Jay Turner, NGC Grader and Attributor, examines the latest Silver Panda counterfeit that has been uncovered within the numismatic world and describes the various ways one can spot it.

The Chinese Panda has only been around since 1982 but, surprisingly, it has become one of the most widely counterfeited World coins. In previous articles, we wrote about counterfeit 2001-D and 2003 Silver Pandas. In this article, we’ll examine the diagnostics of a counterfeit 1995 “Large Twig” Silver Panda.

NGC certifies a lot of Panda coins. The series is as popular as ever with collectors. It’s especially popular among collectors participating in the NGC Registry. Each piece that NGC certifies is not only graded but checked for authenticity. Recently, a counterfeit 1995 “Large Twig” Silver Panda with unusual finish and tooling marks was submitted for grading.

In 1995, the Chinese Mints put out different varieties of Panda designs. The Mint State issues were struck at two different mints with subtly varying designs or varieties. The Shanghai Mint issue featured a panda with a “Large Twig” branch extending upwards from its hand. The Shenyang Mint had a “Small Twig” version with no branch extending beyond the panda’s hands. The Shenyang Mint or “Small Twig” also comes in Large and Small Date sub-varieties. To date, NGC has not received any submissions of counterfeit 1995 “Small Twig” Silver Pandas, and the “Large Twig” described here is the only counterfeit we have received that is dated 1995. Read Full Article 

JOSEPH TURNER for The News Tribune 

Northwest Territorial Mint is a small company, but its reach extends around the world. The company along the West Valley Highway in Auburn takes large bars of silver and gold and melts them down to make tiny bars of silver and gold so they’re more affordable to small investors.

It also mints coins for admirals, generals and military units to commemorate their rank or tours of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan, and now the U.S. military wants the company to make Bronze and Silver Stars to honor its heroes.

It has quietly become the unofficial mint for 19 countries by making legal tender for nations in South America, Pacific island nations and on the European continent, countries too proud to let it be known that a small company in America – not their own treasuries – is minting their currency. Read Full Story

With the price of gold at record highs and the U.S. economy on the downslide, it’s no wonder that many investors are setting their sights on gold to hedge against the falling dollar. Many investors think gold bars are the most reliable and cost effective approach to buying gold, but gold coins offer benefits that bars do not because of their smaller denominations and viability as currency.

The first gold coins were made by King Croesus of Lydia in approximately 560 B.C. These coins were not pure gold, but were made from electrum, a natural alloy of silver and gold. When the process later became more refined, coins of pure gold and silver were created. The use of these coins spread to many civilizations, including the Greek and Roman Empires and, later, throughout European countries.

Gold coins typically cost slightly more than their gold content is worth, because a 4 to 8 percent premium is added for minting and distribution. However, coins may make up for this added cost because they are easier to sell and manage and are more widely collected than gold bars. While minted gold bars typically come in weights between 1/10 of an ounce and 20 ounces, coins range from 1/20 of an ounce to one ounce. Read Full Article

LONDON (Thomson Financial) - Platinum prices broke through 2,100 usd an ounce to touch another fresh record high this morning amid ongoing worries over a widening market deficit this year as power outages in South Africa continue to crimp output.

“(The high) comes amid tight global supply conditions, growing speculative buying interest and power supply uncertainty in South Africa, the global leader in platinum production,” said Standard Bank analyst Walter de Wet.

“With the platinum deficit expected to widen to 400,000-500,000 ounces this year, compared with last year’s 265,000 deficit, the current upward price momentum has good fundamental support,” he added.

At 10.47 am, platinum was trading at 2,101 usd an ounce against 2,077 usd in late New York trade Friday, having earlier touched a high of 2,116 usd. Read Full Story