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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;dcarr, post: 2162889, member: 4781&quot;]The kind of &quot;sky is falling&quot; talk in this thread could potentially cause far more damage to numismatics than disclosing key diagnostics of a supposed counterfeit. The sky may indeed be falling, but nothing in this thread has drawn me to that conclusion. And nothing in this thread has convinced me that the coin is counterfeit. Who said it was counterfeit ? ANACS does not normally send their numismatic authenticators or graders to coin shows. Who looked at it ? A brief informal opinion at a coin show is not the same as submitting a coin for actual certification. And how is it known that this coin is &quot;Chinese&quot; ?</p><p><br /></p><p>I have a BIG &quot;wide screen&quot; PC display - top-of-the-line, 4K resolution and all.</p><p><br /></p><p>Before condemning a coin as a &quot;counterfeit&quot;, it is necessary to know the diagnostics and characteristics of the genuine article.</p><p><br /></p><p>1934 Washington quarters were produced in vast quantities. Many dies were involved. Three different obverse hub types are known (light, medium, and heavy motto). Many dies would have reached a very late die state, like that of the coin shown at the beginning of this thread. Note the heavy flow lines and extensive die erosion which is particularly visible at the front of Washington&#039;s neck. The longer a die is in use, the greater the potential for die scratches, die breaks, and other defects to form.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here is an earlier die state coin (another 1934 medium motto) that has been recently certified as PCGS MS68, with &quot;Secure Plus&quot; (the maximum level of scrutiny available from PCGS), and the coin is also &quot;CAC&quot; approved (which is yet another level of professional independent scrutiny). Note the heavy die scratching around &quot;LIBERTY&quot; and the pronounced &quot;lathe marks&quot; (arc lines) across the hair braid, neck, and in front of the neck. Also note the stray raised lines in the area of the date (to the right of the &quot;1&quot; at bust truncation; extending up and to the right from the middle of the right side of the &quot;9&quot;). These are characteristics of many genuine 1934 Washington quarters:</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://www.designscomputed.com/coin_pics/wash_1934_obv1.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>Here is the reverse of the same coin. Note the overall &quot;mushy&quot; characteristics and odd surface textures (raised random lines, pimples, etc, especially obvious in the olive branch above &quot;OLL&quot;), and this isn&#039;t even a late die state:</p><p><img src="http://www.designscomputed.com/coin_pics/wash_1934_rev1.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>And here is a different coin - an NGC certified 1934 Washington quarter. Note the die crack extending to the right of the Eagle&#039;s head and another across &quot;RIBUS&quot;. Die cracks in this area are very common on silver Washington quarters:</p><p><img src="http://www.designscomputed.com/coin_pics/wash_1934_rev2.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>Tool marks have frequently been cited over the years as a tell-tale sign of a counterfeit, but many genuine coins have accidental die gouges. So it is important to learn how to distinguish the difference between die polish lines, die scratches, die cracks, and &quot;tool marks&quot;.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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