Both of these Lincolns were found in an estate collection I bought years ago. Because they are keys they were submitted to PCGS for certification and grading. PCGS declared one counterfeit. Which? And what was their decision on the other? The S-VDB images are big (if you click on them). For some reason I didn't save the '14-D in a very big images. Lance.
'14-D's the fake. Sure, some may think it's just a weak strike, but to a well-trained eye, it's pretty suspicious. Well-made counterfeits are becoming more common by the day. I'm gonna say PCGS said "Cleaned" (Maybe just "Cleaned Obv" if they're that specific) for the '09-S VDB. -Brian
Hey these guys are experts, but I ate a lot of paint chips as a kid. I am saying the 09 is counterfeit, because the liberty looks a little off centered. If you look at the bottom of the L it is higher than the bottom of the Y.
Ok here's my guess - 1914 grease-filled die, cleaned genuine. 1909 counterfeit - s looks too flat? rev d.b looks good though.
Perfect! Everyone guessed the '14-D. Congratulations, everyone. It is a genuine 1914 Lincoln with an added mintmark. It might fool a novice but it's wrong in lots of ways, especially the mintmark orientation. Pretty rough shape, alright. Late die state too. How about the S-VDB? What did PCGS say about that one? No one guessed right so far. Hint: consider all possibile verdicts. Lance.