What's the most counterfeit "small" Gold coin?

Manorcourtman

$1, $2.5$......???? And from what period were they made? I've heard small gold coins were most easily counterfeited......so who did it and when was it done? These fakes must also be collectable. Anyone seen one lately? Thanks!! Chris

DennisH

How about California fractional gold pieces?

coinbuf

I have seen several 1911-D 2 1/2 Indian fake D's

Chris

BillJones

The Type I gold dollar (1849 - 1854) probably had the most counterfeits made of it, and the date 1853 is the most common counterfeited date. 1852 and 1854 are close behind. These tiny coins were so small that the counterfiets' job was made much easier by their size. These counterfiets were made to fool average people, not coin collectors, but they have fallen victim to them none the less.

The counterfeit problem plus trouble with handling such coins, let to proposals to make the gold dollar larger. The result was the Type II design was turned out to be a technical failure. The relief of the design was too high, and that resulted in weak strikes. The response was the Type III gold dollar, which as modeled after the Three Dollar Gold Piece design.

Colorfulcoins

BillJones, I always wondered why the design changed on the Gold $1's.....I be smarter now!

PerryHall

All US gold has been counterfeited. The gold $1 and $3 have been especially popular with the counterfeiters due to their high premium over melt. The Indian $2 1/2 and $5 are also heavily counterfeited since the incused design is easy to reproduce. The Liberty $10 and $20 are the least counterfeited but they do exist.

291fifth

Prior to the advent of certification services, counterfeit gold $1 coins were a plague on the market. I still wouldn't buy them raw.

nesvt

<< <i>How about California fractional gold pieces? >>



I just bought one a few days ago. I'll post some pictures tonight. It has some tripling in the date and a few die gouges. How do I know if it's real or not? Check the melting point?

PerryHall

Most of the California fractionals of recient manufacture (mostly from the 1960's) are not counterfeits but rather are fantasy pieces since the designs don't imitate a real coin. A perfect example are the coins with a bear on them. No original California fractional gold coin had a bear on them.

Merc

I heard a talk by one of the graders at ANACS at a FUN show. He said a collector brought in a complete $2 1/2 Indian gold collection for a grading opinion. Every coin was fake.

Conder101

Without a doubt type II gold dollars. At one point ANACS reported that over 80% of all the type II dollars submitted to them were fakes. Second most commonly faked were three dollar gold. During the gold boom in 1980 Silvertowne had hundreds of twelve piece liberty and Indian type sets come through their hands, and in nearly every case the type II dollar and three dollar golds were fake.

thebeav

I've stopped counting the counterfeit type III gold dollars I've seen in the last 25 years......Hand fulls of them, literally.....
I was always under the impression that they were of Mid-east manufacture. As previously noted, their high premium and small size made them great targets......

Paul

majorbigtime

There are probably a zillion bogus gold dollars, mostly type I.

jdimmick

stopped into my local dealer who showed me a collection of gold from an estate he is buying

thier were

2 Lib $20 04-s, ?
2 Indian $10 1932(2)
1 $5 1909-d
2 $3 1854, 1874
3 $ 2 1/2 1911, 1913, 1861
1 $1 1853

IMO, the 2 $10 indian were bad, both $3, were 100% guaranteed bad, and the $1 was bad.

shirohniichan

I've seen a really convincing counterfeit 1874 gold dollar.