Common silver coins that are actually counterfeit! How-To identify.

[@marcmedeiros8857]

Absolutely love these fake/counterfeit videos. Being able to spot fakes is all about protecting the good people in this community and hardening us against getting scammed. Many thanks!

[@jasonsfam]

I always run a magnet over new purchases, as a quick test. I’ve fortunately never run across a fake in my 3,000+ ozt. However, all of my bullion has been purchased by reputable online bullion dealers. I have purchased some certified numismatic coins from eBay, but (again) only from eBay sellers with awesome history/reputation. I consider myself fortunate, yet my caution has paid dividends (literally).

[@mikebrewer5758]

It is against the law to print money. Why is ignored, that there are very bad people making and circulating fake bullion and coins? Is it because a good majority comes from China? In my own small boycott. I quit buying Pandas (about 2 years ago) for my collection. Good info Speg. I hope many of your viewers do their due diligence.

[@Spegtacular]

Good question Mike. It’s like nobody really cares. I just try to keep the PSA as loud as possible

[@newbongsmell9896]

I find it odd that China gets a free pass on everything they make that's fake? They even print fake "movie" money and looks good too people pass em like real money at Gas stations constantly. They have a whole market based on knock offs and fakes everything from sunglasses to game systems

[@adange11]

Yeah we should stop buying pandas . China coins cannot be trusted .

[@badnomad357]

Yes I too won't buy Chinese pm. The government condones and encourages fake and forgeries. Wont trust their pm

[@jjutube313]

Good call Mike I did same China no more

[@Saints-t4c]

Thanks Damien, what a selfless person you are😊💕 I’m sure there will be more then one person that won’t be fooled by these coins now!😊👍🏼 Lots of Love Bobbi 😇🙏🏼

[@Spegtacular]

Thank YOU for thanking Damien.

[@doodlemavrak4294]

Thank you both! Taking a permanent loss hurts because thats valuable stacking cash, coin supplies money, etc. Every dollar counts! But hopefully my experience makes us all the wiser.

[@newsjunkie3000]

If they are spending all this time and money counterfeiting silver coins now, can you imagine what they will do when silver goes to $50 or higher? Great video! I really learned a lot. Thanks!

[@thesuburbanfarmer13]

I have never checked any of my silver, as I’ve always purchased directly from the mint’s. So I’m hoping for the best.

[@robinfleet7094]

Another non-destructive test that can be done at home is specific gravity testing. For the most accurate results use a scale that is capable of two decimal places accuracy (hundredths of a unit) or more, cheap arithmetic calculator, distilled water and practice the technique before setting up for serious analysis. I do this with all new acquisitions. (as a side note this method works for irregularly shaped objects...eg nuggets, flatware, etc.).

[@mikep1]

There's a laser etched "A" visible on the reverse side of genuine Perth Mint silver bullion. It moves year to year but is always etched above the title. No need for magnets or sigma devices.

[@beyond12021]

oh? thankyou

[@martinharris7197]

Thanks Speg. I wish our government would start cracking down harder on this stuff. Too many of these floating around

[@dmsdad6866]

You really want government to screw up one more thing?

[@pdlegend6829]

The Government is NOT the answer to fix ANYTHING

[@martinharris7197]

Well.... Searching for Chinese fakes might keep them busy. That way they leave what works alone.

[@ryanclabough1853]

If it's too good to be true then it is. This is from 43 yrs experience

[@dougm.370]

Great video and knowledge is power in this hobby. I have friends in New Zealand and Australia that want to get into this so this help me explain to them what to look out for so I'm sending them the link to this video. I cant do anything if they get screwed over because I'm so far away but this helps to get the word out to know your coins and study the diagnostics of they coins you perchance so you can avoid the "Oh NO's"

[@tanbir11]

calculating the atomic mass works for majority of the cases and pretty simple. Most counterfeiters won't go to the trouble in counterfeiting silver to a degree where the atomic mass and colour are identical to real silver. The amount of effort and cost vs the value of silver doesn't add up. Gold on the otherhand, i wouldnt use the atomic mass method

[@pmh1nic]

Very informative video. It's a shame there are people that put so much effort into scamming other people. Appreciate your efforts to educate.

