seller claimed he had purchased it from APMEX and it was guaranteed by them. I did purchase a PAMP 1oz gold bar from this seller that passed the Sigma verification.
I was right. I guess anybody could get fooled who was going on initial appearance. If you bought a lot of American Eagles then you would be able to tell the difference. . Lady Liberty on the coin is not as shiny or frosted. That was what was the dead giveaway which is why I chose coin 2.. The other thing was the stars on the flag draped around Lady Liberty. I noticed it was not clear on coin 2. However, to be sure it's not fake, it's a good idea to have a weighing machine and examine the fine details under a magnifying glass.
I'm curious why Customs and Border Protection (formerly US Customs) allows this counterfeit US currency into the country. If it is imported as a decoration why would it appear so realistic? Complete with US currency markings. To me fraud is intended.
I got 50 of them. They weigh 26 grams each, not 31.1. I cut one in half expecting to find copper, but it is uniform throughout; non-magnetic. The four websites that I bought them from did not look Chinese. Chinese characters on the order confirmation emails though. I think yours is the second, middle, one. The U gives it away. By the way, Paypal was no help in getting my money back. My bank stepped in though. Too bad the Secret Service isn't interested; they only care about paper currency.
Speg Tacular, I got burned on a 1893 CC Morgan dollar, let me know if you want to make a video on it and I will send it to you, had it checked out at my LCS.
The fake ones reverse is upside down. When you flipped the coins at the beginning of the video, you shouldn't have had to rotate the center one. On U.S. Coins you only have to rotate them to orient the coin if you flip it left to right or right to left, not not top to bottom or bottom to top.
I think some reputable US companies selling gold and silver coins also have shops set up on EBay. Just need to go to buy those coins from reputable sellers.
Have you ever seen a fake Sunshine Mint 1oz silver coin? They have the "patented anti-counter fitting water mark". How secure / fool proof is this thing?
Hey Speg, I just bought a silver generic ounce buffalo from my local gold chain store here in Ohio. I noticed after I got it home that it doesn't ring like my Morgan's do. It does out fast. I took it to another store of the same chain, and they stuck it in their analyzer for me. He said it's 3 9's and the correct weight but why doesn't it ring??
.999 doesn’t sound like 90% or .925. Use the app on your phone “precious coin tester” along with the pinging method. You’ll need to put the parameters in the app that go along with the piece you’re testing
I haven't really seen in modern bullion coin that looked real and I could not tell the difference. What scares me is when they tried to fake old numismatic coins, those can be tricky.
I'd say number 1 because the reflection of the coin and statue are opposite from the other coins. 0:25 That is about all I could see in the time he said to guess without cheating.
there's a lot of advertisements on Facebook that sell these fakes for under $10 bucks a piece.very few will give any "contact" information. the day I checked silver was selling for just over $17 bucks an once. that alone told me they were fake.
It is a curious crappy alloy not found on the periodic table, only found in China...called Chinesium!
Number two failed the rotation test. 2:25
I think it fails based on looks alone
I agree e he missed that
Also the letter U
Why did he not mention this ??
A little surprised you didn't mention the obv/rev orientation is wrong. The fake uses medal alignment and not coin alignment. Granted, some fakes will have the correct orientation so this is not a fool proof check (albeit an obvious one if wrong).
Also, be careful using calipers in that fashion as you could easily get a false negative (or positive). You want the prongs of the calipers to be on the same plane as the coin and not perpendicular to it.
Shhhhhhhh, he didn't notice! hahahah
@@JWsCoinsandHobbies I noticed that right away and I was going to comment but I see someone did already. Speg, I'm surprised you missed that.
I don't truly believe he missed it. He's too good for that. I just think he's running a social experiment to see how many people will point it out.
@@JWsCoinsandHobbies Probably, but it's always fun to rib him about it. Nothing says lov'in like abuse from your own subscriber posse.
If it was Australian it would work, as our coins are flipped like that, rather than upside down obverse to reverse
I bought one of these from China and when I received it, it was the size of a half dollar. I appealed to E-Bay
and they refunded my money. God bless E-Bay.
first hint : from China
Two points Speg, you didn't mention the medal orientation and when you used the calipers to measure the diameter, you should keep the calipers in the plane of the coin to catch the full width.
When your face-to-face with the coins it’s fairly obvious but when you’re buying online it is extremely difficult until after you have received it by then it’s too late thanks for the video👍
4nines Fine Often in situations like that.. they will take pictures of legit ones and then when people buy them, they mail the fakes.
Unless these fools used images of real Silver Eagles you could zoom in and see with a good eye or a real one to match it up with.
@@darthsilversith667 Never-go by the photo!
mm ix I know.. I don’t buy online anyway. Not on sites like EBay anyway. If I have to resort to buying online, then I will buy from a large, reputable dealer.
