Found this one in the "loose coin" part of my Pop's collection, just popped up in the old cigar box when I was digging around for another that caught my eye ...I call him my "Rough Rider" because, well see for yourself
Trust me, me too... the rough condition made me slightly want to believe the scratches near the date had a reason to be there, but then the spread between the 9 and 1 and then there's the small matter of the tiny "vdb" on the shoulder that I finally located
Do you think they removed a layer of metal, to perhaps try and distract certain counterfeit elements going ? The peely look is very bizarre looking?
This is what a real 1914 cent should look like. On the OPs cent, the 9 and the 1 are much too far apart, caused by removal of a part of the 4.
Sorry to pile on, but they are correct. You can see where the "1" is altered and the "D" MM is too close to the date compared to genuine 1914 D cents.
Cut it in half and throw it into the garbage. These altered 14D's have ruined more than one ignorant persons view of collecting.
Should add, it's not a counterfeit, it's a fake. Counterfeit coins are those that are intended to be passed-off as legal tender in transactions for goods/services. Fakes are coins intended to deceive the numismatic community.
I wouldn't go as far as Thad. I say put in a flip and label it a bad fake, made by removing, (poorly), part of the first 4. No one with any sense will ever get taken by it. Btw OP, another trick to spot these is the shoulder will have V.D.B on it, where real 14d cents did not.
What about 10, 50, or a 100 years from now? If it's not destroyed, I guarantee it will cause someone grief someday.
Considering I personally own maybe 8 of these from old collections, I don't think it's much of a concern. There are thousands upon thousand of these out there. This one is much worst than most. I am usually one to always advocate stamping copy on fakes, it's just this one was so bad I don't know how it would fake anyone.
I think our biggest concern and challenge is the advances being made in altering, casting, faking etc. coins, and currency notes. People who examine coins report finding constant improvements to the point where they are almost indistinguishable from genuine products. Yikes!