[@JohnnyUrbanWoodsmen]

I must admit, that I have bought many oz's of silver from ebay, and I have been lucky that all of my silver purchases came out to be real, and this was at a time when fraud was rampant, but now I mostly buy constitutional silver there and I have stop doing even that because of the sales tax that is charged which ads to my silver to dollar ratio, so now I buy from a local coin shop that doesn't charge any tax at all.

[@XFizzlepop-Berrytwist]

Depending on where you live… there should not be any sales tax, at all. Walmart online as an example charges sales tax, but, you should be able to get a refund, though I can imagine it being a headache.

[@dukenukem001]

i have a sigma pro and although i know its not perfect, i offer the use for folks (within reason) to drop by and check their stuff ... its worth my time keeping people in the game and not letting fakes discourage

[@Olde-Raleigh-Shoppe-NC]

I would assume the counterfeit Morgan and Peace dollar commemoratives will be available before we receive the real commemoratives in October. I'm taking all bets.

[@jedimindtrick8966]

Ads are up already for even "slabbed" ones

[@shrekylou]

One of your best yet! Super educational. Thanks for all you do for our community.

[@Ckom-Tunes]

Well done Speg! You provide a lot of great information without the shameless self-promotion. You’ve got a new subscriber.

[@Skulllywag]

I don't sweat buying fakes on eBay (and they are getting quite good in quality). I weigh, measure, magnet test, and compare to known REAL coins...if it's fake, I file, get my money back and keep the coin (eBay is quite good at settling counterfeit claims)...which is added to my collection of fakes. Zero loss. I remember back in the day when you had to have "copy" or "replica" stamped on all fake coins to sell on eBay....today, you have sellers with dozens of strikes for selling non-stamped fakes, STILL selling fakes...why eBay lets them get away with it I don't know. I've intentionally bought some "fantasy" (fake) coins for my fake collection...the 1964 and 1965 Peace dollars are my favorites...they look AMAZING....seller clearly stated they were not real. Love your channel and try never to miss an episode.

[@tylernathan7985]

There are still a gang load of slant eyed names scamming on eBay. Hundreds of them now!

[@CatsMeowPaw]

The people in China that make these counterfeit coins clearly have a lot of skill and could put those skills to great use. But instead they choose to produce counterfeits. Such a shame. I hope they're proud of themselves.

[@davidwelsh1487]

this is why we sould support Tiwan .. tiwaon guality! can u spell ti-won? i can.

[@ParkayCollecttibles]

Correct I Got scammed on some Platinum Coins and silver Eagles and Morgans Not to long ago

[@Skulllywag]

Ten years ago, you could spot a fake in a flash...no testing required. TODAY, counterfeiters have really upped their game...

[@chemislife]

@@Skulllywag that would be because the chinese government is sponsoring this. Whether they are being sent silver to refine and sending back these fakes to keep the silver or if they are attacking the reliability of other nations bullion coins I'm not sure but with this scale and sophistication they are almost guaranteed to be state sponsored.

[@This_is_my_real_name]

@@chemislife -- *_but with this scale and sophistication they are almost guaranteed to be state sponsored._* Take a look at _"Unrestricted Warfare"_ -- a strategy manual written by the chinese military, which has been translated into English by the CIA who then placed it into the public domain. (Finally, our tax dollars at work!) You can find it online for free. It pretty much explains everything from china's buying up of American companies and farmland, selling us "cheap crap" to get us addicted _and_ putting us out of work, to the c-bug disease [obfuscation necessary to elude the gooooglebeest censor-bot), to everything in between (i.e., counterfeiting of currency (and retail goods), poisoned pet food, contaminated and otherwise adulterated people-food, etc., etc., etc. We are at war, and yet we continue praising our adversary, who has openly declared their intention of _conquering_ us, as we _thank_ them for having _allowed_ us to _buy_ such a _lovely_ giant wooden horse for _such_ a great price! The ghosts of the Greeks are kicking themselves, mumbling, "Why didn't _we_ think of that? _WE_ covered the _entire cost_ of The Trojan Horse!"

