Thread: Customs officers seize fake coins

Customs officers seize fake coins

By Times Staff | Posted: Thursday, April 21, 2011 11:27 am

CHICAGO Customs officials recently seized a shipment of what appeared to be rare and expensive U.S. silver coins that turned out to be fakes.

Chicago Customs and Border Protection officers assigned to the International Mail Branch made the discovery last week, according to spokesman Brian Bell.

Suspicion was raised when the officers noticed an anomaly on the x-ray of the heavy package intended for a residence in Illinois. Further examination of the package revealed 361 coins that appeared to be U.S. Trade Dollar coins with dates between 1873 and 1878.

The original U.S. Trade Dollar silver coin was minted from 1873 to 1878 and in proof form from up until 1885, Bell said. Research of collector coins revealed that some of these coins can be sold for as much as $2,000.

Analysis by the CBP Laboratory and Scientific Services in Chicago revealed the coins were made of brass with a thin sliver plated coating. Based upon the laboratory results the officers seized the shipment.

The person who was having the package shipped from China contacted Customs to inquire about the shipment, and indicated he planned to sell them on an internet auction site.

"Legitimate traders are being duped into buying these coins believing they are genuine," said David Murphy, CBP director of field operations in Chicago. "We strongly recommend buyers or any consumers to be aware and use caution when making these types of purchases on the Internet."

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt ... 17351.html

Amongst the numismatic community it is a known problem that many Chinese made replicas are being passed off as genuine coins.