Any time I see a graphic on any coin or especially paper money I copy it and stick it in a loose leaf binder. This way if someone askes me if this or that is real I have my own reference material plus other books to go to. Some times the coins have to be magnified more that 10X just to see the error , or I'm getting old 78 so far.3 more months and it's 79. I really like this forum and sometimes I put my 2 cents in.
So, @Insider , what are the keys to distinguishing the real one from the bogus one? IMHO the paper on the counterfeit looks funky and George's face looks "washed out". Lots of dots in the green fields too, whereas the genuine one looks better. I know almost nothing about these issues. Is there something else about the printing itself to look for?
Knowing what the genuine note should look like. You have done a good job describing the differences between the two. The counterfeit would be very deceptive to non-paper collectors if posted alone.
Good comparison. The portrait typically gives the counterfeiters the biggest problem of getting it right.
I see a great similarity to detecting counterfeit stamps. I have a few counterfeits in my stamp collection, and the real McCoys of the issue I'm thinking of (Cretan Trident issue among a few others), and the knowledge to spot the differences. Good reference material (AND USING IT) helps also.
@Insider : Something else came to my mind: differences in the printing process. I'll be willing to bet that the real one was engraved, while the fake was printed by some other process, probably some type of lithography. It's hard to tell just from a photo, I'd have to have both in hand. That's possibly one reason why the fake looks the way it does. Those of us who are or were philatelists know how to tell the difference.