[@TM-2020]

Hi SpegTacular, thanks for sharing this information about the fake silver coins floating around out there. Great video, take care and have a great weekend.

[@doodlemavrak4294]

I'm happy these helped make a video, and hopefully helps everyone else a bit! Stack wisely everybody! Great video Speg!!

[@goldcic9934]

Of course possession of US counterfeit is a felony + big fine. One LCD displays them while another offers to cut them in half with bolt cutters. 😀🐥

[@tonyrmathis]

Suggestion. With small digital scales it's best to zero them with a couple of ounces already on them then weigh your coins. They are notorious for being a bit sticky for the first few grams which can throw off your reading. I've got one that won't weigh anything less than a ounce but place a couple of ounces on it, zero it and it works perfectly.

[@jrodagormykid9063]

I only have one round that weighs 1.000 or 31.10 and it is a Highland Mint 🐃, the rest varies between 31.15 and 31.26 which comes out to between 1.005 to 1.008 ozt

[@Astronut128]

One trick with the capsules if you don't want to take them all out (and if they're all the same capsule), is to take one out and put the empty capsule on the scale and tare to that.

[@b.j.stambaugh9213]

my first lot of 5 silver eagles were purchased on ebay and they were all fake...turned them in to our local sheriff department long with the seller's name...and reported it to ebay and they did nothing about it...but wanted me to send them back to the seller...to be sold to another person...I couldn't do that...ethics...so I turned them in and ate the cost...been fortunate ever since...but now I know what to look for when shopping on ebay...only legit dealers and coin shops online...I live too far away from any LCS...the closest is 3 and 1/2 hours away...so the majority of my purchases have to be done online if I want to catch them at a decent price...just to keep the dollar cost average down to a minimum...shows like yours and a few others I frequent often has taught me a lot over the last 18 months...plus my frugal nature...I'm in pretty good shape...and feel pretty secure with what's coming because of what I've learned from all of you...and I just wanted to say thank you...to you all...love the silver community...they get it...smiles

[@Moon-ei7se]

They are getting scary good at counterfeits 😬

[@mister-action1]

Great video! Thank you for reminding me to get my sigma Metalytics verifier out of the box!!

[@superdave8248]

A bought some silver liberty coins off a guy on the streets a few months ago below spot. I figured they were either stolen or fakes. After watching this I'm leaning more towards fakes and need to get them tested. But these coins passed the magnet test. With flying colors no less. The ping test ... not so much. They were all in protective air tight plastic sleeves so I couldn't do the ping test when I bought them. As for the visual tests ... they were good enough to pass initial inspection. It was only after using a heavy magnifier that I could start to detect what I felt were mistakes in the engravings. But I'm not too upset. I'm just glad they are off the street. I'll get them officially tested, and if they fail I'll destroy them. Not much on keeping novelty coins.

[@grokster9ontheroads174]

I have a rare earth magnet attached to my p38 on my usmc dog tags and it never falls off,it’s so strong. I originally carried it to find pans and pots that would work on my nuwave grill which has to have a magnetic bottom for the induction to work. Now that I started stacking back in may, I have used it to test my silver! I was scared of leaving money in the bank so I converted to silver,gold and platinum. I like round numbers so I shot for 500 oz of silver,(surpassed it!)and ten ounces of gold,(I have eight and am waiting to convert when the ratio drops) and five.three ounces of platinum in various types,like coins,proof and bars and fractionals. I have no knowledge other than what I have learned from you and a few others on KZbin plus researching online,and even bought some mining stock! I look forward to up to date information because my real goal is to convert platinum into gold and keep my silver around 500 oz government minted,mostly,except what will be traded for gold so I am only keeping government minted silver. So I am looking forward to a 20to 1 ratio and it’s on! Keep stacking!😅

[@ronbauer9597]

Really good info! The only part I would challenge is the fractional silver. Personally,, I stack silver dimes, nickels, quarters, and halves ( junk silver) or the 40% and 80% silver coins US and Canadian. But if I came across fractional silver, such as 1 gram bars , I would own a few. Only as a means of having smaller silver for purchases in hard times. It’s a neat little square that can be broken off neatly. Versus trying to cut a larger piece of silver. They make great gifts too.

