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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Evan8, post: 2538886, member: 74343&quot;]So I think almost 2 years ago I got hooked on contemporary counterfeit coins. Unlike modern fakes made to fool collectors of today, counterfeits would have been made to be spent at face value. These pieces have fantastic history and are quite rare in most cases. There has been a growing popularity for these coins throughout recent years, including a particular club dedicated to the collecting and attribution of capped bust half dollar counterfeits. The Contemporary Counterfeit Capped Bust Half Dollar Club or ccCBHcc, all&nbsp; started with the book written by Keith R. Davignon, in which Davignon numbers are used to attribute these spectacular pieces.</p><p><br /></p><p>Not only capped bust halves were counterfeited but almost every type of US coin leading up to the twentieth century have examples of contemporary counterfeits, although I have yet to see a counterfeit cent and am not quite sure any were made.</p><p><br /></p><p>For me, these pieces have really fascinated me. So here is the start of my black cabinet. If you have any, I would love to see more examples.</p><p><br /></p><p>This piece was my first counterfeit and the one that started it all.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]543772[/ATTACH] </p><p>[ATTACH=full]543773[/ATTACH] </p><p>This is an 1870 counterfeit shield nickel. It is 1870 number 1 listed in Fletcher&#039;s guide to sheild nickels. This piece was struck from hand carved dies and weighs in at 4.15 grams, almost a gram too light. Note the artificial wear on the center of the coin. This was done to help the piece &quot;blend&quot; in and cover up any crude details. Base metal I assume is nickel but am not sure.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]543774[/ATTACH] </p><p>[ATTACH=full]543775[/ATTACH] </p><p>Next up is not a US coin obviously. This is a 1900 British Trade Dollar. Like the US trade dollar, these coins were meant for trade in China and the Orient. No surprise that these were counterfeited but I have yet to see another example. Again, this one appears to be struck with very crude hand carved dies and struck in bronze. It weighs 24.01 grams, almost 3 grams too light and has a diameter of 37mm, 2mm too small.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]543780[/ATTACH] </p><p>[ATTACH=full]543781[/ATTACH] </p><p>Back to America, here is an 1858 Seated Liberty half dollar cast in what appears to be brass. The cast looks to be from an authentic obverse and reverse. Note the porous surfaces and lack of details. Some traces of silver wash remain present as well. Weight is 10.21 grams with a diameter of 29mm.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]543785[/ATTACH] </p><p>[ATTACH=full]543786[/ATTACH] </p><p>Another Seated half, this time dated 1874 with arrows. This piece is kind of a mystery. It appears to be cast, once agian from authentic obverse and reverse, but made from some sort of pot metal I cant identify. It is very light at only 9.43 grams.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]543787[/ATTACH] </p><p>[ATTACH=full]543788[/ATTACH] </p><p>Last we have a Capped Bust half. At first glance this piece could pass as a real one, it even has the correct edge lettering. It is listed as Davignon 1-A, extremely common. The first thing that caught my eye was the slight yellowing of the metal, next the unusual longer face of liberty. The eagle on the reverse is actually missing its eye, and then the 5 is completely wrong for this year. This one was struck in german silver and weighs 12.25 grams. </p><p><br /></p><p>I just picked a much more scarce bust half tonight and will post it when i get it. </p><p><br /></p><p>Thanks for looking and hope to see more.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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