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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;GDJMSP, post: 2219008, member: 112&quot;]On the whole, yes the statement is true. In terms of sheer numbers there are absolutely more examples of counterfeit modern coins than there are counterfeit ancients. But then you must also realize that how you define &quot;modern&quot; becomes very important.</p><p><br /></p><p>To some who collect ancients modern is anything minted after 400 AD. To others, it&#039;s anything minted after 900 AD, or approximately those dates anyway. But if you ask other collectors modern can be anything minted after 1643 when milled coinage was first invented and accepted as the manufacturing method by France. And to yet others modern is anything minted after 1964, for US coins anyway. In other words modern can mean a lot of very different things.</p><p><br /></p><p>So I guess it comes down to a question of ratios. For example, how common are counterfeits, how many fakes are there in proportion to the number of ancients sold ? And how many in proportion to the number of moderns sold ? I have no doubt moderns would still be the higher number.</p><p><br /></p><p>But so what ? I mean, what difference does it make ? It really doesn&#039;t make any difference because all coins are counterfeited, or have been at one time or another. So for the collector you either know what you are doing and can avoid buying fakes, or you do not and do not avoid buying them.</p><p><br /></p><p>When it comes to counterfeits or fakes there are many things that you have to realize. One of the first of those is that there are two types of counterfeits, those that are made for use in commerce, to pass as real money in other words. And those that are made to sell to collectors. And the former far, far, outnumber the latter. And it is not just the key dates and more valuable coins that are counterfeited, as many think is the case, all coins are or have been counterfeited. And when I say that the first thing I am always asked is why would anyone counterfeit common coins ? And the answer is easy, because which coin are you likely to look at more closely - a valuable coin, or an inexpensive coin ? The reason common coins are counterfeited is exactly that - because nobody cares enough to look closely so it is much easier to get away with faking common coins. You may less money per individual coin, but you more than make up for it with volume. And you don&#039;t get caught.</p><p><br /></p><p>Another thing is that counterfeits are not just made by individuals, but sometimes by countries, nation states. And with the resources they have at hand, the counterfeits are so good that they even fool the so called experts, the TPGs. In those cases the only people who can usually identify the counterfeits are the individuals who specialize in that particular type of coin. All others are fooled, unless and until it is pointed out to them by those who do know.</p><p><br /></p><p>So as I said, what difference does it make which coin group has the most counterfeits ? There may be fewer ancient fakes, but there are far fewer collectors of them as well. There may be more modern fakes but there are far, far, more collectors of them as well. So the danger of buying a fake exists for us all. And in the end there is only 1 defense, and that is to only buy from someone who guarantees authenticity.</p><p><br /></p><p>Of course the guarantee is of little use if you don&#039;t even know you need it. And few do.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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