That's how scammers get you, you need silver bad, and you need it cheaper, never trust eBay, or pictures, trust the authorized dealers only who receive your coins directly from the mint.
"Just the tip" That's what she said.
I wouldn't buy anything from China that minted in America that would be ridiculous
Completely agree with you. And the amount of fakes coming from Communist China are increasing. No collector, stacker or dealer should have anything to do with buying from there, for that matter.
Lord Grime I agree, they need to pay for what they have done
This is what I like with my LCS shops and most pawn shops here in Oregon they test them! You can buy peace of mind.
The color on #1 seems really off
I think it’s an enhanced proof with added sparkle.
That's a reverse proof coin. It looks real.
The details on the second coin is off. Plus, he flipped the coin along the x-axis and the tails (reverse side) is upside down. That's a dead giveaway for a fake: US coins flip in the horizontal axis; US medals and foreign coins (such as UK) flip in the vertical axis.
The details of the third coin matches the first, so it is authentic, like the first.
Fantastic video Speg. Lol that magnet was messing with your mic.
Thank you for sharing
When you pull the fake one out of the plastic holder and it smells like cooked rice you know it's a Chinese fake.
fastest way to test is to get a magnet and a ping test.
you dont ping proof coins :D
@@sarahnewell3827 if it is not numismatics that is ok to ping.
If you look at the width the fake one will have a wider width.
My dad bought counterfeit Chinese silver twice on Ebay. He has learned is lesson not to buy Chinese silver again. I heard that there are companies in China licensed by the government to produce Counterfeit American Silver coins.
Ray K he should also learn not to buy from eBay
Fake coins are from all over the world, right now the majority of fake coins are from Ebay’s venues. So I think EBay should take part of the blame, and not buying silver or gold merchandise from China if I were you.
Thank you Speg and to Mark who willingly gave up his coin to educate others! But be aware that some people/dealers will be clever and buy coins from non-American counties then repack them in boxes/plastic and say they are legit.
I only buy from JMBULLION or APMEX or ModernCoinMart
2. Now going to watch the rest. I'm back...The diameter seemed smaller to me as soon as I saw it. Sort of impressed myself that i saw it so fast. Great video buddy. Thanks.
Beautiful coins. Great investment! Thanks for the review!
Thanks to you and Mark, we all are a little wiser
For me I was really lucky to find a silver dollar coin at work. And the customer used it at face value, and I asked my boss if I can trade it with my dollar and he said yes. And seeing your video it confirms that it's real, thank you!
1. It was smaller
2 it had a weird line down the right side of the back
3. When you flipped it around it was inverted.
I would check for contamination.
Thanks Speg for this information.
2:26 I already knew it was #2 before you flipped the coin, but when you flipped the coin, it just confirmed it for me.
Great video, very educational, there's just one thing I noticed. When measuring with the calipers you should be aligning them with the coin longways, that way you know youre touching the furthest distance across. Of course you knew it was off before that anyway so it's of little importance.
I like your intro in the first minute it was excellent. I'd like to see the Clippers to the fake silver on display.👍
Love your videos! So informative. Thanks bud!
Only from the eye 2 is visible...also the flipping (orientation) of the coin was very revealing! 😅😅😅
⭐⭐⭐
Love the 'cutting'!!
Good job I like how you zoomed in on the camera and show the difference good job thanks
What size is that big magnet you have and where did you buy it
I appreciate that your nails are short and clean
i knew the middle one was fake because of the lettering and the thickness and style of font it is... very easy to spot to any real collector
Number 2 cause of the way it flipped! Thanks for the info!
Dead give away for me was the letter U in United. The mint changed the design of the U a few years back.
It looks so small compared to the others, also you need to learn how to use calipers, you can't pick 2 random points like that...
From the start I thought #2 was fake. The diameter looked small. Great video thanks!
Speg's, Nice video my friend. Good PSA. Hope you are well. Thanks for the Info! Cheers.
The give-away for me was that the obverse wasn't a flip over. American coins the back is upside down to the front.
Everyone needs to be aware that fakes such as this are being sold on e-bay all the time . Before you buy make sure to do a little review of the seller's information and their feedback.
It might be a good idea to never buy coins on ebay. No matter what.
@@SM77785 Buy from a reputable seller, & you should not have any problems.
For me, it was easy to spot due to the way the Chrome plating was reflecting off the "rays"
After seeing the closeups of all three, I'm saying number 2 is the fake, because the reflective background is both mirror-like and distorted, like a fun-house mirror.
