GREENFIELD——錢幣專家對中國製造的假幣大量湧入發出警報

據美國錢幣協會稱，中國製造的收藏品和流通硬幣的仿冒品比以往任何時候都更加猖獗

Counterfeit coins are on the rise again, and they’re coming from China.

假幣再次增多，而且它們來自中國。

According to the American Numismatic Association, Chinese-made counterfeits of collector and circulating coins are more common than ever, having greatly improved in their deceptive quality since the 1970s. Still, many are relatively easy for a trained eye to detect and having a piece evaluated by an knowledgeable businessperson or graded by a professional company is the best way to avoid getting shortchanged.

據美國錢幣協會稱，自1970年代以來，中國製造的仿造收藏幣和流通幣比以往任何時候都更加普遍，其欺騙性品質大大提高。儘管如此，對於訓練有素的眼睛來說，許多東西相對容易發現，並且由知識淵博的商人評估或由專業公司評級是避免被欺騙的最佳方法。

Gary Konvelski, owner of Gary’s Coins and Antiques in Turners Falls, said he has been in the business since 1993 and has owned his shop at 56 Avenue A for 15 years. He offers free appraisals.

位於特納斯福爾斯(Turners Falls) 的加里硬幣和古董店(Gary's Coins and Antiques) 店主加里·孔維爾斯基(Gary Konvelski) 表示，他自1993 年起就開始從事該行業，並在A大道56 號擁有這家店已有15 年了。他提供免費評估。

“Well, I think [buyers] need to go to a reputable dealer,” Konvelski said. “I just can’t believe the government lets [scam artists] get away with this stuff. They should be right on it.”

「嗯，我認為（買家）需要去找信譽良好的經銷商，」康維爾斯基說。 「我簡直不敢相信政府竟然讓〔騙子〕逍遙法外。他們應該是對的。

Konvelski said there is an undeniable recent uptick in the number of fake bullion coins, or coins made from precious metal and kept for their value or as an investment instead of everyday spending. This increase, he said, is due to record-high silver and gold prices. Konvelski said older people seem particularly vulnerable to being scammed on fake bullion coins.

康維爾斯基表示，不可否認的是，最近假金幣或由貴金屬製成的硬幣數量有所增加，這些硬幣是為了保值或作為投資而不是日常支出而保存的。他表示，這一增長是由於白銀和黃金價格創下歷史新高。康維爾斯基說，老人似乎特別容易被假金幣騙走。

“It’s just going to happen more and more,” he said.

「這種情況只會越來越多地發生，」他說。

The business owner said an older man recently visited his shop and sold a complete set of American Silver Eagle bullion coins ranging from 1986 to this year only to have to come back and return the money because, unbeknownst to him, the coins were fake.

店主說，一位老人最近到他的店裡賣掉了一套從1986年到今年的美國銀鷹金幣，結果又回來把錢退回來，因為他不知道這些硬幣是假的。

Konvelski said the coins were in holders issued by the Numismatic Guaranty Company — a respected coin-grading and certification service — but they did not weigh the ounce they were marked as weighing.

康維爾斯基表示，這些硬幣裝在由錢幣擔保公司（一家受人尊敬的硬幣評級和認證服務機構）發行的硬幣盒中，但它們沒有稱量標記為重量的盎司。

“It’s supposed to weigh 26.73 grams,” he said, walking a Morgan, or silver dollar to a coin scale, which revealed the true weight to be 21.9 grams. “They’re selling these on eBay, too, from China. You know, the normal person is not going to be able to tell the difference.”

「它的重量應該是 26.73 克，」他邊說邊把一枚摩根銀元走到硬幣秤前，秤顯示真實重量為 21.9 克。 「他們也在 eBay 上銷售來自中國的產品。你知道，正常人是無法區分的。

Konvelski said he also has seen a lot of counterfeit 10-cent coins, particularly the 1916-D mercury dime. This piece is highly coveted because so few were minted.

