Fake-A-Roni: A Cautionary Tale

secondrepublic

I know most of you guys don't read Polish, but there is an absolutely fascinating thread on a Polish auction site regarding some very high quality fakes that have emerged. Basically, a forger has taken common 1938 five groszy coins, removed the "8", and replaced it with a "4", thus increasing the coin's value 50 or 100-fold. The 1934 coin is rare, and the 1938 is very common.

Other than the "4" and "8," there are very slight die differences between a 1934 and a 1938 relating to the position of the eagle's crown under the "9" in the date. On 1934s, the tip of the eagle's crown is to the left of the foot of the "9," and on 1938s it is under the foot of the "9."

Some 1934s recently appeared on the market that have the "1938" alignment--that is, the tip of the eagle's crown is underneath the foot of the "9." There has been intense dispute over whether the difference in position is just a die variety, or whether it means that some of these coins are fakes.

One collector tested this hypothesis by buying several high end 1934s with the "1938" die alignment that he thought were fakes. (In case you're curious, he probably spent a couple of hundred dollars on each one.) He then bent, attacked, and chiseled several of the "1934" coins he thought were fakes. Here are some pics:

First he scratched the coin on the other side -- then applied some lemon juice -- then bent the coin - and look what popped off.

Testing job on another "1934" -- look what popped off.

Another coin that was tested, with before and after photos.

It looks like what happened was that the forgers removed all or most of the "8" and drilled holes into the "8" coin. They then stuck a "4" in its place, and probably artificially toned the coin to cover their tracks. Clearly, it was an expert job. It's unclear where they got the 4 -- whether it was made specially for the job, or cut out of a 1934 two grosze coin, which is just slightly smaller in diameter than the 5 groszy (I'm not sure if the "4" is the same size or not.)

Apparently, the counterfeiting job was so good that one of the fake 34s is still sitting in an NGC holder, graded MS 63. If it were real, probably a $1000 to $1300 coin. (Again, the tipoff is the position of the eagle's crown under the "9".)

Scary. Very scary.

wildjag

Wow that 1934 looks real and untouched in the first photos. Colors are blended evenly, toning is uniform. And then I am shocked to see those slugs pop out when bent. Makes me worried about what the future holds as technology advances

SYRACUSIAN

A very interesting thread, regardless of specific collecting interests. It seems to me that at least the one in the NGC holder will most likely find a buyer.



edited to add that the buyprice that the tester paid for each fake seems very low compared to the value of a real one mentioned at the end,IMO this alone should have been an alarming sign.

secondrepublic

<< <i>A very interesting thread, regardless of specific collecting interests. It seems to me that at least the one in the NGC holder will most likely find a buyer.



edited to add that the buyprice that the tester paid for each fake seems very low compared to the value of a real one mentioned at the end,IMO this alone should have been an alarming sign. >>



I think the ones he bought were XF or AU. The MS ones run for a lot more.

It's money well spent - from the hobby's perspective.

1jester

Fantastic discovery, 2ndRep!!! I'm amazed. I'm not surprised, however, knowing that the cost of labor in the east is next to nothing, so a $300 gain for such work is most definitely worth it.

Where do you find the time to sift through all those forums?

CIVITAS

I fail to see how what is left of the last digit looks anything like an "8" after the plugs are removed. What am I missing?

1jester

<< <i>I fail to see how what is left of the last digit looks anything like an "8" after the plugs are removed. What am I missing? >>



I don't think the pictures show enough detail for us to ascertain what digit was there prior to attaching the 4. The guys doing the massacring of the coins said that they were using loupes in order to determine the diagnostics of the coins.

Kurt4

Wow!---Those are some darn good fakes. That is very scary. Especially given the rising popularity of Polish coins.

secondrepublic

<< <i>Fantastic discovery, 2ndRep!!! I'm amazed. I'm not surprised, however, knowing that the cost of labor in the east is next to nothing, so a $300 gain for such work is most definitely worth it.

Where do you find the time to sift through all those forums?

>>



Where do I find the time? I'm at work.

secondrepublic

<< <i>I fail to see how what is left of the last digit looks anything like an "8" after the plugs are removed. What am I missing? >>



I agree with Jester -- I think they were looking at the area around the "8," and closely examining that area.

5 groszy coins of that type appear with the dates 1923, 1925, 1928, 1930, 1931, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, and 1939. However, except for the '38 and '39, all the other dates are scarce or rare in nice condition. So it wouldn't make a lot of sense to go drilling holes in them.

The '34 also seems to be the only date where the tip of the crown is to the "left" of the "9" in the date. On the other years, it's either right under the "9", or to the left of it. The placement of the tip of the crown floats around on the different dates, and I think they can tell it's a '38 based on the exact location.

This website shows a real '34, a fake '34 made from a '38, and a real '38. Link As you can see, there are other die differences between the '34 and '38 than just where the tip of the eagle's crown sits.

docday2003

Wow, very cool pictures. I am amazed at the quality of the fake.