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Message:: [QUOTE="Hobo, post: 319636, member: 11521"]This is where educating yourself and having a reference library can make you a better collector and help prevent you from getting taken by buying a counterfeit or altered coin. There are plenty of resourses available - books, DVDs, on-line references, weekly column in Coin World, ANA Summer Seminar Counterfeit Detection course, etc. Here are a few references that I have: ANA Counterfeit Detection Vol. I & II, Detecting Altered Coins (2nd Edition by Bert Harsche), Detecting Counterfeit Coins Book 1 (Lonesome John), Detecting Counterfeit and Altered US Coins DVD (JP Martin).  If you know what to look for an altered 1914-D Lincoln cent is easy to spot. In 1909 when the Lincoln cent was introduced the designer placed his initials - VDB - on the lower reverse. After lots of complaints the initials were removed entirely. In 1918 the initials were placed on the truncation of Lincoln's bust where they remain today. So genuine 1914 Lincoln cents do not have VDB on Lincoln's bust - but 1944 cents do. If you see a 1914-D Lincoln cent with VDB on Lincoln's bust you can be sure it is an altered 1944-D. The 1944-D cent is altered by shaving off the diagonal and crossbar of the first 4. This leaves a larger space between the 9 and the 4 than is present on a genuine 1914-D.[/QUOTE]