Counterfeit Engelhard 1-ounce silver Prospector rounds have
Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2012 11:48 am.
Fake Round Can Cause Real Problem
Excerpt;
Counterfeit Engelhard 1-ounce silver Prospector rounds have surfaced. Engelhard was one of the most popular brand names of manufacturers of silver bars and rounds up into the mid- to late-1980s. Their 1-ounce round silver Prospectors are still highly desired by investors in physical silver, even though they have not been made for a quarter-century.
At the ANA show, another dealer brought a few pieces of counterfeit Prospectors to warn other dealers of their existence. The fakes, which showed up in Florida, had the proper diameter and thickness and weighed only about 0.5 grams light. Such pieces would almost certainly fool the general public as well as dealers who did not pay close attention. The bad pieces contained about 60 percent copper, 39 percent zinc and a smidgen of nickel, which was then silver-plated. The surfaces were mirror proof-like whereas most Prospectors have a frosty satiny look. The fakes at the ANA all had the large “E” in the center of the reverse inside a globe (as appeared on earlier Prospectors) rather than the eagle that was used on later Prospectors. If a few of these were mixed in a large batch of silver rounds, they could easily pass from hand to hand without notice.
http://numismaster.com/ta/numis/Article ... leId=25621
>
Fake Round Can Cause Real Problem
Excerpt;
Counterfeit Engelhard 1-ounce silver Prospector rounds have surfaced. Engelhard was one of the most popular brand names of manufacturers of silver bars and rounds up into the mid- to late-1980s. Their 1-ounce round silver Prospectors are still highly desired by investors in physical silver, even though they have not been made for a quarter-century.
At the ANA show, another dealer brought a few pieces of counterfeit Prospectors to warn other dealers of their existence. The fakes, which showed up in Florida, had the proper diameter and thickness and weighed only about 0.5 grams light. Such pieces would almost certainly fool the general public as well as dealers who did not pay close attention. The bad pieces contained about 60 percent copper, 39 percent zinc and a smidgen of nickel, which was then silver-plated. The surfaces were mirror proof-like whereas most Prospectors have a frosty satiny look. The fakes at the ANA all had the large “E” in the center of the reverse inside a globe (as appeared on earlier Prospectors) rather than the eagle that was used on later Prospectors. If a few of these were mixed in a large batch of silver rounds, they could easily pass from hand to hand without notice.
http://numismaster.com/ta/numis/Article ... leId=25621
>
