Counterfeiting Archives

Attempt Made to Sell Fake $300,000 Gold Coin

July 15, 2020 by Clinton

The following is a Press Release from the Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation (ACEF). It reports on an attempt to sell $400,000 in counterfeit coins including a fake 1879 Coiled Hair “Stella” gold coin valued at $300,000. The counterfeiter went as far as to have the fake gold coin in a counterfeit NGC holder with a fake label that had the same PR63 grade and certification number. Acting on a tip from the Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation (www.ACEFonline.org), …

Counterfeits Gone Viral: Online Sales of Fake Gold and Silver Cost Public Millions

May 4, 2020 by Clinton

The following is a Press Release from the Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation (ACEF). It outlines how counterfeits have been on the rise since the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic broke out as investors looked to gold, silver, and other precious metals for financial stability. That, according to the ACEF, has created a “breeding ground” for the distribution of counterfeits, costing investors millions. The current enormous demand and limited supply of silver and gold bullion coins and other precious …

PCGS Announces Security Chip-Embedded Slabs To Protect Against Counterfeiting

January 3, 2020January 2, 2020 by Clinton

Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) is excited to announce its partnership with HID Global to begin embedding high-security Near Field Communication (NFC) chip technology in PCGS coin slabs. PCGS slabs embedded with NFC technology allow any collector or dealer with a modern smartphone to easily verify that the coin encapsulated within was indeed certified, graded, and slabbed by PCGS. The new NFC-enabled slabs will premiere in early 2020 and will be identified as such on …

PNG Urges “Preserve the Past” and Offers to Assist Victims of Coin Doctoring

September 3, 2019 by Clinton

(Temecula, California) September 3, 2019 – As part of its on-going efforts to combat “coin doctoring,” the Professional Numismatists Guild (www.PNGdealers.org) is urging dealers and collectors to respect the heritage and historical significance of all coinage to preserve the past as best as possible. PNG also is offering to assist anyone who suspects he or she unwittingly purchased a doctored coin. “It has often been stated that money is history you can hold in your …

Coin Counterfeiter Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison

July 26, 2019July 11, 2019 by Clinton

Minnesota coin dealer Barry Ron Skog, who ran a mail-order company, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison on Tuesday, July 9th. He was accused of carrying out a counterfeit coin fraud scheme in multiple states. The U.S. District Court also orders Skog to pay restitution to his victims. Going under the name of Ron Peterson, Skog devised the scheme through his mail-order company Burnsville Coin Company. He ran the scheme from June 2012 …