The Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation warns of recent phony “certified” Morgan and Peace dollars with the identical certification numbers on the encapsulation inserts.
"Unsuspecting buyers may find that the cert number perfectly matches the coin when they look it up on a legitimate authentication company's website, but counterfeiters are producing multiple fakes of some coins and using a real cert number in fake holders with fake certification inserts," said ACEF anti-counterfeiting director Doug Davis. Unfortunately, ‘encapsulated’ counterfeits without similar cert numbers are rising.”
Fake 1881-CC Morgan dollars with the identical cert numbers are recent examples. False 1921 high relief Peace dollars with PCGS MS-64 certification.
Davis said a longstanding collector in Oklahoma alerted ACEF and its all-volunteer Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force (ACTF) to a suspicious 1911 $10 eagle and 1907 $20 double eagle advertised on Craigslist as PCGS holders. The coins and holders were found to be fake by PCGS authenticators.
Davis, who is fighting counterfeits with ANACS, NGC, and PCGS authentication services, said PCGS and NGC have deactivated at least some certification numbers from their cert verification services due to unauthorized use on known counterfeits in the market.
Introducing counterfeits into the market is becoming increasingly alarming. NGC and PCGS have collaborated with ACEF/ACTF to authenticate coins for examination and expert opinion. Davis, a former Texas Police chief, claimed NGC and PCGS flag the cert number for counterfeit coins/slabs.
Davis stated that the Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation is tracking hundreds of websites selling fakes, many of which appear to be run by the same people or firms under different identities. “We have been placing test orders to learn about new fakes and scams to alert the public.”
Davis was scheduled to meet collectors and dealers at the 2023 Central States Numismatic Society convention in Schaumburg, Illinois, April 27-30. An informative display of counterfeit rare coins and bullion goods traded in the market was planned.
Davis warned that counterfeiters are becoming smarter and the technology more advanced, so collectors and the public must buy from experienced, respected professional dealers to avoid financial losses.
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