[@B29p]

Good to see people raising awareness

[@ScienceNotFaith]

I think #1 is counterfeit. On the spider, look at the tips of the legs/feet. The genuine is rounded, the fake is pointed.

[@Saints-t4c]

Thanks Spectacular that was fun and informative 😊👍🏼Lots of Love Bobbi 😇🙏🏼(I was right just lucky really)👍🏼

[@jovanjohannessen9304]

Another awesome video Speg!!! Good thing we got our limit in scallops, gave me plenty of time to watch while cleaning 10 gallons....Scallop Tacos for dinner 🌮

[@Spegtacular]

can't do it...sea food...makes me... you know.

[@shermankearns200]

Amazon has cheap packs of 20 rare earth magnets which are very good for making a slide. I made 2 of them (The widow maker) LOL. Yes many coins will also slide slow on the slide.

[@nicks4523]

Shout out to Damien for being an awesome person. Spags, good video as usual!

[@richardattemborg2823]

Get a touch test kit Puritest in a wooden box. Scratch the coin on the stone provided and dope 1 drop of 18k acid on it. If it stays blue it is Ag.

[@annaalbert8719]

WOW THANKYOU THANKYOU THANKYOU SPEG & DAMIAN FOR SHARING GREAT VIDEO SPEG AWESOME WORKS 💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝....

[@dino30k47]

Good stuff TY for sharing always help a beginner like myself !!!

[@matamaterns2711]

That kangaroo fooled me. Darn, they are getting better at this.

[@rodneykasputtis9621]

You had me going a little sweaty fir a few minutes I went and tested my 50 2016 Roo s I bought from a pawn shop and I do remember asking them to show me at least 10 of them on there x-ray machine but my confidence has returned after weighing pinging and Magnant thing. But those fake ones look so good I’m freaked out

[@Spegtacular]

Very good ones for sure

[@DudeDave]

Did you ever find out any more about that WSS bar? Like it's grade? Seemed like it was silver, but testing was off.

[@Spegtacular]

Keep up with the channel as a whole. I’ve talked about the bar after the first one.

[@joesmith-es1zy]

Might have to do what they Roman's did, file a notch in the coin's edge to see what it's made of.

[@TheQuickSilver101]

That is kinda depressing. I really wish that governments would start cracking down on these counterfeit coins. That said I'm not counting on it, so I have a sigma on order. It should come in around August. Thanks for bringing this to our attention, I greatly appreciate it!

[@grahamtaylor3444]

Please could I ask how much is the sigma.

[@SleekMouse]

@@grahamtaylor3444 $1100 or about so

[@captainkemutube]

Government never does anything well. Take care of it yourself

[@shermankearns200]

5 ladies in my humble house and they all shed lol.

[@bondojoe8161]

Will a specific gravity test prove them every time?

[@Spegtacular]

should have no problem. There's so many easier tests than getting the specific gravity going though. It's a pain to set up the water, scale, paper, calculator, string/knot lol. Place it on a sigma and you're done...tap it with your finger and you're done....magnet test and you're done.

[@bondojoe8161]

@@Spegtacular LOL! Can NOT afford a sigma! Thanks!

[@daviddenison3442]

Damn!!! They did a great job counter fitting them. I’ll still give $100 for them just for a conversation piece.

[@MyMy-tv7fd]

no idea which are fake, which is why I respect your efforts

[@funinisrael3366]

That is flat scary. I had no idea there were such good fakes out there. Thanks for the video.

[@williamdavis3578]

The guy who made these fakes should be designing and making real silver coins ... good work .. he could be a bullion maker

[@robb236]

i am 100% new to silver. been thinking of collecting for a while ....... thanks for the great information ....... i may even purchase some fakes, to check out the differences, so i know what i am looking at .

