Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) is proud to be working with the American Numismatic Association (ANA), the Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG), the Industry Council for Tangible Assets (ICTA), and the Numismatic Crime Information Center (NCIC) to combat counterfeit coins.
Last year, NGC launched a comprehensive Counterfeit Detection portal, which can be accessed for free at NGCcoin.com/counterfeit. It features the 50 US coins, 25 Chinese coins and 25 world collector coins most commonly targeted by counterfeiters, according to submissions to NGC. Each of these coins has on its own page comprehensive information including high-resolution images, the type of counterfeits typically seen, detection tips and other helpful details.
The NGC Counterfeit Detection portal is designed to help collectors, dealers and others identify counterfeit and altered coins before they purchase them, stopping these spurious coins from entering the numismatic marketplace.
NGC President and Finalizer Rick Montgomery, one of the world’s foremost coin authenticators, oversaw the development of the resource. Many members of the NGC grading team also provided research and insights. NGC’s graders have identified more than 100,000 counterfeit and altered coins since 1987.
NGC is honored to work with the ANA, PNG, ICTA and NCIC, professional organizations that share NGC’s commitment to upholding the integrity of the coin collecting hobby. This collaboration helps the organizations to share information and reach a wider range of people and companies.
NGC has worked with these industry-leading organizations for a number of years on educational and other initiatives related to counterfeit coins. Among these efforts:
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NGC provides extensive counterfeit detection content for the ANA’s The Numismatist, which is sent monthly to that organization’s 25,000 members. NGC also directs collectors and dealers who visit its Counterfeit Detection resource to purchase coins from ANA member dealers, who have agreed to abide by a strict code of ethics.
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NGC conducts counterfeit detection seminars for PNG member dealers at various events around the country. NGC also directs the public to purchase coins from PNG member dealers. A self-regulating trade organization, the PNG holds its member dealers to high standards of ethics and professionalism.
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NGC Vice President and Finalizer Scott Schechter serves on the Steering Committee of ICTA’s Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force, as well as the Packaging Security Work Group. Formed in 2017, the task force’s mission is to provide expertise and mobilize law enforcement in the fight against counterfeiters.
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Founded in 1987, NCIC is committed to education, prevention and investigation of numismatic crimes, including counterfeiting. NGC and NCIC are working together to find the most effective ways that the organizations can collaborate to combat counterfeits.
NGC is the official grading service of the ANA and PNG.
Specialists and generalists alike can benefit from the information available in the free NGC Counterfeit Detection portal. Learn more at NGCcoin.com/counterfeit.
I like it all, PCGS has been tackling this issues as well. I only buy from reputable dealers.
Mouse
In the movie “Field of Dreams” the saying was “If you build it they will come.” In the realm of coins and currency, the slogan should be “If you mint it or print it, they will be sure to counterfeit it.” And so it goes.
When I got back into coin collecting, I purchased a three cent silver coin. I thought it would be worth a lot. I sent it to Anacs to have graded but it was a cheap counterfeit. Ebay is a good place to buy coins, you just can’t trust SOME folks on there.
Robert F Hall,
Buying coins on a site like Ebay wii always be a dicey proposition since there is no foolproof way to sort the honest vendors from the crooked ones.
The big problem now is that the high-tech coin counterfeiters are counterfeiting the third-party certified coin slabs & labels too & precious metals ingots in their assay card sealed holders. Very deceptive & high- quality fake coins & fake holders. PCGS recently added to its new inert plastic slab a DNA-type chemical marker in the molten plastic mixture that the slabs are made from that so far has not been counterfeited.
-NumisdudeTX
Old Collector: When I trained the tellers at the bank I worked for until retiring recently, this is how I explained counterfeiting. If it has value, it will be counterfeited, and always has been. Not just coins and currency, but art, software, videos, Rolex watches, Gucci bags, airplane parts, sports memorabilia.
Seth Riesling, It was only a matter of time before this “logical” next step was taken by the criminally-inclined element, just as it has similarly occurred in the ongoing tit-for-tat battle for supremacy between the internet security business and the unceasingly persistent nemesis of hacker infiltration. According to your description of the sequence of events, the world’s cohort of extremely proficient counterfeiters were not about to be stopped by the introduction of certified coin slabs and labels; or, as LARRY SCHMITT says above, “If it has value, it will be counterfeited, and always had been.” It seems we are faced… Read more »
Larry Schmitt, You hit the nail on the head. If it exists in legitimate form, someone out there will doubtless duplicate it for their own ill-gotten gain. Additionally, even though your list of some of the items known to have been replicated by criminals is certainly extensive and inclusively representative, the sad truth is that this array of counterfeited products might just be the visible tip of the iceberg. After all, the best of the counterfeit goods must be so difficult if not impossible to detect that we don’t even know they exist as fakes among us; as a result… Read more »
The NGC link of the most often seen counterfeit coins was very useful. As per usual, they tend to be low mintage / low population coins. Saw a few Canadian, one from our hoard that was released – 1916. Have a few 1914’s and were purchased directly from my RCM / packaged / safety seal attached. Why anyone would buy one off the secondary market / no research done / not from a reputable dealer / unchecked – is beyond me.
Mouse
Mouse,
Your point in regard to someone being willing to purchase any coinage whatsoever of uncertain, unverified, and unknown provenance hits the proverbial nail right on the head; why on earth would ANYONE do this?
Old Collector
Old Collector: Sadly I believe that some collectors get caught up in what they want to believe to be true, such as a rare coin / gold / completion of their collection / easy access to the coin on a secondary internet auction site. Rare coins are rare for a reason. If someone is looking for a rare vintage (authentic) coin, having a relationship with a reputable dealer is a good thing. They will not only hunt down the coin, they will ensure the verification and guarantee the product before purchase. Yes it may cost a bit more for the… Read more »
Mouse,
You always come up with a lot of really excellent points and lots of exceptionally sound advice. Fortunately for yours truly here, this is one worry I don’t have. I don’t get involved in collecting any (even close to being) rare coins and I’ve only ever purchased one gold coin, the recently issued $10 (1/10 oz.) gold piece. Oh joy and hallelujah to be so habitually modest in my acquisitions, as I am relieved of the worry of being taken for anything other than a very small (effectively itsy-bitsy) “ride”. 🙂
Old Collector of Young Coins
Old Collector: Great buy on the 1/10 gold piece. When it comes to coins, gold is not the be all end all. Some of the worlds most valuable coins are not gold. Gold will shine but silver has the market.
As a Canadian, I am a fan of vintage first made (Canadian) gold coins, not because they are gold but because they are pieces of my country’s history…history I can hold, history for my son and maybe his in the future.
Mouse
Mouse, I appreciate the affirmation regarding my – what is for me at any rate – “splurge” purchase of the gold coin. I was a bit afraid it might be a tad small, but I find it’s admittedly diminutive proportions give it a certain special delicate touch that only serves to enhance its overall appearance. It’s a real beauty, and I couldn’t be happier I bought it. I like the way you mingle coinage, gold or otherwise, with history, as each and every coins most definitely has a story to tell. Some of those stories are more dramatic and possibly… Read more »