Source: Source: Source: Source: sorry can't get any better picture. I received the coin yesterday from an ebay seller at USD60. Appreciate your help.
Hi Yan, I think you have a fake... the frosting looks off... and the 2009 font and position looks wrong. It could be the lighting and camera angle. So have a look at these pics and compare.
Geez.. If that's a fake, it's a really good fake. Fur & other details were nicely done. Not sure if the font relates to variety?
Photos are blurry which doesn't help but looks legit to me, have you weighed it? Hard to nail EVERYTHING... last test is metallurgical, thats the ultimate... no point using real silver to fake a late issue, just isn't worth the trouble
How big is it and what does it weigh? The fakes used to be plated copper of the correct size and weighed in the 27-28 gram range. I've got a collection purposely acquired over a couple of year span. Always thought it easier and more definitive to plunk it on a scale than worry about microscopic details in the fonts, etc... If your "Panda" weighs less than 31.1 grams, it is fake, period. Very easy. Are any of the current fakes getting the weight right? Had some 1/10th gold Pandas with right weight and diameter but thickness off. Here are a couple of plated silver fakes
Thank you all experts here giving the valuable comments and opinions. It's excited to see these positive and negative impression of my coins. I guess it's mainly because of my poor quality taking pictures. It's raining all the days and the pictures were shooting by iphone only. seems that the panda, leaves, bamboo etc raised not much suspicious but the font and text did. After I posted up the thread, my friend gave me the following link http://chinesepandacoin.blogspot.com/search/label/2009?m=0 It happens that there are at least 2 variations of the 2009 Silver Panda coin, produced by Shenzhen Guobao Mint and Shenyang Mint Source: Shenzhen Guobao Mint Source: Shenyang Mint The frosting, font and deepness of strike seems different between the coins produced by these two mints. Also, the second last picture also gives the impression of "the upper text" too high, and "2009" too low to the rim Source: I still have no idea whether my coin received is fake or genuine. I'll weight my coin with more precise scale and keep you all posted. Thank you all once again and welcome further comments and suggestions.
For less than the cost of 1 oz of generic silver you can get a set of digital calipers and a scale capable of 0.1 gram accuracy. In my opinion, these tools are an absolute necessity if you are buying PM's from any source save the original Mints and maybe then too.
The first two pics are not very good and make the coin look suspect so it's hard to determine. That is good advice to use a digital scale, I do the same. Just curious ... is the reeding slanted/diagonal ? it should be.
Finally I've got a high quality camera and electronic scale With the aids of these new photos, may i have your review and comments again whether the coin is fake or not? The coin is exactly the same as the one in #1 I also included a coin from a reliable source, serves as control for comparisons. Control: real coin from a reliable source. There are three pedicles inside the capsule. Index: the coin in question, as shown in #1. Pedicles are absent in the capsule. All comments are welcome! Left: control. Right: Index Left: Index. Right: Control Left: Index. Right: Control
Did it come from Tel Aviv? This seller has sold quite a few 2009's lately. http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=d4all&ftab=FeedbackAsSeller A quick look at his other items shows what looks to be a fake Prospector round sold. http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAP...Un%2BtAhCVsdBqELrHpbQ%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc I smell smoke on this seller.
