Altered 1922 No D Lincoln Cent. Notice the rim near the last 2 of the date; very worn compared to the rest of it. Anomalies like this should never be overlooked, especially with raw, rare coins. Looks like someone filed it off and then polished down the marks. A good rule of thumb is that with rare coins, always assume there is a good reason why it isn't already certified.
There is a great use for them as educational pieces. Understanding how coins are faked and altered helps others in knowing what to look for. However, the key is learning and understanding how coins are minted and how they changed over time.
Thank you. I see a lot of counterfeits and have been a recipient of a few before I knew what to look for and the knowledge on this site is very helpful. There is a warning about this coin in the Redbook regarding the removed mm and this is the first time I've seen such an obvious one and a very educational post on it.
I hope you don't mine me posting a photo. I think this one follows your theme. This used to be a 1944-D.
I think these topics are priceless. As a part timer, I always read through these topics closely. It doesnt take a new collector long to come across fake coins. The more someone sees in a forum like this the better because it just might stick with them. I'll post my 1944 below as well. Hope thats ok JCro. Its important to see how good some of these look that are out there and be aware!
On the 1914-D, I always like a close up of the jacket/shoulder area where the front VDB should be. If it is scratched out, (cough, cough) etc.
The VDB on my coin has also been removed, which I thought was funny seeing as the "1" was done so crudely.
What immediately caught my eye was that the two 2's had the same strength. On a real 1922 Plain I believe that the second 2 is significantly weaker than the first.