1844 Counterfeit Cent

Hey gang!

Here's a pretty good Chinese counterfeit that crossed my desk. I wanted to share.

Gotta watch these.

 

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It looks too good. Doesn't look like a real coin for some reason.---John

 

When will it ever stop?

Soon collectors will have to have a degree in Metallurgical forensics to ensure they are getting the real deal!

 

Is the weight correct? I hate to imagine the day that I will have to buy only slabbed coins. Of course they are counterfeiting those too.

 

I agree that it does "look too good" but what would tip you off that it was counterfeit. I have been collecting for a long time and I must admit that I would probably been taken.

 

It weighs right within 1/10 of a gram.

The key indicator is the shape of the date.

 

That is one scary counterfeit! I would have thought it was real. Makes you think...

 

So, in theory if all they have to do is correct the shape of the date and have the correct weight how will you be able to trust what you are buying is real? They are able to counterfeit slabs also.

 

Is this coin collectors way of dealing with "reality TV". What is real and
what is fake. Everything is getting like this, whats next, reality life?????---John

 

Thanks for sharing. The date sure looks off, especially the '1'.

 

Wow! Comments and a question. The dentices and the shapes of the stars appear really flattened compared to the detail in the rest of the coin. Is this cast or struck.

 

Thanks for photo comparison, Matt. I consider the current batch of large cents coming out of China to be relatively convincing, especially to the novice or non-large cent collector. These are from an older lot, but still good enough to fool some:

 

These are struck.

 

The other tell-tale sign : the denticles aren't right.

I certainly agree it is a pretty good counterfeit, much better than the crap which I see from time to time. I saw a counterfeit 1839-O reeded edge half recently; what a dog.

I certainly do NOT agree that "it looks too good". The real ones are quite sharp and well-made.

 

Not only pays to pay attention, but to look at the details. Another reason you really have to know the authentic coins very well in order to be able to spot fakes.


Thank you so much for sharing. I have a very small collection of large cents, but I like them and will be adding to my collection at some time. Good to know about this.

 

i missed something. jloring - are you saying that all of the ones in your picture are Chinese fakes?

 

Yep... here's a closeup of one of them:

 

Look also at the diffences in thickness of the two 4s especially the lower sariffs or "feet" of the 4s.

 

Moral of the story is know all about the particular year of that coin before you buy.

 

the 18 looked good to me, the 44 did not.