Here's the thread I made on the NGC forums: http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2295039&page=5&fpart=1 Hope this is helpful to some of you. Notes from authentication, grading, and conservation class taken at the ANA national money show pre-convention seminiar in march, in phoenix. Authentication: Contempoary counterfeits are circulated Q: What are altered coins? ~ Date alteration: A: One or more of the digits are "altered" so the coin can be passed as a more valueable date. TIP --> *First coins made by counterfeit dies look too prooflike (PL), unreal. Worn down counterfeit coins made by counterfeit does look more deceiving.(Worn out dies) TIP --> Bay Area counterfeits -- (Look up) ~Mint mark alteration: *The addition or removal of a mintmark to produce a more valueable specimen. Alterations: Form of a counterfeit coin. Note: This is not the same as surface alteration on a coin. Depressions. --> Depressions are contact marks on an orgininal coin used as a host (sacrificed) on a counterfeit die to make counterfeit coins. Interesting note --> Struck counterfeits are most often seen on gold coins. Alterations are most commonly seen on all key dates or mintmarks and on most better dates. (Hmm. this doesn't make much sense..) TIP --> Take the How To Detect Counterfeit and Altered US coins ANA correspondence course. TIP --> Most struck counterfeits are uncirculated. Recommend references for further reading: 1) ANA Reprints from the numismatist volumes 1 & 2 2) Copies of Authentication Bureau Column The numismatist, (c.) 1991-2001 and 2007 3) Clippings from coin world and numismatist news 4) Pick up counterfeit coin detector, Bill Fivaz (pocket reference) TIP --> (You can pick these up on ebay. They offer many geniune dianostics for the key dates, including the 1916 D mercury dime and three legged buffalo. Once you know the geniune dianostics its much easier to authentication the altered mint marks or specifics. I got one from the class, a pocket reference from bill fivaz hand signed by him) Other references : 1) Misc counterfeit reports 2) National collectors lab 3) ANA cert. service 4) I.B.S.C.C reports and bulletins recourse 5) ANA Mediation service 6) PNG Arbitration service 7) US postal inspector (?? No idea on this one) 8) Federal trade commission 9) Legal action. (?? I think this section was on what to do if you had your coins stolen or if you had a counterfeit coin to give it over to the secret service. Not sure) For Struck counterfeits: ~ There are numberous methods used to produce ~ Die struck coins are superior in quality to cast methods For cast counterfeits, some dianostics generally seen on these: ~ pimples and pits (air bubbles) ~ edge seams ~ weight and diameter are sometimes off Electrotypes: Electrotypes are a soft impression in wax , they are then plated. Lots of ancient coins are done this way. They also often have an edge seam. More about depressions: ~ Depressions have metal flow through them, bagmarks are shiny surrounding the bagmark. The vast majority of spark erosion counterfeits are copper. General counterfeit information: The more counterfeits made the more loss of detail from that die; so the coin is therefore struck with more force to compensate. Gold coins often have the denticals and on the 1908 S and 1909 S indian cent. (?? Not sure on this one. Notes not clear) Geniune dianostics for several key date coins and alterations: 1) The 1909 S VDB Geniune specimens should have a die chip in the s, there is a deficient on upper loupe serif, paraellal sides on left. (?) Check for tooling, scratches, displaced metal polishing or cleaning to conceal evidence TIP --> embossed mint marks are made by drilling a hole into the coin. Watch out for them. 2) 1937 D Buffalo Nickel Here's a good way to remember the dianostics on a geniune unaltered buffalo nickel of this date. "If the buffalo's *spoon* they legs missing" 1901 S 25 c -- Watch for seams around the mintmark. 1917 Type 1 25 c -- Watch out for re-cut lines 1932 D and S 25 c -- Check for seams stuck on coin TIP --> On authentication, you generally cannot deem a struck coin counterfeit with only one depression, generally you need other signs such as spikes from the denticals (Although about 3% of coins with spikes from the denticals are geniune) or multiple depressions. ~~ On the 1893 S mint alterations are most common. ~~ On the 1894 S $1 look for a die couge on the leg of the eagle. (on geniune pieces) ~~ On the 1895 silver dollar the date rises, usually the 5 rises the most. ~~ 1928 S $1 peace Look for light die polish in rays, S mint marks on peace dollars usually sits in a depression, fat. ~~~~~~~~~~~~*** ---> Counterfeit gold coins information ~~~~~~~~~~~~*** <----- There are 2 types of fields on gold coins. First, The Flat Field Type: The flat field type is on the : $1 gold liberty, $2.5,$5,$10, and $20 liberty head and the $3 indian head (Perhaps I mean princess head?) Flat field coins have denticals, cartwheel luster type. Next, The sculpted field type: Indian head $10 gold and saint gaudens $20 gold Dianostics for counterfeit pieces: Loss of fine detail, weak fat appearance in the letters, numbers, stars etc, denticals seperate, uneven. Known as "toothy" tool marks through the letters, field and numbers. TIP --> The instructor told me he was able to go on ebay and within 5 minutes find a counterfeit US gold coin from just the look of the coin. On this paticular coin, and on some counterfeit gold US coins, there is a halo or dishing effect on the transition of the field to the denticals. It is a bright circle around inside of the denticals. Characteristics of geniune coins: (Sometimes the best way to tell if a coin is counterfeit is to know the geniune characteristics. Here are a few of them) 1) Flat even fields 2) good luster and metal flow 3) clear, well formed denticals 4) fine details 5) good relief 6) fine die polish (counterfeits often show loss of detail everywhere) 7) Meets mint specifications for weight, diameter and metal content. 8) die cracks. These are seldon seen on counterfeits 9) denticals are sharp. (TIP! Some counterfeits also have fatty stars. See above) 10) A halo is a bright circle on edge of coin (see above) Other charateristics of counterfeit gold: 1) Loss of relief 2) Raised bumps, ("Pimples") 3) TIP! Depressions have luster in them. ~Interesting fact: There was once a infamous counterfeit who "signed" his work with the omega sign. No one knows if he ever was caught, but he counterfeited high relief 20 dollar eagles very well. He also counterfeited $3 indian princess gold. One way you can tell is to look for the omega symbol in the top of "R" on this $3 coin. TIP! Rotate a counterfeit coin under a good light source to spot depressions TIP! A linear depression is when lint gets between dies. These often are long, thin, with luster. (These are sometimes on geniune coins too, as well as other depressions) TIP! It's harder to use the fields on the indian head for authentication due to the incuse design. (On the 2 1/2 and 5 dollar pieces). Instead, on geniune specimens, look for die polish lines in the recess of the neck. These are short parallel lines.. On counterfeit specimens, look in stars for toolmarks. TIP! Die polish are fine lines over the entire coin. This is from when the dies were heavily polished at the mint. (??) TIP! $10 indians sometimes have depressions on the letters. That's a good place to look for them. Contact marks are shiny, where as counterfeit depressions generally have luster in them, metal flow through them, and match the surface characteristics outside of the depression in realative to the depression. They also often have soft, rounded surfaces. Well I hope this helped some of you
I'm sure it will help a lot of people. Thanks for all the effort. There were some places where the notes say "look for...", such as "1928-S Peace | Look for light die polish in rays", but it doesn't say if that's a diagnostic for genuine or counterfeit pieces. There were a few places where I was confused. Considering how much effort you've already put in, I hate to even mention this... but if you can clarify a few of those points, an edit or two would be helpful.
