Log in or Sign up
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Coin Chat
>
do people actualy collect fakes
>
Reply to Thread
Message:
<p>[QUOTE="Lehigh96, post: 1531150, member: 15309"]The story of the "Soviet Dimes" can be found in David Lange's book, <a href="http://blog.davidlawrence.com/index.php/mercury-dimes-ch-4-counterfeit-altered-coins/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://blog.davidlawrence.com/index.php/mercury-dimes-ch-4-counterfeit-altered-coins/" rel="nofollow">The Complete Guide to Mercury Dimes > Ch 4 > Counterfeit & Altered Coins</a>. The following is my favorite passage on the subject:</p><p><br /></p><p><i>This last remark lies at the heart of what makes these counterfeit dimes so interesting and collectable. The mystery which began for American coin collectors during the late 1940s actually originated in the Stalinist Russia of the 1930s. Although rumors of a Soviet connection had passed in some circles, the collecting fraternity was not apprised of this fact until 1957.</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i>At that time New Netherlands Coin Company in New York City was one of the prestige firms of the hobby, and its house organ Numisma was eagerly awaited by advanced collectors seeking knowledge of United States coins. John J Ford, Jr. was the editor of Numisma, and it was he who penned the following account. His wartime service in the army saw him posted to the American headquarters for the European Theater of Operations, a position in which he would have been privy to the gossip concerning Russian/American relations. His remarks reveal much of the curious history behind the dimes dated 1923-D and 1930-D:</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i>To the best of our knowledge, these are counterfeits made of good silver and struck from excellent false dies — evidencing better technical facilities than those available to American crime rings. They were made, along with many wornappearing (dateless) Liberty Standing quarters, prior to and during World War II — and probably to the present day — in the Soviet Union. Evidence of this practice turned up during the war, but nothing was done because of the probability of antagonizing our “gallant Soviet ally!” The Soviet technical experts evidentially perfected some process of transferring genuine designs from coins to plaster and from plaster to steel dies, the latter presumably by some machine similar to the Contamin portrait-lathe used in Philadelphia and Tower Hill (English) mints for over a century. They also have good silver, heavy presses and collars — equipment available to no American counterfeiter. The purpose has nothing to do with numismatics. So far as we know these coins were intended (like those made by the Chinese and Italian imitators of American gold coins) to pass as a circulating medium. Silver, or gold, in the form of coins seemingly backed by a stable government, can be spent at a far better rate (i.e. has a higher purchasing power) than its bullion price as ingots. The Soviet imitations have evidently succeeded, as to date all specimens seen are considerably worn. The differences between them and the genuine are microscopic. It is highly likely that other dates have been manufactured and passed unnoticed. Fortunately for us, the quantities passed in this country have apparently been too small to disturb the economy.7</i>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Lehigh96, post: 1531150, member: 15309"]The story of the "Soviet Dimes" can be found in David Lange's book, [URL="http://blog.davidlawrence.com/index.php/mercury-dimes-ch-4-counterfeit-altered-coins/"]The Complete Guide to Mercury Dimes > Ch 4 > Counterfeit & Altered Coins[/URL]. The following is my favorite passage on the subject: [I]This last remark lies at the heart of what makes these counterfeit dimes so interesting and collectable. The mystery which began for American coin collectors during the late 1940s actually originated in the Stalinist Russia of the 1930s. Although rumors of a Soviet connection had passed in some circles, the collecting fraternity was not apprised of this fact until 1957. At that time New Netherlands Coin Company in New York City was one of the prestige firms of the hobby, and its house organ Numisma was eagerly awaited by advanced collectors seeking knowledge of United States coins. John J Ford, Jr. was the editor of Numisma, and it was he who penned the following account. His wartime service in the army saw him posted to the American headquarters for the European Theater of Operations, a position in which he would have been privy to the gossip concerning Russian/American relations. His remarks reveal much of the curious history behind the dimes dated 1923-D and 1930-D: To the best of our knowledge, these are counterfeits made of good silver and struck from excellent false dies — evidencing better technical facilities than those available to American crime rings. They were made, along with many wornappearing (dateless) Liberty Standing quarters, prior to and during World War II — and probably to the present day — in the Soviet Union. Evidence of this practice turned up during the war, but nothing was done because of the probability of antagonizing our “gallant Soviet ally!” The Soviet technical experts evidentially perfected some process of transferring genuine designs from coins to plaster and from plaster to steel dies, the latter presumably by some machine similar to the Contamin portrait-lathe used in Philadelphia and Tower Hill (English) mints for over a century. They also have good silver, heavy presses and collars — equipment available to no American counterfeiter. The purpose has nothing to do with numismatics. So far as we know these coins were intended (like those made by the Chinese and Italian imitators of American gold coins) to pass as a circulating medium. Silver, or gold, in the form of coins seemingly backed by a stable government, can be spent at a far better rate (i.e. has a higher purchasing power) than its bullion price as ingots. The Soviet imitations have evidently succeeded, as to date all specimens seen are considerably worn. The differences between them and the genuine are microscopic. It is highly likely that other dates have been manufactured and passed unnoticed. Fortunately for us, the quantities passed in this country have apparently been too small to disturb the economy.7[/I][/QUOTE]
Your name or email address:
Do you already have an account?
No, create an account now.
Yes, my password is:
Forgot your password?
Stay logged in
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Coin Chat
>
do people actualy collect fakes
>
Home
Home
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Activity
Recent Posts
Forums
Forums
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Posts
Competitions
Competitions
Quick Links
Competition Index
Rules, Terms & Conditions
Gallery
Gallery
Quick Links
Search Media
New Media
Showcase
Showcase
Quick Links
Search Items
Most Active Members
New Items
Directory
Directory
Quick Links
Directory Home
New Listings
Members
Members
Quick Links
Notable Members
Current Visitors
Recent Activity
New Profile Posts
Sponsors
Menu
Search
Search titles only
Posted by Member:
Separate names with a comma.
Newer Than:
Search this thread only
Search this forum only
Display results as threads
Useful Searches
Recent Posts
More...