Konvelski 表示，他也看過許多假冒的 10 美分硬幣，尤其是 1916 年 D 版水銀一角硬幣。這件作品備受追捧，因為鑄造量極少。

According to the Professional Coin Grading Service, another highly regarded coin-grading company, this is one of the most counterfeited of all U.S. rare coins and PCGS sees an average of five to 10 fakes per week.

根據另一家備受推崇的硬幣評級公司專業硬幣評級服務公司的說法，這是美國所有稀有硬幣中偽造最嚴重的硬幣之一，PCGS 平均每週發現 5 到 10 枚假幣。

But, Konvelski warned, online scammers even fake the slabs (the holders used to encapsulate coins) and the labels on them.

但是，康維爾斯基警告說，網路詐騙者甚至偽造了平板（用於封裝硬幣的支架）及其上的標籤。

“It’s so hard [to tell],” he said.

「這很難（說），」他說。

He has in his possession, but will not sell, a fake PCGS-encapsulated Republic of China $1 coin with military and political leader Li Yuan-hung’s likeness. If it was real, Konvelski said, it would be worth $8,000.

他擁有一枚假冒的 PCGS 封裝的中華民國 1 美元硬幣，上面有軍事和政治領導人黎元洪的肖像，但他不會出售。 Konvelski 說，如果它是真的，價值 8,000 美元。

Charles Hertan, of Charles Hertan Numismatics in Northampton, said he sees fake bullion coins in his line of work but the bigger problem is with rare U.S. coins.

北安普頓查爾斯·赫坦錢幣學公司的查爾斯·赫坦表示，他在自己的工作中看到了假金幣，但更大的問題是稀有的美國硬幣。

“The Chinese are actually making three different tiers of fakes,” he said. “One tier is a basic fake, like a souvenir, and the top tier is designed to be deceptive enough to fool even a coin dealer. The takeaway from that is, don’t buy any expensive coins online unless you’re an expert.”

「中國人實際上正在製造三種不同等級的假貨，」他說。 「一層是基本的假貨，就像紀念品一樣，而頂層的設計具有足夠的欺騙性，甚至可以欺騙硬幣經銷商。由此得出的結論是，除非您是專家，否則不要在網上購買任何昂貴的硬幣。

He said collectors, especially novices, should buy only from reputable dealers or from sellers with high ratings from eBay, Google or the Better Business Bureau.

他說，收藏家，尤其是新手，應該只從信譽良好的經銷商或 eBay、Google或商業改善局評價較高的賣家處購買。

“That’s going to tell you a lot, because reputation is everything in this business,” he said, “and we’re not going to risk our reputation.”

“這會告訴你很多事情，因為聲譽在這個行業就是一切，”他說，“我們不會拿我們的聲譽冒險。”

Hertan, who started collecting coins as a child and became a professional in 1990, said any reputable dealer offers a lifetime guarantee of authenticity.

赫坦 (Hertan) 從小就開始收集硬幣，並於 1990 年成為專業人士，他表示，任何信譽良好的經銷商都會提供終生的真品保證。

He mentioned individual Chinese scammers have always counterfeited American coins, but they have stepped up their game in the past 15 to 20 years. A common fake, he said, is the Morgan dollar, even though it is not particularly rare. Hertan and Konvelski also advise people to steer clear of coins being peddled by telemarketers and TV commercials.

他提到，個別中國騙子一直在偽造美國硬幣，但在過去 15 至 20 年裡，他們的伎倆有所加強。他說，摩根美元是一種常見的假貨，儘管它並不特別罕見。赫坦和康維爾斯基也建議人們避開電話推銷員和電視廣告兜售的硬幣。

“The whole key is to deal with the right person, and value that relationship,” Hertan said. “The average person knows nothing about coins — the same way the average person knows about about plumbing or how to fix their car.”

「關鍵是與正確的人打交道，並重視這種關係，」赫坦說。 “普通人對硬幣一無所知——就像普通人對管道或如何修理汽車一無所知一樣。”

Athol resident J.R. Greene said he recently turned down a fake 1955 double-die penny he was offered.

Athol 居民 JR Greene 表示，他最近拒絕了有人向他提供的一枚 1955 年雙模便士假幣。

A double-die coin

一枚雙模硬幣