Some Basic Truths About the Counterfeit Detection Game
CaptHenway
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Some basic truths about the counterfeit detection game, for people inclined to leap to conclusions on insufficient evidence.
Some counterfeit coins are magnetic, MOST ARE NOT.
Most genuine coins have a good ring. Some do not because of planchet flaws.
Most die-struck counterfeits, which is the majority of the better quality counterfeits, will have a good ring because they were made the same way that genuine coins were made. Some will not.
Most genuine coins will have a proper weight, within Mint tolerances. Some will not.
Many counterfeit coins will have a proper weight, within Mint tolerances. Many will not.
Most genuine coins will have a correct specific gravity, except of course for error coins struck on planchets of a different composition, or coins with foreign objects struck into them. The wartime nickels have some variation in their specific gravity due to manganese oxide sometimes included in the melt.
The specific gravities of counterfeit coins may or may not be correct, depending on the skills and intents of the counterfeiter. Is he trying to fool a collector who will pay many times the value of the metal in the piece, or is he trying to fool a guy at the corner cigar store who might not notice that the coin is debased?
All of these tests are indications, that as a rule must be taken into account in toto. Try not to depend on just one, unless the results are painfully obvious.
Comments
Thank you for putting to bed some outdated and bogus opinions on detection.
Thank you for the good list. In your opinion, do the Big 4 (ANACS, CAC, NGC, PCGS) reliably catch fakes before slabbing them? When I say "reliably", I mean greater than 99% of time.
Yes, with perhaps the notable example of the micro O Morgans.
The most important aspect of the respectable grading services is the GUARANTEE of authenticity. Even in the rare instance of error, you're covered.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
You should also watch out though for fake holders with fake coins, as I've seen and reported to PCGS and NGC fake holders. These will almost always be online sales.
They are generally just a little off, but they are improving and adding many of the security features that they lacked in the past on the counterfeits.
So look carefully at the coin and at the holder -- and buy from a reputable source, like on EBay go with a seller that has many reviews and high ratings not some dude with one review for an item that he bought.
Of course! Yet none of us are perfect. This is why collectors should educate themselves to the best of their abilities, rather than automatically accepting the opinions of others.
Absolutely!
As to the Micro o Morgans, I still wonder if they might have been made by the Soviet Union during the Great Depression along with the 1923-D and 1930-D Dimes and god knows what else, but this is just idle speculation.