How to tell if a 1856 Flying Eagle penny is fake?

Hello, i am new to this site and coin collecting in general, and i have a question and i was hoping you guys could help me with this. I came across a 1856 flying eagle penny, although it is very likely that it is fake, what are some characteristics of the fake/real 1856 flying eagles? what should i look for? thank you for your help!!

 

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Look for bumps in the fields. Also the denticles are a good indicator. Bring a nice loupe to look at the date, and closely examine the 6.

 

this may help

http://www.pcgs.com/articles/article_view.chtml?artid=5898&universeid=313&type=1

 

It would help immensely if you could post a pic.

 

As far as I'm concerned it's a fake unless it's in a slab from one of the respected TPGs.

 

I agree 100% with this. It takes the guess work out for everyone.

 

I will use TPG for authentication purposes on key coins at purchasing time, Three leg Buff, 1909-S VDB, etc.
Steve
P.S. Happy Thanksgiving CT Members!

 

A common method to fake the 1856 FEC was/is to alter the last digit in the date of a genuine 1858. The '5' is completely different for these two years. On the 1858 the vertical part of the '5' points to the edge of the ball on the end of the '5' while on the 1856 the vertical part of the '5' points to the center of the ball.