Man bought $29K in rare coins then falsely claimed fraud, Macon federal case says
A man was accused of buying rare American coins for thousands of dollars and then falsely reporting the transaction as fraudulent, according to Middle Georgia federal court records.
Scott Hardwick was accused on Wednesday of buying two rare coins for more than $29,000 from Nashua Coins and Collectibles and Prestige Metals Exchange from May 18, 2022, to Aug. 21, 2024. He then reported the transaction as fraudulent, but didn’t return the coins to the companies, according to the indictment filed in the Middle District of Georgia.
“This practice resulted in the vendor not receiving the funds for the purchase and relieved Hardwick of the obligation to remit funds to his credit card company,” federal prosecutors alleged.
Though the indictment didn’t specify a location, it said Hardwick received the mail with the coins within the Macon court division. It handles cases from Baldwin, Bibb, Bleckley, Butts, Crawford, Dooly, Hancock, Houston, Jasper, Jones, Lamar, Macon, Monroe, Peach, Pulaski, Putnam, Twiggs, Upson, Washington, Wilcox and Wilkinson counties.
What did he purchase?
From Nashua Coins and Collectibles, which is based in New Hampshire, Hardwick purchased an 1893-S Morgan Silver Dollar for $12,500 in May 2022. He also purchased a 1862 Seated Liberty Half Dollar for $16,999 in August 2024 from Texas-based Prestige Metals Exchange.
The Morgan Silver Dollar is considered the “undisputed king of the entire series,” according to the Numismatic Guaranty Company, which provides grades for collectible coins, tokens and medals. Only 100,000 coins were produced.
More than 1 million Seated Liberty Half Dollar coins were produced, as “silver coins circulated freely in the West, where paper money was shunned,” in 1862, according to the NGC.
Hardwick faces two counts of mail fraud, which allege he made “materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises … for the purpose of executing the above-described scheme and artifice to defraud and deprive,” according to the indictment.
If convicted, Hardwick could face fines and 20 years in prison for each count, according to federal law.
