Fake Koala

Hi all

Thought I’d share my recent experience. I bought a 2015 Silver Koala off eBay for £20. It arrived in a capsule in perfect condition. The seller has over 150 positive feedbacks.

I decided to test it using the Ping Coin Android app. It did not register. So I tried the ping test on the Apple Coin Tester app and again it was not recognised. The coin does have a nice ring to it. I used a magnet and it behaved properly. I weighed it, and it was correct. I then compared it to my 2022 Koala and it was smaller. So I checked with callipers and it was 39.8mm instead of 40.6mm.

I then found a website called fakebullion.com and the 2015 Koala is on there. The fake is silver plated brass. The feet are matt instead of polished and the queen’s neckline is too pointy. Same as mine. I have a fake. Photos attached with circles to mark the fake traits.




So I contacted the seller and he was horrified and refunded me straight away. I will post it back to him. He thought he had bought a genuine coin. So no more eBay for me! I’ll stick to Martin at the SilverTrader! And I really recommend those ping apps! They actually work!

That's a salutary tale @ArcaneCollector . I was going to advise you that the coin was possibly a genuine Drop Bear, minted in amazingly small quantities for the not terribly discerning collector, but you probably wouldn't believe me. It was good that your seller was as horrified as you, and that you got your money back.
I wouldn't altogether dismiss eBay though. A number of established dealers sell there (I first came across Martin on eBay), although their prices are usually higher than on their own websites. Some (not many, admittedly) dealers don't have their own websites and sell exclusively on eBay, presumably having balanced cost and convenience. If you ever get into collecting rounds from the various US private mints (as I have) eBay is essentially your only source in the UK as the mints tend either not to ship internationally or to do so only at exorbitant cost. There is the odd dealer over here who carries a few now and again, but that's about all.
As a buyer, I believe it may also be easier to get your money back through eBay than a direct sale - see your Wilted Chard post - but it is a case of buyer beware.

The Cat's Mother wrote:That's a salutary tale  @ArcaneCollector . I was going to advise you that the coin was possibly a genuine Drop Bear, minted in amazingly small quantities for the not terribly discerning collector, but you probably wouldn't believe me. It was good that your seller was as horrified as you, and that you got your money back.
I wouldn't altogether dismiss eBay though. A number of established dealers sell there (I first came across Martin on eBay), although their prices are usually higher than on their own websites. Some (not many, admittedly) dealers don't have their own websites and sell exclusively on eBay, presumably having balanced cost and convenience. If you ever get into collecting rounds from the various US private mints (as I have) eBay is essentially your only source in the UK as the mints tend either not to ship internationally or to do so only at exorbitant cost. There is the odd dealer over here who carries a few now and again, but that's about all.
As a buyer, I believe it may also be easier to get your money back through eBay than a direct sale - see your Wilted Chard post - but it is a case of buyer beware.

@The Cat's Mother you make valid points! The trick is to find the dealers on eBay. We need a list of trusted eBay dealers!

I wish you would have decided to keep it. I go on hunts especially around Ebay. As ebay does not give a monkeys back side about fakes despite there policy and procedures. I am on a Ebay group which monitors fakes. 

I buy them.... check them and then report them... Long story, I always get refunded and the seller NEVER gets back the fakes. 

I look for the obvious fakes as I am not trying to con anyone out of a sale... but NEVER send fakes back. Get a crime number and cover yourself. You do not want these back in circulation.

@The Cat's Mother you make valid points! The trick is to find the dealers on eBay. We need a list of trusted eBay dealers!

Yes @ArcaneCollector , that would be a good thing to have. There are several that I happily use, mainly in the US (and there have been difficulties with buying bullion from the US on eBay, although these seem to be easing if my recent, albeit limited, experience is to go by). A quick, not exclusive list, and I have left out the sellers with a website (except in two cases):
alohak_20
anstonsilver
bequet (has a website, J P Verdavoir)
bergy95coins
brixton249 (UK seller)
micro_mintage_silver_silvershield (has a website Micro Mintage Silver)
okkopan
silverbrothers
silvergirl555
silverguyzz
1believerinchrist

Give me a few days and I'll try to get links to the sites.

@The Cat's Mother you are an absolute legend! Thanks so much, I will save those sellers in my eBay account.

