The fake Fisch does not have the Fisch logo* on the front panel of the gauge. Neither do they work. Or have the same finish. A typical fake rip off!
As a buyer of the fake Fisch wrote: "As far as knowing that they were fakes it was easy, they didn't work. Before I got the Fisch (fakers) I just used my scale and caliper. The fakers said my real gold coins were counterfeit. I knew something was wrong and I researched online and found a forum thread dedicated to the fake Fisch. The Fakers don't have the trademark and copyright symbols. This time I went straight to your site and got wallet #2 and 4."
*Or the name “The Fisch” in the case of the 1/2oz Maple Leaf Fisch.
The Fisch is a precision instrument with a lot of care, time and money taken in its manufacture. It is not something that you can just “knock off”. Someone who merely copies it is not going to have the interest, inclination or skill to get it right. Nor are they going to be prepared to invest in the quality tooling needed. There is no money in doing it right.They are after the fast buck.
A guy on eBay, who uses the name “slomskicorp”, claims that he has a supply of Fisch Wallets bought from a dealer who was going out of business. It seems he was also trying to sell on Craigslist in Chicago, LA & San Diego.Lately, he was giving them away at coin in the Chicago area. Update: Closed down from using the "Fisch" name, they are now sold as something else. But they are still the same - fake Fisch.
As gold buyers are a sharp bunch he has been outed very quickly. His listings on eBay have been pulled by eBay through eBay's veRO program (Verified Rights Owner), which is designed to protect eBayer's from scams like this.
But he will try to continue trade on the Fisch name where he thinks he can get away with it. Most recently he has been mailing postcards to dealers offering them his fakes. At least one dealer has been "caught" by him. I got an email for a guy who had bought from a coin dealer. Here is what he wrote when I asked him how did he know they were fake: "As far as knowing that they were fakes it was easy, they didn't work."
The more I think about it, the more irritated I get. Here is a name and product that has 29 years of work in it: Firstly getting the Fisch right, then the years getting it accepted and used by mints, banks, dealers and investors in over 40 countries. And now, along comes this opportunist who steals the design, steals the name and misrepresents his inferior knock off as the Fisch.
Just the sort of guy you want to avoid doing business with. Definitely when it is something as important as to whether a gold coin is fake or not.
I have hired an intellectual property rights lawyer and I am taking every type of action on all fronts.
Thank all the investors who have taken the trouble to get involved in protecting the name of The Fisch by writing to eBay, posting warnings on forums and more. Your goodwill means a lot.
