As Rocky Balboa once declared, “The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows.” While the fictional boxer was referring to the “mean and nasty” world in general, the statement also extends to specific matters, including numismatics. Like just about everything else, the hobby is ripe with misinformation and scams, and ongoing technological advancements and changing social norms – driven even further by the pandemic – can create an air of mystery and confusion. Lying in the wake of all this uncertainty is the ongoing scourge of counterfeit coins, with which most collectors are chiefly concerned. “They’re everywhere, and it’s every day,” counterfeit coin expert Mike Marshall, of Trenton, Ont., told CCN in 2015, eight years after he began campaigning against counterfeits. “The online markets have been inundated with them.” Continue reading →
Numismatic Guaranty Corp., a third-party grading service based in Florida, highlights authentic and counterfeit holders. The firm advises collectors to reference certification numbers and use its online verification tool to compare coins, labels and holders offered on the marketplace. Photo via NGCcoin.com.
