They have been faked, as have the key date 10 kopeks like this. This particular coin looks just fine though. Any specific reason for your concern?
Key dates are always faked in one way or another but common dates such as this i would say most peole would view as not worth the time or effort to fake !!
This is not a common date. The 1942 and 1944 10, 15 and 20 kopeks are much tougher, especially the 10 kopeks and 1942 15 kopeks.
thanks for your opinion , yes here is da answer http://www.ngccoin.com/certlookup/index.aspx?CertNumber=3732617-001 how unknowledgable they are?? bought from trusted dealer.
as far as i see - i dont see any signs of evidence being fake ? edge & weight looks fine , nothing absolutely nothing , i email them with this question about this , hope to get good answer
I wish there were pictures of this suspicious one in the NGC cert look-up. I find good fakes more interesting to look at than originals.
they dont say its fake but at same time they dont guarantee you authenticity what is this they missed ??
"Authenticity Unverifiable" is usually an indirect way of saying the coin is a good fake, to the point that someone with expertise has a sense that it's fake but not enough physical evidence to say with 100% certainty that it actually is.
I GOT AN ANSWER FROM NGC : Authenticity unverifiable is the notation for a coin that, even after additional research and/or consultation with outside experts, we cannot definitively determine authenticity
There is a valid reason for concern for those who don't really appericate the value of this particular coin. This if it is in XF+ condition can pull over 300 - 400 dollars or even more as it is not a common coin. You need to remember that around 1942, Leningrad was under siege by the Germans and therefore coins from 1942 are rather scarce (with the exception of 1942 20 kopek). There are some extremely high grade counterfeits coming from Belarus. Coins that were once thought to be common are heavily counterfeited such as the Russian-German 1916 occupation coinage. NGC and PCGS got stuck pretty hard by these counterfeits. These unfortunately are some of the highest grades in the market and were sold at some ridicious figures. High grade counterfeit Soviet coins unfortunately do exist and this may or may not be one. Therefore, this particular coin MUST be greeted with skeptism especially in this particular condition.
"some extremely high grade counterfeits" are cheap looking edge on all of them this 15 kop. looks absolutely right i dont know for sure what they stock on
As mentioned, slabbed coins do not give much credibility either unless you are on top of the game and you really know what you are collecting. This link is a good example: http://www.coinpeople.com/index.php...t-iron-123-kopecks-1916-pcgs-beware-of-fakes/ I still greet this coin with great skeptism.