Din X,
Again, thank you so much for helping me out with this.
I contacted the seller on
eBay, who told me "
the coin is the one in the photos" (it is not), and that "
I have never sent a coin or anything else out before that wasn’t the correct item" (another lie: I have found 2 'neutral' feedback postings under
his profile claiming he
had sent them the wrong coin -- if I kept looking, I would probably find others). And that "
regarding its authenticity, I have personally had it checked by an expert as I do all coins before sale, not only that but all other aspects meet the correct criteria for a genuine coin - it has no pitting, no cast lines, it’s solid silver, the correct weight and size etc etc etc. I am in no doubt the coin is genuine." Obviously it has no
pitting,
cast lines, it is solid silver, and its
weight and size are correct: it is a handmade
replica, crafted in the same manner as they did in
antiquity. The company on Etsy that you (Din X) gave me a link to (which I forwarded to the seller) says that clearly. Therefore, the seller just avoided the issue.
He also says, "
I have no doubt there are people out there selling copies but they are also based off real coins so a link to a copy that looks like the coin you have isn’t really the same as saying it’s the same coin." Yes, but again, he does not address what I said in my message -- namely, that the
owl on my coin is exactly the same as the one on the link you provided, including its faults and background markings. There is a difference between "based off" and "identical". So, again, he did not address my particular grievance.
I also asked for proof/documentation that might back up
his claim that he acquired this coin from a Wigan
collection (as initially, he'd told me "
I got this from a Wigan collection in 2019. Their details were that it came from an Essex collection back in the early 2000’s but a specific year wasn’t detailed"). But he simply skipped my question, and did not so much as mention it in
his reply. So, no proof. I can see that
had been another lie.
Recently, someone left an actual negative feedback for him claiming he'd sold a fake coin claiming it was authentic. This feedback was not there at the time I purchased this coin, otherwise I would not have bought it. In my last message to the seller, I called
his attention to it, and he said the buyer's issue was with the shipping cost, not with the coin itself (?). The gall. This is the feedback: "
BEWARE TO ALL SELLERS!!! FAKE,FAKE,FAKE coin described as an AUTHENTIC,GENUINE ANTIQUE GREEK". But sure, the buyer's issue is with the shipping.
His solution is for me to return the coin. But it doesn't address the fact that 1) no one will reimburse me the customs & import fees I
had to pay; and 2) he will keep
selling fake items to people, claiming they are genuine, thereby continuing
his practice of deceiving others. He could simply sell these coins as replicas, he would
still get
money for them, I'm sure. It's unfortunate that deceivers, when called out, would
still stand by their shroud of fraudulent behavior.
If he
had replied saying it was an honest mistake, and that he didn't know, I would have felt better about it. But given that he lied about the coin's
provenance (and failed to prove it when I asked for documentation), and that he continued lying after I called him out on it, this speaks clearly of the premeditation of
his intent to deceive. This being the case, can I add this person to the
Forvm's Notorious
Fake Sellers List? I don't know what the prerequisites are.
Also, thank you so much for the images you posted. Not only is it a sight incredible to behold, but also it really is a lovely
collection. Out of curiosity, what are the lowest and highest prices you've paid for a fake
tetradrachm? And, conversely, what are the lowest and highest prices you've paid for a genuine
tetradrachm? If you are comfortable disclosing that information, of course.
I see you also have a case with a
tetradrachm issued by
NGC. Can I ask, are you able to open that whenever you like? Are these cases like Leuchtturm's Quickslab cases that you can open and close at any time? Or are they sealed and protected?
Anyway, thank you so much again for your
help, I truly appreciate it. It is amazing how one person can have such a devastating effect on the lives of other people (fraudsters, killers, Hitler...), but the same goes the other way around, and one person can definitely make a difference for the
good in other people's lives. The latter has certainly been your case regarding myself, and, I assume, regarding many others in this
Forvm. Thank you.
Fake Coins and Notorious Fake Sellers
