How to Avoid Buying a Fake Coin For Your Coin Collection
When you are just getting started with coin collecting, you will discover that one thing that you have to be wary of is the concept of the fake coin.
The truth is that fake coins are fairly rare, but they do happen, and many experienced collectors have at least one story where they bought a fake coin or where someone tried to sell them one.
If you are new to the hobby, you might find yourself wondering how to protect yourself from people trying to sell you fake coins.
It is actually fairly simple to make sure that you are getting your money's worth for your coins, if you only remember a few things.
Always know what you are buying.
Never buy a supposedly valuable coin just because you are told that it is valuable! Instead, make sure that you do your research.
Make sure that you know about the coin itself and about all of the little details that are going to make it unique.
Similarly, to make sure that you do not end up drastically overpaying for the coin, know what other people have bought it for.
Remember that in general, if it is too good to be true, it most often is! Fake coins are mostly gold and silver coins.
Coins made of gold and silver tend to get a lot more attention and new coin collectors can be easily dazzled.
A quick way to make sure that you are at least getting a coin that is made out of gold and silver is to compare it to another gold or silver coin.
Compare the color of the coin with a coin that you know to be a real thing.
Often the color and the shine of the coin will tip you off; a fake gold or silver coin will often be too shiny.
Similarly, feel the weight of the coin in your hand; gold and silver are much heavier than you might think.
When in doubt at all, take the coin to a reputable dealer.
Someone that you trust can tell you a lot about the coin that you are considering purchasing.
Of course, you should also check into the reputation of the person who is selling you your coin.
They should be willing to offer you a certificate of authenticity and a guarantee that the coin is genuine.
For the most part, most con artists are not going to bother with this scam unless they can make a lot of money quickly.
So you should really only be concerned about the rare coins and not normal, easy to find coins.
The truth is that fake coins are fairly rare, but they do happen, and many experienced collectors have at least one story where they bought a fake coin or where someone tried to sell them one.
If you are new to the hobby, you might find yourself wondering how to protect yourself from people trying to sell you fake coins.
It is actually fairly simple to make sure that you are getting your money's worth for your coins, if you only remember a few things.
Always know what you are buying.
Never buy a supposedly valuable coin just because you are told that it is valuable! Instead, make sure that you do your research.
Make sure that you know about the coin itself and about all of the little details that are going to make it unique.
Similarly, to make sure that you do not end up drastically overpaying for the coin, know what other people have bought it for.
Remember that in general, if it is too good to be true, it most often is! Fake coins are mostly gold and silver coins.
Coins made of gold and silver tend to get a lot more attention and new coin collectors can be easily dazzled.
A quick way to make sure that you are at least getting a coin that is made out of gold and silver is to compare it to another gold or silver coin.
Compare the color of the coin with a coin that you know to be a real thing.
Often the color and the shine of the coin will tip you off; a fake gold or silver coin will often be too shiny.
Similarly, feel the weight of the coin in your hand; gold and silver are much heavier than you might think.
When in doubt at all, take the coin to a reputable dealer.
Someone that you trust can tell you a lot about the coin that you are considering purchasing.
Of course, you should also check into the reputation of the person who is selling you your coin.
They should be willing to offer you a certificate of authenticity and a guarantee that the coin is genuine.
For the most part, most con artists are not going to bother with this scam unless they can make a lot of money quickly.
So you should really only be concerned about the rare coins and not normal, easy to find coins.
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