How common is counterfeit U.S. currency from the 1900's?

ms70

Hello all,



I come from the coin side..... So please bear with me! I've developed a recent interest in Silver Certificates and I also have been thinking about obtaining two $500 notes just for fun and to pass on when I croak....



So my question is, are counterfeits of the above mentioned paper as common as counterfeits in the coin world? The coins are getting pretty bad with fake stuff coming from China very frequently, especially on eBay. Is our currency from the last century less counterfeited?



Thanks for any viewpoints.

Tookybandit

Some 1800's era contemporary counterfeits are very collectable! More modern counterfeits in the 1900's pop up occasionally on eBay, but they seems to go poof pretty quickly. When it comes to $500's, they are so abundant that you can stick with buying certified notes for little to no premium.

DanCong

there are contemporary counterfeits, and there are present day counterfeits. I have heard people counterfeit notes and their holders, but I have not seen any myself.


Here are two links to previous discussions of counterfeits.


Russian 1914 $100 counterfeit on eBay

Post your COUNTERFEIT 1902 or 1929 Nationals

most of the junk on ebay is pretty obvious as well as sold raw (or not professionally graded)


Buy from a reputable dealer or auction house and buy PCGS or PMG certified notes would be my recommendation.

SaorAlba

Originally posted by: Tookybandit

Some 1800's era contemporary counterfeits are very collectable! More modern counterfeits in the 1900's pop up occasionally on eBay, but they seems to go poof pretty quickly. When it comes to $500's, they are so abundant that you can stick with buying certified notes for little to no premium.

Indeed and I myself collect them. Up to a third of Civil War era paper money was counterfeit, even the Federal notes. Some of the counterfeits, notably from Chicago may or may not be tied to the people that were going to steal Lincoln's body in the 1870s.



Here is the Russian counterfeit on Ebay:



Russian Counterfeit

sellitstore

I think that I need to translate from the coin mindset.




I believe that MS70 is asking about modern counterfeits made to deceive collectors, not contemporary counterfeits made to circulate.




Silver certificates and $500 notes are rarely copied and offered to collectors. This is true of all U.S. government-produced currency.




Printing plates can't be copied the same way that dies for coins can (no spark erosion). They need to be hand engraved and the $100 1914 FRN is the only time that counterfeiters came pretty close and that was 100 years ago when there were many more individuals with the skill to engrave plates this well.




Reproducing the paper is another major problem.




The most common way of producing counterfeits or copies today is with a color copier. On these, the paper is always wrong and lack of detail fairly easy to spot when compared with a genuine note.




You could always buy a certified note to be 100% sure of authenticity but that really isn't necessary as there are very few counterfeits or copies of the notes in which you are interested.




When it comes to Chinese (or other) copies, currency does not face the same challenges as coins.

TigerTrader

When it comes to Chinese (or other) copies, currency does not face the same challenges as coins.

Thank the lord! I still buy metal discs from time to time but I am so much more cautious with them at this pint...



I hope this remains the norm for currency...