[@markmyjak7739]

Neodymium magnets slide slowly on copper.

[@mikeconnors1599]

Always enjoy your videos brother best way to start my day. You have your self a great day man

[@upscaleflipin6666]

Wow fake coins really suck great video

[@joelp6197]

Yep, I just picked up a 1881 3 cent nickel from ebay, looked fine in the photo but when it came in and i looped it i knew it was a fake, lucky i paid only $17.00 for it, I am going to stamp an F on the back and keep it as a teaching tool.

[@lernenderzukunft]

Thanks to Damian 🖖👍

[@MattMG84]

Makes me want to go back and test a bunch of pawn shop finds...

[@superdave8248]

Several years ago I would buy about one silver round a month to slowly build up my collection. When silver hit an all time high some years back, I sold the entire collection. Everything but one. One of the coins the dealer wouldn't purchase back because he said it was a fact. I looked at him and told him, he was the one I purchased that coin from in the first place a few years prior. He just looked at me in response.

[@edwardlujan1325]

Great information very useful definitely use the magnet and ping method

[@captainkemutube]

For fake Ebay sales, I have just open a claim with PayPal. Full refund. Coin return not required.

[@outlaw6429]

"I do want to use a glove..." (Proceeds to touch it with the ungloved hand)

[@ericmoritz7767]

Great informative video thank you. Esp like the websites.

[@abijahdixon2771]

Just started watching and after listeing to letter, I realized they were fake due to the price. I bought a coin years ago and later realized it was over or underpriced, but it was cool to have. The piece I bought years ago was supposedly silver and cost me around $100 US in Alaska, I had a little extra money and I thought it would be a fun investment. I later gave it to a friend that helped me, they wouldn't accept any money, later I realized it was cause they have a ton of money haha that and they were at chruch when they helped me.

[@ashag2535]

Thanks a lot for the tests. I am from germany and I buy silver and gold since a few years. Only from a official gold/silver dealer shop in town. I trust them, but maybe they make a mistake. I checked a few of my last silver buyings and they are all ok :-)

[@tubularfrog]

I have to believe the speed at which the coins travel down the magnetic slide has to do with the friction of the coin on the magnets rather than their magnetic susceptibility. Try placing the silver and fake coins in their plastic protectors and compare the speed at which they fall down the slide.

[@Spegtacular]

Has nothing to do with friction. Why don’t you try it for yourself at home for cheap ;)

[@tubularfrog]

@@Spegtacular The magnetic susceptibility of copper and silver are both extremely low (negative), while iron and nickle are very high (+1000's). Friction force is a function of mass and gravity. You showed in your weight experiment that the silver coin had a higher mass than the fake one, so higher friction and it moves slower.

[@Spegtacular]

Like I said, try the experiment for yourself and you’ll see how the coins move differently if they’re made up of different metals. In other videos, I take Morgan dollars that are real and fake and they move down differently depending on the metal.. not based on friction.

[@patm7453]

Can the slide test be purchased. If you made it how about basic info on it

[@coctailer]

I picked 2. Now to watch the rest to see if I was right. :-)

[@h.m.siesel7363]

Thank you, and Damien.

[@jonathancrocker366]

This info is priceless. Thanks!

[@ronaldsmith2343]

For ease - search Neodymium magnets (rare earth)

[@topdownunder2011]

The quality of the fake silver coins of well known online overseas marketplaces is scary...take a look sometime it's a real eye opener. We should only buy/sell certified coins for peace of mind (with online verification)!

[@roaming_bob8591]

GREAT EDUCATION!!!

[@andrewcoulter3613]

I paused the video. The kangaroo I'm guessing is real. Those squiggly lines around the border would be hard to counterfeit

[@jackd8524]

Put them all in a safe strategically placed in your house:)

[@TheNikinikitembo]

The second coin seems off. I didn't think all of them, but I did think the queens earlobe was wierd on all.

