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Message:: [QUOTE="Vess1, post: 403426, member: 13650"]I purchased the US Gold counterfeit detection guide by Bill Fivaz.  There's a lot of good info in there.  Here's a little excerpt from the beginning.  Not all the info but a few important points out of it.   "Counterfeit rules of thumb:   Weak/Fatty, mushy letters & devices  Repeating depressions  Tool marks (commonly found at the back of the neck on $2.5 & $5 Indians)  Spikes  Sunken letters or numbers  Color  Edge- Irregular reeding on the edge or fat, rounded reeding.  Most also have straight, fine lines in between reeding where the coin was pushed out of the die at the mint.   Check the edge for test marks, which are a good indication that someone has questioned it's authenticity in the past.   Weight  Spinners-  Some counterfeit Indian head $5 pieces may spin when placed on a flat surface, due to one side being cup shaped.    Mintmark- It is estimated that close to 90% of false Liberty Head gold coins are Philadelphia counterfeits (bearing no mintmark).  But as shown by the OP here....don't let your guard down on MM'd coins.   Greasy luster  High-point luster- One of the most telling signs of a fake is a coin with wear that has complete luster on the high points.  Many times counterfeiters will harshly clean the coins to obscure the surface, making detection difficult.   Uncertified coins  Bubbles   GENUINE COIN RULES OF THUMB:   Genuine die wear.  Microscopic detail  Circulation wear -  If coin is in EF grade or lower, chances are in your favor that it is a genuine coin.  This is not etched in stone but is a good rule of thumb.  Fine die polishing lines  Certified coins"[/QUOTE]

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