We’ve all seen them, haven’t we? Those crap and inferior reproductions of coins people are desperate to own. At one time these would have been outed from online market places such as eBay. And people who sold them would also have been investigated by the powers that be. But things have clearly changed and selling ‘space fillers’ or ‘copy coins’ is now big business indeed.
In order to understand why these copies are now so prolific and how people get away with selling them, we need to take a moment to be insightful here…. The reason why so many of these reproductions are for sale is purely because there is demand for them. And the reason why most unscrupulous sellers will get away with flogging them comes down to the sheer amount on sale. I mean, how can sites such as eBay possibly police something like this? There are literally hundreds of the sodding things listed!
The truth is that a lot of people will choose to buy copy coins in order to save money with their collection. For example, a genuine 2009 ‘Kew Gardens’ fifty pence will cost somewhere between £150 and £200. A naff knock-off one will only have a price tag of around £7. Most collectors will also find it infuriating to have gaps in their collection so they will opt for a pseudo coin rather than a hole. Of course, deep down they will know that certain coins in their collection are not real….. which kind of makes the whole thing pointless….
Personally speaking, I would rather have coins missing than settle for something crap in my collection. And if it takes me a couple of years to finally acquire a certain fifty pence I am after then so be it; chances are that I will also appreciate it even more once I do get it. But all people are different!
Over the years I have seen some pretty bad copies of – ‘Jemima Puddleduck’, ‘Kew’, ‘Olympic Completer Medallion’ (BOTH types), ‘EEC Presidency’, ‘Team GB’ (2020), ‘Offside’…… the list goes on and on and on.
I think it is safe to say that copy coins are here to stay. And that is because there will always be people who cannot save their pennies patiently and get the real deal :/
© Article copyright Mik Smith 2023
Reblogged images –
MAIN IMAGE – snaffled from somewhere or other and then gently modded accordingly
1st image – tallengestore.com
2nd image – www.amazon.com
I’m the Same Mik, I’ve been after a Olympic completer medal for years now, Was tempted to buy a copy, but dont see the point, I’d rather wait until i find one for the right price in my budget,
Yup, totally.
I have never seen the point in them myself. I would rather have a gap in my collection lol 😀
No copy coins , don’t see the point , you’re only trying to fool someone , legally fake Immitation . I’ll wait and get the real one Or Maybe Not ! Hey Ho !
Another person on the same page as me!
I am liking this David 🙂
I agree, I would rather leave a space in the album so I know the real coin is missing and that I still need it, however long it takes!
However I can also see the point of ‘copy’ coins if collectors would rather fill their empty spaces for completeness.
What I really don’t like is when certain sellers are selling ‘fake’ coins as the real thing and tricking buyers into thinking they are purchasing a genuine coin, that is just dirty harry!!
Yes, absolutely Phil. And some very good points indeed.
It is amazing what some unscrupulous sellers will do For A Few Dollars More 😉
🤣 💲💲💲 😜
😀
A valid article no doubt about that. To be honest I had no idea there were these modern copies. I must admit to buying an Edward VIII penny, not an original I must add, just for the fun of it. By all means highlight the dangers but never become dogmatic on the subject. Every collector is different. If someone wishes to purchase copies then so be it there is no need to castigate anyone for it.
Yes it is valid. And also reasonably well written. Not my greatest work, but passable 🙂
Nothing to do with castigation. I don’t like gore, especially when it involves the nether regions……
Of course it is the choice of the individual. But the post is my own personal opinion. And my personal opinion is that copy coins suck – big time. That isn’t going to change as I simply do not view them as proper coins….. because they are not. They are fakes.