It would sure be interesting to know what alloy or amalgamation that coin was made of. The weight was very close to that of silver, but all of the magnetic elements are notably less dense than silver. In the light the cut looked copper-colored, but maybe that was just some sort of lighting artifact in the video, since nickle, cobalt, and iron are all somewhat silverish in color.
Sigma Baby! Best Money Ever Spent......... Thanks for the video 👍Sir.. Life is good........God Bless
Good video Speg! I noticed the one in the middle looked a little “wavy” right away, and the surface looked plated. I bet if you rub your finger over the plated one & a real one they’ll feel different too, I notice that with karat gold jewelry vs. plated jewelry all the time. 👍👍👍
Hmmmm ... Canton using crosshatching and the reverse upside down. Could it possible be #2?
Very instructive, thanks! If you are an avid ASE collector, carry a real one in your pocket for comparison.
One can do the "soundcheck" with silvercoins. Put it on a fingertip and hit it slightly with another coin. If it does a nice vibrating "pling" sound it is silver, if it does a kind of short "smack"-sound, than it's most likely fake. Silver, and gold also, "ring" like only eternal money can do!
one other thing not pointed out was how noticeably further away the writing on the reverse was from the edge of the fake Eagle; most noticeable w/ the naked eye @ the "1oz FINE SILVER" area.
Much easier to see IF You have a US Mint purchased Eagle to compare it to.
#2, as soon as you said one was fake. Thank you for this.
If I may: when you want to cut a notch into a coin like you do, I suggest you shove the coin as deep as you can into the cutter's jaws. You get much better leverage that way. Such would be better both for the tool and your hand, and probably reduce the chance of the coin going flying as well.
How many people watched just to see the fake cut in half. 😱😱😱😱
Speg #2 is as Real as any of the Kardashians....
I have the same fake coin. Keeping it for educational purposes. I was surprised on how great it look after I took a picture of it.
#2 is the fake. The "U" is wrong. It does not have a tail.
Yes. This is the first thing I noticed. The typeface overall is close but incorrect. The U is the easiest to spot. Also, the crossbars on the A's are too thin and the C narrows too much at the top and bottom. In general, the stokes are all wrong. On the real coin, the width of the letters is much more consistent.
I for one am sick of China ripping off our coins and basically everything of value that’s American. Even Silver eagles are technically legal tender and it’s considered an act of war for a country to make counterfeit money from another country. The Chinese government doesn’t make them themselves.. but they sell permits for companies to make them and that’s just as bad. Our government needs to take the gloves off with China and pick our pride up off the floor!!
You should have also demonstrated the ping ringing sound test as you did on your Fake Morgan Silver Dollar from a flea market video.
There's several times I could do but there's no need to do every single test in every single video. That would get a little repetitive wouldn't it? When one or two of these tests are such a "nail in the coffee", we can generally stop there. After all, this is not a "how many tests can you do to test silver" video.
Don't buy on eBay and the small sellers. Go to the reputable dealers, or buy from the Mint directly
Howdy SpegTacular. I ordered two 2 oz Scottsdale Sunday and they are out for shipment today. APMEX won't be out until 7/19/2020. I am a patient man.
It’s a virtue :) people had rumored that Scottsdale was going out of business, stealing money, etc. in truth, they were just extremely busy.
I don't know if someone else said this cause I have not read all the comments. But on a real silver eagle the head and the tail are inverted just like every U.S coin. On the Chinese fake the the head and the tail are both facing the same direction
My dog won’t stop barking after that door bell 🤣
Sorry.. but I’m not really ;)
@@Spegtacular dont worry I replayed it about 5 times to bother her 😛
If you see them side by side you see immediately that the diameter of the 2nd "coin" is smaller. If you see it online it's possible so see the differences but it's much harder if you have a good fake.
😂 I thought it was #1, until you flipped over #2.
Thanks for the video. You linked the verifier. Could you recommend where at get the magnet? Google search didn't look promising. Again thanks great video.
I got it on EBay years ago
@@Spegtacular Thank you. Hard out here buying person to person.
to determine proof of DENSITY ala Archimedes... precision weight, then using distilled water, see how much water it displaces. divide the volume by the weight and get a number for apparent density. compare that to silver. eureka
I highly recommend the Sigma Metalytics precious metals verifier. I almost bought a 20g Gold bar from the Perth Mint in 'original' packaging but when I tried to verify it the Sigma determined that it was an undetermined metal plated with 24k gold. I did an internet search on these bars and found numerous high-quality Chinese fakes available. The seller claimed he had purchased it from APMEX and it was guaranteed by them. I did purchase a PAMP 1oz gold bar from this seller that passed the Sigma verification.
Number 2! The flip, gave it away
The minute you flipped the center coin and it had a medallion die orientation it was a no brainer.