ArcaneCollector wrote: @The Cat's Mother you are an absolute legend! Thanks so much, I will save those sellers in my eBay account.

Can you do that without the links? It would save me a job if you can.

The Cat's Mother wrote:

ArcaneCollector wrote: @The Cat's Mother you are an absolute legend! Thanks so much, I will save those sellers in my eBay account.

Can you do that without the links? It would save me a job if you can.

Yes you can search for a seller in the same way that you search for an item. Silverguyzz has some awesome looking coins! I found one of Donald Trump! Sweet!

Whatever floats your boat!
Silverguyzz also lists some items priced in sterling with sterling postage (at a reasonable rate), which means no extra transaction fee. It pays to look at all his listings of the same item. It also helps if you're able to do basic maths, which I'm sure you can. Just mention my name and they'll probably charge you double.

The Cat's Mother wrote:Whatever floats your boat!
Silverguyzz also lists some items priced in sterling with sterling postage (at a reasonable rate), which means no extra transaction fee. It pays to look at all his listings of the same item. It also helps if you're able to do basic maths, which I'm sure you can. Just mention my name and they'll probably charge you double.

Sweet! I love deals such as “buy two get one”.

I thought you were more into the real rarities like the Zimbabwean Roo.  I can just imagine you admiring it while sipping a glass, or two, of Kanga Rouge.    

Bringing this post back to life. 


Watch out for todays video. 

you guessed it...   These have been making the rounds.

Admin wrote:Bringing this post back to life. 


Watch out for todays video. 

you guessed it...   These have been making the rounds.

I can spot the fakes on eBay. They pointy end of the neckline of the Queen is the giveaway.

ArcaneCollector wrote:

Admin wrote:Bringing this post back to life. 


Watch out for todays video. 

you guessed it...   These have been making the rounds.

I can spot the fakes on eBay. They pointy end of the neckline of the Queen is the giveaway.

I couldnt really see the Feet issue, but the necks on previous Fakes I have shown are scary. 

Anyway I have done a video on this coin. I am looking for another 2015 Koala for my FAKE collection FYI. 

But I will be showing it shortly. I am just finishing some editing. 

Can you guess what is was made up of?

Admin wrote:

ArcaneCollector wrote:

Admin wrote:Bringing this post back to life. 


Watch out for todays video. 

you guessed it...   These have been making the rounds.

I can spot the fakes on eBay. They pointy end of the neckline of the Queen is the giveaway.

I couldnt really see the Feet issue, but the necks on previous Fakes I have shown are scary. 

Anyway I have done a video on this coin. I am looking for another 2015 Koala for my FAKE collection FYI. 

But I will be showing it shortly. I am just finishing some editing. 

Can you guess what is was made up of?

I guess non magnetic silver plated brass or tungsten.

Spot on, Tungsten with Brass, then Copper plated so that they could Silver plate over that. 

Scary the amount of work to get them to be nearly identical 

Yikes.

I loved that video (for exposing, not because it’s a fake!) and it reminds me of the 1 fake I purchased from an auction who after lots of protest finally gave me a refund.
I won’t expose the auction house as I told them if they refunded me I would keep it quiet although I will say they are based in south Cheshire/north Staffordshire and have sold fakes since despite emailing them requesting they test the coins.
They seem to think not listing the coin as silver is somehow legal protection!
The main coins that where fakes are USA eagles and Canadian dollars, I think the one I purchased was a 1999 Canadian dollar but I wouldn’t be certain as it was a few years ago.

I wanted to add, I was amazed at the effort in your fake Koala by the fraudster.
4x layers of different metals shows you the efforts they will take to fake coins.

SanMarino wrote:I wanted to add, I was amazed at the effort in your fake Koala by the fraudster.
4x layers of different metals shows you the efforts they will take to fake coins.

Which means it must be financially worthwhile! If they mass produce those fakes, I wonder how much each one costs them? Around 20 times less than they sell them for?

I was talking to a friend about COST and how cheap these are being made for. They are really only costing 10 -20 pence each. 

And I know I can buy direct from a few icky suppliers in China for .50- .70p per coin. 

If I sold them for 5 or 10 pounds... I am making a killing.  And it is easy to see why people on FleaBay do this.