Are there fake Casascius coins yet?

[dumbchump]

I don't recall hearing any (other than the hologram from a few months ago) but this coin on eBay appears suspect?  The 8 digit code on the coin definitely looks different than the coins I have seen that came directly from Casascius. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Funded-Casascius-25-BTC-Physical-Bitcoin-2011-V2-/281254829549?pt=US_World_Coins&hash=item417c181ded

I don't want to be a prick and cause the seller a headache if it's legit....but the seller is brand new to eBay too...

[odolvlobo]

The "code" is the first 8 characters of the bitcoin address. You can check its validity here: http://casascius.uberbills.com/

According to this site, the bitcoin address is 1Goe6LR2xP4Ss4g3KSLgPQ5vPmYWaZyZAh and the 25 BTC has not been spent.

The coin could be a counterfeit, but I don't see anything that indicates that might be.

[guybrushthreepwood]

I don't recall hearing any (other than the hologram from a few months ago) but this coin on eBay appears suspect?  The 8 digit code on the coin definitely looks different than the coins I have seen that came directly from Casascius. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Funded-Casascius-25-BTC-Physical-Bitcoin-2011-V2-/281254829549?pt=US_World_Coins&hash=item417c181ded

I don't want to be a prick and cause the seller a headache if it's legit....but the seller is brand new to eBay too...

There have been fake coins around, especially on ebay.

[DobZombie]

Seems legit.

The fake ones has the series 1 error spelling, but the series 2 firstbits I think

[danieldaniel]

There have been fake coins around, especially on ebay.

Do you have examples of fake coins showing up on ebay?

Keep in mind that selling them on a site like eBay wouldn't really require a detailed counterfeiting job (as the buyer can't analyze the coin over the web).  Granted, the buyer could obviously just reverse the payment...

[dumbchump]

Thanks guys.  Clearly the code is legit but he can pull that off any of the v2s to make it match since they are all public.  I'm not going to remove the hologram to redeem it so even if I was holding it I wouldn't know it was fake. 

The redeemed 25BTC (blank) coins have been selling on ebay for a while so I was hoping there was an easy way to verify that he didn't buy a blank one put a counterfeit hologram.  The actual text of the 8 digit code looks odd to me...  I guess that's a good enough reason not to bid.

[pizzaboy69696969]

It's tough to tell, if it helps the seller withdrew the auction anyway

edit:  it's back! http://www.ebay.com/itm/281255345385

[notserp]

hes on here trying to sell it now, looks fake to me i dont remember it having  black on the back of the coin maybe im wrong tho

[dumbchump]

Odolvlobo - look at the spacing of the code numbers letters.....side to side and up and down....does it really look the same?  I must be losing it. 

All the coins I have seen look just like the image you posted.  Maybe I'm too picky.




http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/OTg4WDEwMTE=/z/GpYAAOxydlFS542h/$_57.JPG

[notserp]

hes on here trying to sell it now, looks fake to me i dont remember it having  black on the back of the coin maybe im wrong tho

It bothers me when people post FUD like that. You have no good reason to think it is a fake, so you make one up. Here is a picture of another one:

i said maybe im wrong i just looked for more they do have black on the lettering on the back my bad

[escrow.ms]

Item's location is delhi India and he's asking 25 BTC worth Funds via Paypal (Indians can't accept that much fund in a single payment)

Even if this is a real coin he can do scam easily.
He can send anything or a blank and give tracking id to you and withdraw funds from paypal to his bank account.

If he was a real seller and wanted to sell it for just 25BTC worth Fiat, he would have redeemed bitcoins and sold them on any exchange.

[duukat]

I own some of these coins and they all look like the one pictured above and not the one that he is selling. 

[monkeynuts]

OK, I believe that coin being sold is a fake, and am working towards proving this.

