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http://www.startribune.com/business/119371484.html
Robert Webber says he spotted the 1845 U.S. silver dollar as a Chinese counterfeit the minute he saw it.
Webber, of Goldsboro, N.C., returned the bogus coin to Burnsville Coin Co. last year for a refund of $449. He included a note warning that the other two coins he had ordered, at a cost of $12,400, must be certified as authentic by the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) - or else.
It appears that Burnsville Coin owner Barry Skog is about to find out what that means.
Webber said the other coins he received - 1851 and 1858 silver dollars - not only were fakes, but also were encased in counterfeit PCGS holders. He showed them to PCGS representatives at a Boston coin show last year, and its parent company, Collectors Universe Inc., filed a lawsuit Dec. 7 against Skog and his company in a California federal court alleging trademark infringement.
Skog never formally responded to the charges; a handwritten denial he sent to the judge last month was rejected as improper. Collectors Universe, based in Santa Ana, Calif., recently won a default judgment.
In filings this week, the company asked the court to bar Burnsville Coin from selling coins in counterfeit PCGS holders; to order Skog to turn over all counterfeit coins and holders for destruction; and to turn over all profits his company made by selling any coins in counterfeit PCGS holders. The company also seeks $11,772 in legal costs.
Stephen Mayer, chief operating officer for Collectors Universe, said in court filings this week that the damages are hard to calculate.
"In correspondence with Mr. Webber, defendants [Burnsville Coin] stated that they sold 400-500 coins per month. We cannot, at this time, determine how many of those coins were Chinese counterfeits, but suspect there were numerous sales such as those to Mr. Webber," Mayer said. He said he's received several phone calls from people who claim that Skog sold them counterfeit coins in PCGS holders.
Skog did not respond Wednesday to a request for comment. He has declined earlier interview requests, but said in an earlier e-mail that both of the coins he sold Webber had been graded and certified by PCGS.
"They were never returned to us for refund or exchange," Skog wrote. "We did not tamper with the coins and PCGS guarantees their work. That is why the coins are certified in the first place!"
Webber insists that Skog knew the coins were fakes because PCGS denies that he ever sent the coins in for certification. That infuriates Webber, who is vice president of his local coin club.
"Most people would be tickled to just get their money back. And he would be glad to give me my money back, I'm sure, for me to go away. But he needs to be put out of business," Webber said.
"Say they sell to your father some fake coins in fake holders and he just puts them in a safety deposit box. And when he dies, you carry them off to get them sold. They'll say, 'These coins aren't worth a dollar.'"
Armen Vartian, an attorney for Collectors Universe, said counterfeit coins and holders from China are becoming more common. Five years ago, he said, they would be easily detected by numismatists, but no more.
Webber agreed. In a test, he passed the silver dollars that he bought from Burnsville Coin around to 20 members of his coin club. Just five concluded correctly that they were fakes, he said.
Collectors Universe suspects that Skog has coins made to order in China, complete with specific dates and mint marks, Vartian said.
Webber said he filed a complaint with the Minnesota attorney general's office and was told that when it started doing research on Skog, investigators learned that he was in China, "looking for certain dimes."
The attorney general's office declined to comment, citing restrictions of the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act.
Dan Browning • 612-673-4493
罗伯特Webber说他察觉了1845美国银元，当中国假劣分钟他看了它。 Webber， Goldsboro， N.C.，去年退回伪造硬币到退款的Burnsville硬币Co. $449。 他包括另外两枚硬币他定购了，在一费用的$12,400，必须证明如地道由专业硬币分级的服务的笔记警告(PCGS) - 或者。 看来Burnsville硬币所有者巴里Skog将发现那的什么意味。 Webber说他接受的其他硬币 - 1851年和1858银元 - 不仅是伪造品，而且被装箱了在假劣PCGS持有人。 他去年显示了他们对PCGS代表在波士顿硬币展示，并且它的总公司， Collectors Universe Inc.，归档了一个诉讼12月7日反对Skog和宣称他的在加利福尼亚联邦法庭的公司商标权受侵。 Skog从未正式地反应了充电; 他送到法官的手写的否认上个月被拒绝了如不正当。 收藏家宇宙，根据在圣塔安那，加利福尼亚，最近赢取了一个弃权。 在屑子这个星期，公司请求法院拒绝Burnsville硬币卖在假劣PCGS持有人的硬币; 定购Skog移交破坏的所有假劣硬币和持有人; 并且移交所有赢利卖做的他的公司在假劣PCGS持有人的任何硬币。 公司也寻找$11,772在法律费用。 斯蒂芬Mayer，收藏家宇宙的业务执行责任者，法庭上说屑子这个星期损伤是难计算。 " 与Webber先生联系，被告[Burnsville硬币]阐明，他们卖了每个月400-500枚硬币。 我们不此时能，确定多少那些硬币是中国假劣，但是那里嫌疑犯是许多销售例如那些对Webber， "先生; Mayer说。 他说he' s从声称的人接受了几个电话Skog卖了他们在PCGS持有人的假劣硬币。 Skog星期三没有回答RFC。 他拒绝了更早的采访请求，但是在更加早期的电子邮件中说他卖Webber的两个硬币由PCGS分级了并且证明了。 " 他们未曾返回到我们退款或交换的， " Skog写道。 " 我们没有窜改硬币，并且PCGS保证他们的工作。 所以硬币首先被证明! " Webber坚持， Skog知道硬币是伪造品，因为PCGS否认他为证明送了硬币。 那激怒Webber，是他的地方硬币俱乐部的副总统。 " 多数人民会发痒让他们的金钱回到。 并且他会是高兴给我我的金钱后面， I' m肯定，我的能走开。 但是他需要被投入在事务， "外面; Webber说。 " 说他们卖给您的父亲在假持有人的一些伪造品硬币，并且他在安全箱投入他们。 并且，当他死时，您运载他们得到他们被卖。 They' ll说， ' 这些硬币aren' 相当dollar.'价值的t; " Armen Vartian，收藏家宇宙的一位律师，说从中国的假劣硬币和持有人变得更加共同。 五年前，他说，将货币学家，但是没有容易地查出他们。 Webber同意。 在测试，他通过了他从Burnsville硬币买给他的硬币俱乐部的20名成员的银元。 五恰当地认为，他们是伪造品，他说。 收藏家宇宙怀疑Skog有定做的硬币在中国，完成与具体日期，并且印记， Vartian说。 Webber说他提出了与明尼苏达首席检察官'的一项控告; s办公室和告诉，当它开始做对Skog的研究，调查员获悉他在中国， " 寻找某些dimes." 首席检察官' s办公室拒绝评论，援引明尼苏达政府的制约实践行动的数据。