Fake 1oz .999 Silver Bullion Titanic Coin

This is unbelievable . . .
I saw a nice coloured medal listed as a "1oz silver bullion coin" so checked it out as coloured coins are mostly NOT silver.
Turned out to be a silver plated copper medal.
I informed the seller it was not a coin as it had no denomination and that the .999 silver referred to its plating over the copper inners.
Additionally I sent him links to where it stated it was only silver plating and also to where they could be bought for £7 each.
His response was that he bought it off a well known coin dealer on Ebay.
He let his auction ride and it ended up selling at £74.25 (inc post) for 28g of copper  


28g of silver plated copper sold for £74.25 . . .  



Titanic Silver Plated Copper at Numista . . .



It breaks my heart that people can be sitting on items like this for a long time and only find out when they try to sell it on.
Talk about mis-selling.
It is NOT a coin.
It is NOT bullion.
It is NOT silver.
It is NOT 1oz.
And there is nothing anyone can do.
Many years ago Ebay IDs were not hidden and you could message someone to let them know they had been ripped off if you took pity on them. And I did do, but eBay have stopped that "To Protect The Users". (Yeah, I am sure)

My bad, I guess it can be a bullion round, if you want to sit on a stockpile and wait for the spot price of copper rise

A very sad, and salutory, tale @Grigsi . It's worrying to see how the coloured coins are now attracting the attention of forgers. I also have a small collection of the more elaborate non-bullion coins and I had hoped that they would be less attractive to copy given the work involved. I do, however, only buy them from established dealers and I believe that the ones I have are genuine.

Ebay is soo bad with fakes.. but I looked up this person and they only have 2 coins on for sale.. this was sadly either sold... or taken off.

But the case gave it away from me. I would NEVER buy a homemade case. If it is done by NGC or PGCS it will have a number and logo you just can not fake even in a photo.

Well spotted though.

That is so bad. I'm sure most people wouldn't even spot it was a fake. Shame on Ebay

Ooph. Copper is about 4 dollars a pound. A pound. And it is not considered a precious metal. That ebay seller knew what they were selling. Sad world.

I agree, another issue with some eBay sellers is that they supply slightly blurry photos in their listings so sometimes you can't tell whether the item is fake or not until you have received it.

I always avoid sales with blurred photo's. x

To add, be very careful with coins that are slabbed without NGC, PCGS labels. Many slabbed this way are fake and the plastic slabs are used to try to mask their true identity.
Also, whilst we're on the subject there are actually fake NGC slabbed and graded coins out there to, so always best to check the NGC website photos with the actual coin you are buying or have bought. A loupe is a must for checking as there are some extremely good copies, but not perfect.

Gee Tee wrote:To add, be very careful with coins that are slabbed without NGC, PCGS labels. Many slabbed this way are fake and the plastic slabs are used to try to mask their true identity.
Also,  whilst we're on the subject there are actually fake NGC slabbed and graded coins out there to, so always best to check the NGC website photos with the actual coin you are buying or have bought. A loupe is a must for checking as there are some extremely good copies, but not perfect.

There are simple rules that I always suggest. 

Buy from a reputable person or dealer only 

Use trusted sources. 

Check it out asap when you receive it. 

Use if buying from Ebay or what ever Paypal and your CC

Your Credit card will give you far more protection EASIER than Paypal!   Ebay are useless with complaints and arranging things.... IF your stuck Ask ME. I will help.

Actually, au contraire, I have found eBay to be extremely good with returns with fakes/counterfeits. It's just getting to know how their system works..... to one's advantage.
Their biggest flaw is stopping sellers of fakes, especially from....you guessed it..... CHINA !
I couldn't tell you how many Chinese sellers are using eBay to sell 1oz silver bullion and so call proof coins for under a tenner ! Can't believe how many people fall for it (as they seem to sell a lot).

Beware of eBay sellers who do not clearly state the item's condition or just say photos form part of description.... it's easy to masque a poor quality coin by taking photos at just the right angle to hide its flaws. Send anything back you're not happy with by clicking on the correct reason for return. Don't click, changed mind or doesn't fit or found cheaper. Click on doesn't match description or photos, arrived faulty/damaged. EBay will nearly always refund, no matter what nonsense the seller comes up with.
Hope this helps.

Another eBay tip....Always check the sellers feedbacks location and when they joined as this will also help to give you valuable information prior to buying.

Gee Tee wrote:Actually, au contraire, I have found eBay to be extremely good with returns with fakes/counterfeits. It's just getting to know how their system works..... to one's advantage.
Their biggest flaw is stopping sellers of fakes, especially from....you guessed it..... CHINA !
I couldn't tell you how many Chinese sellers are using eBay to sell 1oz silver bullion and so call proof coins for under a tenner ! Can't believe how many people fall for it (as they seem to sell a lot).

Beware of eBay sellers who do not clearly state the item's condition or just say photos form part of description.... it's easy to masque a poor quality coin by taking photos at just the right angle to hide its flaws. Send anything back you're not happy with by clicking on the correct reason for return. Don't click, changed mind or doesn't fit or found cheaper. Click on doesn't match description or photos, arrived faulty/damaged. EBay will nearly always refund, no matter what nonsense the seller comes up with.
Hope this helps.

Great information thank you x

These are all great answers. What happened to the original seller who sold the fake Titanic? Was they reported to eBay? I have the real silver colorized Titanic series. 1oz 2oz & 5oz silver. All PF70. There is a 1 tenth gold in that series but they go for $600. NOPE!

Gee Tee wrote:Another eBay tip....Always check the sellers feedbacks location and when they joined as this will also help to give you valuable information prior to buying.

To date, Ebay have approved every single one of my return of fake coins. Even when seller states they do not accept returns.
But I have always provided proof that the item differs from what the seller claimed, usually supporting with photos and screenshots.
Plus like already advised, I too pay by credit card through Paypal.

Kiwi13605 wrote:These are all great answers. What happened to the original seller who sold the fake Titanic? Was they reported to eBay? I have the real silver colorized Titanic series. 1oz 2oz & 5oz silver. All PF70. There is a 1 tenth gold in that series but they go for $600. NOPE!

He/she is still selling on Ebay.
Have sold over 400 items in past 6 months.
HERE IS A LINK TO WHAT HAS BEEN SOLD BY THEREALDEAL1985 IN THE PAST MONTH

The problem with reporting them is they can simply claim they were selling in good faith and did not know it was a fake.
Had Ebay not hidden buyers ID, then I would have messaged the bidders/buyer to warn them. Ebay claim it is to protect the buyers, but the truth is it actually makes buyers MORE vulnerable, but Ebay do not want us to know who buys what, or how much certain buyers are willing to pay from their individual histories.