Checking your coins for authenticity.

REPLICAS,
Most replicas are poorly made by the casting method and are virtually worthless. they can sometimes be identified by a seam that runs around the edge of the piece where the two halves of the casting mold were joined togather.

COUNTERFEITS,
counterfeits are usually crudely made and easily detected on close examination . these can usually be detected by the casting bubbles or pimples that can be seen with low-power magnification. pieces struck from handmade dies are more deceptive, but the engravings do not match those of genuine mint products.

ALTERATIONS,
coins are occasionally altered by the addition,removal,or change of a design feature (such as a mintmark or date digit) or by polishing,sandblasting,acid etching,toning or plating of the surface of a genuine piece.

DETECTION,

the best way to detect counterfeit coins is to compare suspected pieces with others of the same issue. carefully check size,color,luster,weight,edge devices,and design details. replicas generally have less detail than ther genuine counterparts when studied under magnification. modern struck counterfeits made to deceive collectors are an exception . Cast forgeries are usually poorly made and of incorrect weight. base metal is often used in place of gold or silver, and the coins are lightweight and often incorrect in color and luster.
Detection of alterations sometimes involvs comparative examination of the suspected areas of a coin (usually mintmarks and date digits) under magnification .


Hopefuly this will help someone from making poor decision.
I hope some of you find it useful. Feel free to post if you have something to add.

 

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Great post. Thanks.

 

Sure thing bro glad you found the info useful.

 

If you know anyone you know would find this info useful please pass it on .

 

I just finished my 20th century type set I am going to post pics or it next week on my 20th century type set thread.

 

A nice post!

Maybe we could add to the thread any web links that assist collectors in determining fakes. Here's one:

http://www.silver-coins.org/

Now, I don't know how current that site is, but it is something I bookmarked. If I find others, I'll post them here.

 

"Modern struck counterfeits made to deceive collectors are an exception ."



From my understanding, they are the main problem and the article doesn't really address them.

The Chinese are producing just about any common date silver replica you can name. Nobody's looking out for a counterfeit when they go to buy a common dime or quarter.

100% of the people who have been on this board for 6 months or more should be able to spot an obvious one. But how many here will spot a modern struck common quarter or dime, that is roughed up to look old? Very few would be my guess. Most wouldn't be looking for a fake in this case to begin with. And if they made a point to, probably couldn't tell the difference.

I would also like to add that some people say we don't need to worry about them since the hobby has been dealing with them since the 50's. Well, I think it's safe to say that there's probably millions more counterfeits in circulation now than there were in the 50s. Your odds are much better to get one now. And they will continue to increase as time goes on.

 

A good overview that expands on silverstruck's comments:

http://rg.ancients.info/guide/counterfeits.html

 

Well said and people do need to be on the look out for such piece's they will not be any fewer as time goes on they will only increse in number so we all need to be more aware of what we buy..

 

This is a good source of info thanks for the link bro

 

Fakes and Frauds: Threat or Menace?

At the 2004 ANA convention in Pittsburgh, I spoke at the Numismatic Theatre on the subject of "Fakes, Frauds and Phonies: Threat or Menace?" For my talk, I went to coin dealers and borrowed coins that they "ate." I then passed them around. Knowing that these were fakes, other dealers in the audience could not always agree on the telltale. Sometimes, it was the Mint mark that turns a $20 Morgan into a $120 Morgan -- and who pays attention to those, anyway? I had five fake Seated Dollars, VF/XF. The dealers agreed that if one of these was in a long blue box as they evaluated a collection, they would blow past it and never think twice and tally it as $75 wholesale. In many cases, the audience was stumped by the PowerPoint illustration, but once the coin was passed from hand to hand, it felt fake. The problem is that you cannot handle a coin when you buy it online. All you buy is a picture.

When I showed the fake ancients, none of the regular audience even dared to hazard a guess. They knew the coins were fake because that was the subject, but no one knew enough off the top of their heads to say why.

Among my slides was an outtake from a Celator article about modern fake ancients being salted into lots of "uncleaned" Romans.

I closed my talk by using bolt cutters to destroy all of the examples.

This is one of my other avatars:

 

Too bad you destroyed those deceptive fakes. Now no one else can learn from them how to identify counterfeits.

 

Great post Silverstruck , very informative , thanks .
rzage

 

Your welcome Glad you found it informative. Pass the info on if you know anyone who need's to check it out.

 

They look like decent fakes to , I'm with you they should be donated to the ANA , or some clubs to show collectors what counterfeits are like , but now they'll never get on ebay .
rzage:thumb:

 

Great post, thanks. Keeps us all thinking and watchful.

 

With all the fakes out there we sure need to be.

 

Its kind of a good thing at least us collectors don't have to worry about them getting into the wrong hands.

 

I too, would rather have kept them for educational purposes.

Bruce