Fake Silver Plated over Copper Chinese Panda Coins

[Starwarsfanboy501]

I got scammed when I bought two panda coins from a coin dealer in my town. The price was great when I bought them back in 2003 and 2004, but I decided to sell them with scrap silver I had. The place that bought my silver called me back and told me they were fake and wanted their money back. Since I do business with them a lot, I agreed. No hard feelings on their part or mine, just a lesson learned. Also, the dealer got caught buying stolen coin collections and ended up closing down shop.

[slhines7]

@sn4133 I am aware of that and thanks for your comment. Just know that I ultimately ended up having to actually ship all of those knock off coins back to China in order for me to get a refund from Paypal. All is good now, for it has all been settled and squared away. It sure did suck and just be wary as to who you buy from. I recommend Apmex or Blanchard as being the most trusted. Lastly, it would wise for you to buy a digital scale and an earth magnet.

[clearasvodka]

@silvermaple1000 You are right. I was really pointing out the situation with Chinese nationals that are still living in China or grew up in mainland China.  There is a HUGE difference between Chinese from mainland and Hong Kong/Taiwan. It is almost as if they are from different cultures and race.

[slhines7]

@silvermaple1000 I hear you and especially know where you are coming from, especially since my wife is from China and all. She has already told me now what is going on.

[braveheartwarrior]

what made u want to test them did they just look wrong? was the weight off?

[slhines7]

@braveheartwarrior I was prompted to test them after reading up some articles discussing fake knock off so called silver coins. Then, I bought a scale to weigh them, etc. In addition, I found it concerning since the ebay seller I purchased these from who was in China got booted off.

[braveheartwarrior]

@slhines7 oh ok thx... I have 2 i bought from a trusted coin store. they have the slanted ridges on the side and weight is good but i heard alot of fakes are weighing out good but i dont want to drop acid on them i kinda want to get rid of them cause so many fakes

[dizzious]

@braveheartwarrior Those don't sound right either. It's my experience that silver rounds & coins make a pretty distinct sound when they're dropped/spun on a hard tabletop.

It's a good idea to test all silver before you buy it if at all possible.

I don't buy any silver off the internet unless it's from a seller who's in my country, and I usually prefer to buy legal tender coins (ie, old US, Canadian, or European currency) because it's very, very illegal to counterfeit money.

[troyshereforu]

The Chinese have been ripping people off for years with thier fake products and cheap junk they ship though out the world but, people still buy thier CRAP. I would rather buy a good used name bramd product over a cheap ass Chinese made product. KNOW WONDER THE CHINESE GOVERNMANT HAS OVER 4 TRILLION DOLLARS STORED IN THERE COFFERS..... CROOKS

[brandonsosmart1]

Love it

[rolficus]

fuckin chinese cunts why do they make such shit or try and pass it off as real they ruin the worlds economy with their total shit products most of which are cheap fake rip offs

[slhines7]

@rolficus The Chinese are typically and overall the bese at knocking off things in my opinion and no offense to anyone. That is just how the cookie crumbles in our messed up world today. I know where you are coming from and hear you.

[rolficus]

@slhines7 sorry for my bad language

[slhines7]

@rolficus No worries at all.

[clearasvodka]

@slhines7 It is true. The Chinese cheat as much as possible. It's really more a condemnation of their culture as much as individual character. It is almost expected that you will be bribed, cheated and hoodwinked for everything from food to sex. Many know deep down that it is wrong but since it is accepted in China and everyone else is doing it to get ahead. One thing that always gets them thinking though is when they try to cheat a Westerner and get smacked. Go figure!

[slhines7]

@clearasvodka Maybe this is the case due to their massive majority of population being very poor? Either way, it sure seems to me that there are massive transitions of wealth and power going on nowadays. In addition, I assess that the low unemployment here in the USA is mainly due to the crooked Banks/Corporations/Politicians having allowed the outsourcing/globalization of manufacturing to Asia:( Also, I blame the FEDERAL RESERVE's creation & Nixon taking us off of the Gold standard 4 this mess!

[urkingod]

@rolficus I know man! Chinese do not have a concept of value and quality. Have you watched their fake Disneyland Youtube video? Fking ridiculous !

[slhines7]

@urkingod I too know man and agree! No, I personally have not seen that vid you speak of?

[mcrfuse]

@rolficus You're stupid. It was a company that made these not the mint...

[rolficus]

@mcrfuse did i say mint dickhead

[slhines7]

@rolficus You sent your dickhead response to the wrong person fyi, for it was not me that stated you're stupid.or maybe that was just a youtube glitch being that I received that in my inbox?

[rolficus]

@slhines7 sorry dude i was replying to mcrfuse my language is bad and obscene for a good reason i have been ripped off, less than a year ago i bought 2 pandas that turned out to be absolute rubbish i paid $108 which included shipping and insurance plus premium they are really worth maybe 30 cents in scrap

[slhines7]

@rolficus Oh no worries and I figured such. Well, I can relate and just hope that you got your fiat money refunded. I pretty much stay away from Pandas and pretty much just buy Mexico Libertads, Eagles, and Canadian coins.

