Is this a real 1923-D Buffalo Nickel?

[DC Dawg]

I found this auction on eBay. The description says that because the coin was found in a roll of 1923 nickels that it also has to be a 1923 nickel. Unfortunately, the evidence is too circumstantial to be worth the over $200 that is currently bid on the coin.

 

Just goes to show you, the fools that are fooled some of the time are using eBay!!

 

Scott

[MBA101]

Has there ever been a report that one may exist? Bet the pics are of 2 different coins...

[Conder101]

Possibly just a contemporary counterfeit. Unless the counterfeiter made a lot of them (like the 23 D and 30 D mercury dimes) there is a good chance they would never be mentioned anywhere. (And the only place I have ever seen the 23 D and 30 D dimes mentioned is in the Redbook.)

[cpm9ball]

I can't say for sure, but the mintmark looks like it may have been altered. What I can definitely say about the seller's story that is a bunch of hogwash is the claim that an airline ticket would cost $2,000. From Alabama to Florida? Heck, even to California, it doesn't cost anywhere near that much. Why would the seller have to fly there anyway?

 

Chris

[Conder101]

Why would the seller have to fly there anyway?

Some people who have inflated ideas about the value of their coins are too paranoid to "risk" entrusting them to Registered mail and insist on hand carrying them to the certification service so that they are never out of their possession.

 

Almost invariably such hand carried items turn out to be counterfeits, fantasies, altered. or low value circulated pieces that the owner was sure was worth a fortune because it was "so old" The only exception I can think of off the top of my head was the man who walked into ANACS with the Idler specimen of the 1804 dollar.

[cpm9ball]

Why would the seller have to fly there anyway?

Some people who have inflated ideas about the value of their coins are too paranoid to "risk" entrusting them to Registered mail and insist on hand carrying them to the certification service so that they are never out of their possession.

 

Almost invariably such hand carried items turn out to be counterfeits, fantasies, altered. or low value circulated pieces that the owner was sure was worth a fortune because it was "so old" The only exception I can think of off the top of my head was the man who walked into ANACS with the Idler specimen of the 1804 dollar.

 

Regardless, Conder, flights don't cost that much unless the seller insists on flying first class. Additionally, if he isn't a dealer/member of the TPG of his choice, he won't get in the door. His story sounds like just another come-on.

 

Chris

[MarkFeld]

 

 

Is this a real 1923-D Buffalo Nickel?

No.

[physics-fan3.14]

Possibly just a contemporary counterfeit. Unless the counterfeiter made a lot of them (like the 23 D and 30 D mercury dimes) there is a good chance they would never be mentioned anywhere. (And the only place I have ever seen the 23 D and 30 D dimes mentioned is in the Redbook.)

 

The 23D mercury dimes were the first thing I thought of. I like how he even says in the writeup that he asked a TPG and they said it was probably counterfeit. If it weren't for the fact that some poor fool is going to get ripped off, I would say this guy was a hoot (no offense intended to the future Dr. Mark )

[lehigh96]

Possibly just a contemporary counterfeit. Unless the counterfeiter made a lot of them (like the 23 D and 30 D mercury dimes) there is a good chance they would never be mentioned anywhere. (And the only place I have ever seen the 23 D and 30 D dimes mentioned is in the Redbook.)

 

I guess we should name this the soviet nickel then, huh. BTW, there is a pretty good write-up of the soviet (1923-D) dime in Chapter 3 of David Lange's "The complete guide to Mercury Dimes" Chapter 3 deals with counterfeit and altered coins and even has a photo of the infamous soviet dime.

[BankNote1]

The coin isn't a counterfeit, IMO. The date is warn enough to be something other than 1923. Also the mint mark area looks like it might be damaged as well.

 

[James_OldeTowne]

I think someone simply took an awl or other pointed tool and hammered it lightly where the mintmark would be, raising up a lip of metal. It doesn't look like a "D" to me anyway, just a vaguely doughnut shaped corruption of the metal.

[Oldtrader3]

I notified Ebay and emailed the seller who replied "yeah" about the coin being counterfeit, whatever that means? I interpret that to mean that he knows the coin is counterfeit and does not care. BTW, Ebay has not stopped the sale of several counterfeit coins that I and Mark Feld had notified them about.

 

Also this morning, I read that Tiffany and Co. is suing Ebay, in the US courts for damages to their reputation because 85%+ of Tiffany material sold on Ebay is counterfeited Chinese junk. No damage amount was specified.

[Conder101]

The Tiffany & Co lawsuit has been going on for some time. The more interesting news is the 65 million dollar judgment handed down a couple days ago against eBay in France for eBay's complacency in permitting counterfeit goods from French companies to be sold on their site and Perfumes being sold by people other than the authorized distributors.

 

Regardless, Conder, flights don't cost that much unless the seller insists on flying first class. Additionally, if he isn't a dealer/member of the TPG of his choice, he won't get in the door. His story sounds like just another come-on.

Well, he probably does want to go first class, and a direct flight with no stop overs for securities sake. Round trip of course. Then there is the hotel expenses, restaurants, car rental, etc. And if he goes to ANACS or ICG he can walk it in, and if he gets an authorized dealer or member the "authorize" the submission he possibly can do a walk up drop off at the others. And of course he could always do a walk through at a major show if he can't do a walk up drop off. That could mean a two or three day stay at the hotel. So it could be possible to "justify" a $2,000 cost, but it's still stupid.

[cpm9ball]

The Tiffany & Co lawsuit has been going on for some time. The more interesting news is the 65 million dollar judgment handed down a couple days ago against eBay in France for eBay's complacency in permitting counterfeit goods from French companies to be sold on their site and Perfumes being sold by people other than the authorized distributors.

 

Regardless, Conder, flights don't cost that much unless the seller insists on flying first class. Additionally, if he isn't a dealer/member of the TPG of his choice, he won't get in the door. His story sounds like just another come-on.

Well, he probably does want to go first class, and a direct flight with no stop overs for securities sake. Round trip of course. Then there is the hotel expenses, restaurants, car rental, etc. And if he goes to ANACS or ICG he can walk it in, and if he gets an authorized dealer or member the "authorize" the submission he possibly can do a walk up drop off at the others. And of course he could always do a walk through at a major show if he can't do a walk up drop off. That could mean a two or three day stay at the hotel. So it could be possible to "justify" a $2,000 cost, but it's still stupid.

 

Yes, and he could also take a walk off a short platform into a deep canyon.

 

Chris