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Message:: [QUOTE="JCro57, post: 7802219, member: 92083"]Also, there is a difference between "fake" and "altered." The ICG coin was altered. I believe "Fake" or "Counterfeit" means nothing about the coin is genuine. In other words, neither the planchet nor the die strikes were done by the Mint and/or their approved contractors. For example, to me, a genuine planchet struck with fake dies is not a counterfeit in its totality. To me, it is an "altered planchet struck with fake dies." Since the planchet itself is genuine, the coin as a whole can't be counterfeit. In contrast, a planchet made in China struck with fake Lincoln cent dies is a counterfeit as a whole. The ICG cent was deplated by a corrosive substance, most likely acid. It has corrosion, no mint luster at all, weak details (look at the super thin lettering on the reverse in particular. Can anyone really say this isn't acid corrosion?), and you can see not only pitting but traces of the copper that used to be on there. The proof is indisputable. Thus the ICG cent is an *altered* coin, not a *counterfeit*. It was a genuine Mint product at one time, thus it can't be a counterfeit. In my opinion, distinguishing between fake and altered is an important distinction. ~JC[/QUOTE]