[slhines7]

@hiyosilverbug Yes and all, but not really since I got my fiat money back.

[gasdorf]

if it is less than 40mm and thiner can a coin weight one troy once ?

[slhines7]

@gasdorf I don't think that your measurments are accurate at all. However, I encourage you to look up the specific minted coin that you acquired. What coin are we talking about exactly, pandas/eagles/? You might have a legit coin and all and maybe not, but I truly do need more information to give you a accurate assessment. Do you own a digital scale andall or no?

[jiminiflix]

I will just stay away from them

[slhines7]

@jiminiflix That would a very wise thing to do. Just stick with the Eagles, Maples, etc. and educate yourself with with the different weights of various coins.

[IraHayesIraHayes]

I just ordered a couple of these off ebay....What should they weigh if they are in the plastic case?? I really do not want to remove them. Thanks

[slhines7]

@IraHayesIraHayes You can keep them in their acrylic case and still test them for authenticity. Put each one of the coins on a digital scale and subtract 7.8 grams from the total weight. Their provided acrylic case might weigh less/more than the one that I just weighed on my scale, but I am pretty sure that it is close. The total weight of the China Panda coins that you bought should weigh by themselves 31.1035grams, 31.22grams total weight, 39.0mm diameter.

[marshall2411]

@slhines7 I have a little 1 oz bar, it weighs 31.6 g, is that good?

[slhines7]

@marshall2411 It depends on what it states exactly. Does it state 1 troy ounce and what are you using to weigh it? I personally think that you are probably ok, but then again where did you get it from?

[marshall2411]

@slhines7 it has James a Garfield on it, I use a little scale I bought at the Coin store, the same place I get my coins. I was just wondering if the weight should be exact, like some of them are 31.1, 31.3,  30.9, ect.. But just that 1 was a couple points heavy, just trying to get a feel

[slhines7]

@marshall2411 I have been trying to get a definitive answer regarding the weights as well. I sitll don't know if they all have to weigh an exact amount!! I did read that if they weigh less than a certain amount, then they are scrapped. As far as the maximum allowable weights, it is still an unknown thing. I have researched that question in depth online to no avail. I personally think that you are most likely ok and yes, I have heard of that bar/mint.

[slhines7]

@IraHayesIraHayes en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Chinese_Silver_Panda

[slhines7]

@silvereagleinvestor That is ok, for you can still varify whether or not you did by fake plated coins. I recommend that you buy a digital scale and weigh your potentially fake coins. The pandas should weigh around 31 grams or so from what I remember or maybe it was 29g? Or you can look at the edges to see if there is any gold coloring or just scrape one. If they are fake, dispute it.

[Sety777]

can the weight be adjusted to almost the exact same even with copper on the inside so a scale couldn't tell or is that impossible?

[slhines7]

@Sety777 Yes it could be done, but is not for one simple reason. Every minted and genuine coin has precise thickness measurements, which one would have to measure and weigh a coin to verify authenticity. The density and weight of the different metals make it impossible to pull it off and make them the same size.

[Sety777]

alright sorry about being rude, how did you test them? I have a silver panda but dont know how to see if its real or not.

[slhines7]

@Sety777 I recommend that you buy a digital scale to test them. You will need to know exactly what type of coin it is and find out the measurements and the specific weight. Try that and get back with me to let me know what you find out. There are also some liquid test purity kits that you can buy, buy I would try the weight test first.

[shrump87]

I collect a to of silver rounds - China sucks man, I don't touch ANY of the pandas cause so many of them are fake, just like everyother thing you buy from china. Keep the wealth within your country dude, buy from a domestic mint, no sense in supporting a country other than the one you live in FIRST.

[slhines7]

@shrump87 I learned my lesson and totally agree with you man. I actually ended up buying a digital scale to help with determining if coins are fake. I also completely stopped buying any foriegn coins, just North American coins. Too bad the US Mint no longer sells silver coins.

[slhines7]

@shrump87 I agree with you and was only caught up with the temptation of buying rarer coins is all.

[Sety777]

don't be an asshole, thats why you buy only from places that are popular and know they have real silver by testing it, you were an idiot from buying this from where ever you got them.

[slhines7]

@Sety777 You are right about that. FYI- I got them off of ebay and learned my lesson. Luckily I was able to get all of my money back. Never again mangs:)

[Claybreaker2]

Wow as soon as I heard it I knew they are fakes......that sucks. I hope you got your money back.

[slhines7]

Yes, I eventually did end up getting my money back from Paypal after I sent the worthless junk back to China. What was really stupid of paypal was that they paid for me to ship worthless junk/fakes back to China. Just absurd, but at least I got the $ back.

[dizzious]

@slhines7 Awesome! Thank god for Paypal. We Americans ought to retaliate by making a shitload of fake Silver Eagles and selling them only to Chinese buyers.

[sasostefanac]

FAKES

[slhines7]

@sasostefanac

I got my money back from ebay after knowing they were fakes. I bought a digital scale as well to help determine so and scraped the plate off of these coins. Follow gata. o r g