Conned for coins

FOREST PARK, Ga. - He came selling Morgan silver dollars, but now Forest Park Police are looking into the sale of counterfeit coins because the dollars weren't silver at all.

Charles Williams, 89, of Riverdale said he was approached by an African American man when he was leaving the Georgia Farmers Market near the airport a couple of days ago.

"He approached me, as I was about to leave, saying he had a good deal for me," said Williams.

He said he paid $240 for 40 Morgan Silver Dollars in plastic sleeves. They were dated from the 1890's and were marked minted in Carson City, Nevada.

"The gentleman died and he was trying to sell these coin collections for the lady," said Williams.

Using his magnet Williams later figured the coins were steel fakes. He reported the deception to Forest Park Police who brought in Coin expert Tony Davis of Atlanta Gold and Coin Buyers.

"These certainly are replicas. We see the fake Morgan silver dollars encapsulated like this quite often," said Davis as he held up the fake Morgan Silver dollars.

He said fake Morgans tend to be packaged neatly, lack the fine detail of real ones, look artificially aged and likely will stick to a magnet. Real ones won't.

Counterfeits he said have been artificially aged and won't have the 'patina' of real silver.

He uses special scales, calipers and years of experience to tell the difference.

"When you buy from someone not as reputable, you're always rolling the dice," said Davis.

It was a gamble which did not pay for Mr. Williams who went public to keep others from getting conned for coins.

"I just didn't want you to fall into what I fell into," said Williams.

Coin expert Tony Davis suspects the fake Morgan Silver Dollars were mass produced in China. Word of advice to consumers he said, 'It if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is'.

Since the coins are counterfeit they were confiscated by police.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Forest Park Police Department.