A FAKE 1914 D Lincoln cent

mr1931S

Here is an example of an altered date Lincoln cent forgery. The first four in the date of a genuine 1944 D Lincoln cent has been "shaved" to appear as a "1." Note that the created "1" is "too far away" from the nine. Also, note that the "D" on this fake is "wrong style." One will see these offered for sale from time to time. The workmanship on this particularly obvious forgery is very poor but still eight different bidders have been "faked out" at this writing.

kranky

One of the easiest fakes to spot, but it still fools the uninformed.

morgannut2

They're more careful with 1895 Morgan Proofs.

Bikingnut

Is it a fake because the 1 is not really a 1? Looks like too much space between the 9 and the 1 in the date.

kranky

Right on, bikingnut.

richbeat

The second 1 is not a 1, and it is also longer than the first 1. The 1's on a genuine 1914D cent are the same length. It is not a 100% foolproof way to tell the difference, as the second 1 can be shortened to the length of the first 1, but it can further help determine altered from genuine. So far, all of the altered 1944D cents I've seen have different length 1's.

ER

Man, I love this place. Always learning something.

GoYankees

Moreover, look for V.D.B. on the shoulder. I think Lincoln Cents added those initials in 1917. A true 1914-D wouldn't have these inititals.

LanLord

VDB on the shoulder doesn't bode well either!

lloydmincy

An easy fake to spot. Another easy way to know, is look at the 4. The genuine 4 is much smaller, and the 1944 has a WIDE/BROADER 4.