[@goldcic]

Home Depot has niodynium mags cheap. Also have a 128 lb pull home invsvasion gun/knife ripper flipper and second bone crusher. 🐥🙆♥️

[@BrianHeimbuecher]

OK... I swear I paused the video at the 2:04 mark (opening the safe). I say #2 (the 'roo) is fake, because the Perth Mint wasn't making 'four 9s' silver in 2016. Now... since I hit 'pause', might as well step out for a smoke... then THE CONCLUSION! #CantWait

[@brendenmoldy]

On the kangaroo, what about the micro A in the top of the first A of the word Kangaroo.

[@Not_Sure_]

@8:40 what happened there? 0.888 ? He cut the recording at 8:40. Why is that ?

[@larryhanshew5173]

FYI FLEABAY IS WHERE ALMOST ALL FAKES ARE SOLD…”BUYER BEWARE” STILL MEANS SOMETHING…!END OF LESSON YOUR WELCOME 🙏

[@goodcitizen6326]

Awesome video. The funnel web spider was a good fake. It's shameful people do this. Great video. New subscriber

[@johnnylawrence7232]

so what other simple test can we do if it doesnt stick to the magnet, like the one in the video didnt.

[@Spegtacular]

Ping test

[@nezircaglar2381]

what about specific gravity test?

[@Spegtacular]

You can do that too. There’s a dozen other tests you can do. This isn’t a “every test that exists”

[@lasseisklasse3061]

Sehr Interessant means:verry interesting!! ;-) grettings from Austria!!!

[@CatsMeowPaw]

When I'm buying silver coins I take a stack of small rare earth magnets with me and closely wave them over the coins I'm buying. As long as the coins are thick, genuine silver will give a fair amount of resistance while copper will give almost none. I can tell the difference between real and counterfeit morgans just by the feel of waving magnets, without even looking at the coins.

[@Peter411]

I know the real coin is probably the spider but I'm going to keep watching if I'm wrong I probably retype it.....

[@bradleyozbun1012]

I got several coin close to them. But I'm hilding confidence in my L.C.S that sold the. To me. 💯

[@churchillcoins8519]

Wow three of these coins look not only legitimate but very good. I thought only number 1 was fake. As an American who works for the Fed and was stationed in China for a few years. The counterfeits market in China grew as more companies started exclusively using Chinese manufacturing. The Chinese manufacturing sentiment is “if companies are going to use China for its cheap labor, we will learn, master and counterfeit the items”. The Chinese are masters at reverse engineering. Many of the counterfeits are manufactured in the same factories as the legitimate items. The reason the US government does not take a strong stance against Chinese counterfeiting is because China does not honor US patents. Patents must be filled in the country you plan on selling and/or seek protection. China makes it very difficult to protect patents even if they are filled within China. The US is also very beholding to Chinese finance, ownership of US Bonds and manufacturing. The only real recourse is for customs to seize counterfeit items as they enter the US. As coin collectors we truly have to be very carful because the quality is getting very good.

[@IndicamGuy]

Appreciate the information. It could have been much shorter video though.

[@markae0]

10:14 the shot you are looking for

[@susanschuble911]

Very interesting.

[@faronprimel7785]

Very good informational video . Love that content. 👍

[@pullmanstandard81203]

Excellent video on fake silver coins. Thanks.

[@nononsenseBennett]

It's reprehensible that fake anything gets into the marketplace. Some people just have no morals.

[@r.c.336]

Where did you buy them...Warn people where you bought them

[@Silvertarian]

Ping test is why they call it "sound money"

[@waynerichards3490]

I think 1 and 4 as the birds don't look right

[@ruckuswethepeep4384]

Good video, Brother!!!

[@shermankearns200]

I never go by looks I have a magnet a scale and 2 magnetic slides which can be tricky to use and dangerous to phones and wallets. I need a Sigma machine but need advice on which one to purchase and where the best place to buy it is. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[@Spegtacular]

I think Sigma is trying to push the smaller one that you can use with your phone

[@j.p.9277]

@@Spegtacular really? Any links to that?