The reason I think this is twofold

1. I believe the font is wrong on that coin
2. I believe I hold the genuine coin

At best the authenticity of the coin is in question, whilst 2 people both claim to hold the same coin (ie one of the coins MUST be a fake)

The honourable thing would be to pull the sale of the coin, while this is sorted out. If the coin being sold on ebay is genuine, then it could be relisted. (and in that scenario by inference I hold a fake coin)

I bought the coin I hold through ebay, in August last year, Item number <<NOW REMOVED>>, from forum member te_platt

Pictures of the coin I hold are at
<<LINKS NOW REMOVED>>
The font of this coin is more in line with the font on the first bits I have seen on other coins, than the coin being sold on ebay.
Shame I am having to post the pics to demonstrate this, as they can then be used ... but I see no other way

I am trying to validate the audit trail for the coin I have, hopefully with help of the ebay seller I bought from, and from Mike C, this will happen

Obviously what I really dont want to have to do, is open the coin I have to get the BTC's, and prove my coins authenticity, and ruin the coin in the process

Like I say, I am pretty sure the coin I have is sound. But I cant yet prove this beyond 'all reasonable doubt'. But it does cast a cloud of the validity of the other coin.

[casascius]

I had a quick email conversation between monkeynuts and the person who originally sold him the coin.  Turns out the seller (who originally sold to monkeynuts) is someone I know personally, lives in Utah, has been enthusiastic about bitcoins and has an in-depth understanding of the crypto that underpins the system, and someone I'm pretty sure would be selling an honest coin.  So the auction in question has likely scraped the image.

There (of course) is only one of each genuine coin and I've gone to great lengths to ensure that I can say that with absolute confidence.  I am persuaded that monkeynuts has the genuine coin.

[monkeynuts]

I had a quick email conversation between monkeynuts and the person who originally sold him the coin.  Turns out the seller is someone I know personally, lives in Utah, has been enthusiastic about bitcoins and has an in-depth understanding of the crypto that underpins the system, and someone I'm pretty sure would be selling an honest coin.  So the auction in question has likely scraped the image.

There (of course) is only one of each genuine coin and I've gone to great lengths to ensure that I can say that with absolute confidence.  I am persuaded that monkeynuts has the genuine coin.

Thanks Mike, very much appreciated

Also trying to be sold on here
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=439954.msg4865761#msg4865761

Can you post the same on that thread ?

[casascius]

What seems a wee bit disturbing is when I compare the closeup of monkeynuts' coin versus the one on eBay, the positioning of the "1Goe6LR2" differs.  In monkeynuts' coin, which is the one I believe is genuine, the number is well centered in the window (it varies, but in this case, it just happens to be well centered).  The repetition above and below is well obscured.  In the suspect coin on eBay, the second line of "1Goe6LR2" is visible, so as to suggest it can't even be a bad/doctored photo of the real coin.  This very well may be a photo of a counterfeit coin (or possibly a genuine coin with sticker removed & replaced with a counterfeit key/sticker/etc)

Also, the rotational position of the sticker is different.  At the 3 o'clock sticker position on monkeynuts' image it's "111"... at the same position on the eBay, it's "001".   Clearly not the same coin.

I suppose if someone's going to fake my coins they should pick one whose story I can't tell.  So here is the story.

The story behind the coin funded on December 9, 2011, was that I gave away 25 BTC coins to everybody who worked in my office at the Christmas party on or about December 19 of that year, cause I"m cool like that and all.  Bitcoins were worth something like $3, so it was no big deal for me to have kept a few of these pre funded...while their value today makes 25BTC an insane gift, at the time, $75... for a christmas gift that's totally sensible. The seller (whose Bitcointalk and eBay username is te_platt - he's invited me to identify him) did work for us at our office, and either got it directly from me, or traded with others at the office.  (We traded bitcoins back and forth like kids trade baseball cards and I would say Bitcoin has been one of the most fun distractions we've ever had at our office.)

The odds of that coin coming from te_platt on eBay, versus a new user on eBay popping up in 2014, are about a zillion (in favor of te_platt) to one.

It's unfortunate we all got to watch out for fakes.  I'd be happy to PGP authenticate any information I can confirm or verify about my genuine coins.

[hennessyhemp]

Someone should have just bought it...it is Paypal after all...they could get their money back for a fake.