A few of you have asked about some of the fakes we use for our educational purposes, so I will start adding a few photos of some of our better fakes. Most of these would fool most people. So take a look at the following photos and see if you can spot the fake.
Each and every one of these photos are of fake coins. That is exactly why it is so important to know your coins.
The nickel was obvious because of the nose. The seated half looked OK, except for the metal flow on the right field. That looked suspicious. The Lincoln was in bronze, or was that the photo? If it was a bronze color, only zinc coated steel were minted (as a rule) that year. The Morgan is interesting, what gave that one away? Was it the "N" in Unum? Thanks, Cris
The 43 copper is an altered date. Look at the 4. The Morgan pictured is silver plated. A very good fake overall, but very light. If a small weight was added in the 2x2 holder, such as the small fishing weights that are simular to match sticks, this coin could easily pass to the unsuspecting collector.
The Walker was made using a real Walker. The counterfeiter used a real coin for the mold. Several details stand out. The crack across the coin, the date, and some of the features just don't come across real well. The coin is silver, although we aren't able to judge the amount or how fine. The weight is very close. This coin weighs in at 10.75 grams. The diameter is a touch off also. The diameter of the coin is 30.8 mm. Close enough to fool most people.
I got this off.....ahem.....Ebay. Something just doesn't seem right. It shines, but is not frosty. It doesn't have that Morgan luster. The texture of the metal feels more like polished steel than silver. Compared to other Morgans of different condition, it is not similar to any. There is just something about it that feels wrong. I know it is hard to tell from a scan, but what do you experts think? Does it look fake to you?
If it is a fake, it is a good one. There is a distinction to be made from altered/cleaned coins and counterfeit coins. The ones ND has been posting are simply fake, no two ways about it. I think a much harder thing to determine (and Lord knows I haven't unlocked the secrets) whether a coin has been cleaned by an expert. Scans and photos can do a number on mint luster, as well as make funky looking coins. Bottom line, for me I have to hold the coin and look at it normally to distinguish right from wrong. But it is easier to distinguish fakes from expertly, but improper cleaning, IMO. Cris
Really hard to tell from the photo but this coin could be cleaned or whizzed. That would give it a different look and feel. Just a thought. Nick Aside to ND... One day we'll examine each others box of fakes...I've got some seated dollars that look REALLLY good...they just don't weigh enough. I also have some brass soveriegns I bought as gold one day when I was in a hurry.
Whizzed is when somebody takes a rotary wire wheel and polishes the surface of a coin. To the untrained eye this can make a coin appear to be uncirculated when it is actually damaged so badly that it removes any numismatic value.
One of these is a genuine Meiji 28 (1905) Japanese ¥1 silver coin (Y#A25.2) , the other is a cast counterfeit of a Meiji 8 (1875) coin (Y#A25.3) . (The mark in a circle at the left of the denomination on the genuine coin is not a chopmark. It says "Gin" = "Silver", and was added at the main mint in Osaka, to support it's circulation as a bullion coin in the Far East when the series was demonetized. The Tokyo mint put the same mark to the right of the denomination.) The extra wide rim on the fake is the first tipoff. The grainy surface, typical of a coin which has been cast rather than struck, is usually much harder to confirm in a picture, but this one is so bad that most experienced collectors/dealers would at least question it. Not apparent from the pictures are the two conclusive factors condemning the coin. It's diameter is a full 40mm, instead of the genuine 38.6mm for that year; and the weight is only 25.8g instead of the genuine 26.96. In my opinion at least 35-40% of all 19th Century and early 20th Century Japanese coins offered on EBay are either contemporary circulating counterfeits, or recent copies made for sale to tourists. Having a few known fakes around for comparison can be helpful.
Nick, When I get to Florida in the winter we will compare some good fakes. I bought a handful of the fake platinum pieces at a show early last year. We were busy, and it you know how things go.