Destroy Fakes! Thanks!! 👍😃
Where Could I get a magnet like that? Thanks...
I got mine from Ebay
I was right. I guess anybody could get fooled who was going on initial appearance. If you bought a lot of American Eagles then you would be able to tell the difference. . Lady Liberty on the coin is not as shiny or frosted. That was what was the dead giveaway which is why I chose coin 2.. The other thing was the stars on the flag draped around Lady Liberty. I noticed it was not clear on coin 2. However, to be sure it's not fake, it's a good idea to have a weighing machine and examine the fine details under a magnifying glass.
This video has me laughing. Either i'm becoming a coin expert (unlikely) or that is a horrible fake silver eagle.
Hi there what's the value of a 1893 s Morgan silver dollar
Great video... EXPOSE THE SCAMMERS!!!
I'm curious why Customs and Border Protection (formerly US Customs) allows this counterfeit US currency into the country. If it is imported as a decoration why would it appear so realistic? Complete with US currency markings. To me fraud is intended.
Your talents with a magnet are unmatched good sir. :)
I got 50 of them. They weigh 26 grams each, not 31.1. I cut one in half expecting to find copper, but it is uniform throughout; non-magnetic. The four websites that I bought them from did not look Chinese. Chinese characters on the order confirmation emails though. I think yours is the second, middle, one. The U gives it away. By the way, Paypal was no help in getting my money back. My bank stepped in though. Too bad the Secret Service isn't interested; they only care about paper currency.
Is it the one in the middle the mint marked looked different then the rest of them?
Speg Tacular, I got burned on a 1893 CC Morgan dollar, let me know if you want to make a video on it and I will send it to you, had it checked out at my LCS.
Great video!! Thanks for teaching us awareness of a fake. 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽😀
I think it 2......looks smaller and a different design for the walker.......gonna wait till the end to find out
Thank you so much. I just found out that a 2020 westpoint silver eagle is a fake thanks to you video.
The fake ones reverse is upside down. When you flipped the coins at the beginning of the video, you shouldn't have had to rotate the center one.
On U.S. Coins you only have to rotate them to orient the coin if you flip it left to right or right to left, not not top to bottom or bottom to top.
You can get really good deals on eBay, but NEVER buy premium silver or gold products off there.
I think some reputable US companies selling gold and silver coins also have shops set up on EBay. Just need to go to buy those coins from reputable sellers.
My 2010 early release West Point mint NGC verified has pretty pronounce lines in the flag.
Maybe drill a small hole through the fakes to permanently mark them yet saving them for our training? Good video. Thank you.
I have bought Fake Pamp Sussies 1/2 gold on eBay. Even online with actual pictures doesn’t mean that what you will actually receive.
Why are the backgrounds on the two good ones different; one polished, one "frosted?"
One is a proof and one is a reverse proof
Have you ever seen a fake Sunshine Mint 1oz silver coin? They have the "patented anti-counter fitting water mark". How secure / fool proof is this thing?
I was cracking up watching you messing with fake silver OMG thanks for sharing went through my stack all real.wow terrible how many fakes..
Hey Speg,
I just bought a silver generic ounce buffalo from my local gold chain store here in Ohio. I noticed after I got it home that it doesn't ring like my Morgan's do. It does out fast. I took it to another store of the same chain, and they stuck it in their analyzer for me. He said it's 3 9's and the correct weight but why doesn't it ring??
.999 doesn’t sound like 90% or .925.
Use the app on your phone “precious coin tester” along with the pinging method. You’ll need to put the parameters in the app that go along with the piece you’re testing
@@Spegtacular the precious coin tester gave it 3 stars which is great. Thanks for the advise Speg!
I haven't really seen in modern bullion coin that looked real and I could not tell the difference. What scares me is when they tried to fake old numismatic coins, those can be tricky.
I am getting really tempted to buy a sigma tester everytime I see you use it. If it wasn't so expensive I would already have one ;)
#2 looks like steel. I can see the color tone. And its considerably smaller
What type of verifier do you have there, and how much do they go for.
Check the link in the videos description for the details on the verifier.
I'd say number 1 because the reflection of the coin and statue are opposite from the other coins. 0:25 That is about all I could see in the time he said to guess without cheating.
there's a lot of advertisements on Facebook that sell these fakes for under $10 bucks a piece.very few will give any "contact" information. the day I checked silver was selling for just over $17 bucks an once. that alone told me they were fake.
The centre one.... I got one from America to.. my friend bought it from Amazon :( such a bummer
I knew right away it was the one in the middle, number 2. when you flipped it from the bottom the other side was not upright.
Wow! It's hard to tell.
My guess is the 3rd one.
Thanks for the video. This helped me verify 11 fake Eagles.
Holy smokes 11? Where’d they come from?