1909-S VDB cent - what makes it fake? (or is it actually genuine?!)

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TallahasseeCoinClub
TallahasseeCoinClub Posts: 474 ✭✭✭✭
in U.S. Coin Forum


Official PCGS account of:

www.TallahasseeCoinClub.com

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  • MsMorrisine
    MsMorrisine Posts: 40,041 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    counterfeit!

    no period between D and B

    i'd check the mm position, but there is an easier tell than the period and mm position:
    the deep N in united. compare to a genuine svdb and you'll see the N there is shallow

    Current maintainer of Stone's Master List of Favorite Websites // My BST transactions
  • Batman23
    Batman23 Posts: 5,473 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Added mintmark? I think the mintmark is the wrong style.

  • robec
    robec Posts: 7,051 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    The N in UNITED on the reverse is the deep cut, should be the shallow.

    - Bob -

    MPL's - Lincolns of Colorimage
    Central Valley Roosevelts

  • MFeld
    MFeld Posts: 17,131 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @robec said:
    The N in UNITED on the reverse is the deep cut, should be the shallow.

    The S mintmark looks off, also.

    Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.

  • RedRocket
    RedRocket Posts: 1,923 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Counterfeit or altered?

  • johnny9434
    johnny9434 Posts: 34,051 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    if its altered its counterfeit (round about way)

  • TallahasseeCoinClub
    TallahasseeCoinClub Posts: 474 ✭✭✭✭
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    Thanks very much. As a collective, you all nailed the exact same concerns I had. I will let the owner know that this example should be counterfeit until proven otherwise (i.e. by a TPG or knowledgeable dealer).

    Official PCGS account of:

    www.TallahasseeCoinClub.com

  • MJPHELAN
    MJPHELAN Posts: 820 ✭✭✭
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    Not a known mint mark position.

    Mark
  • mr1931S
    mr1931S Posts: 7,309 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @MsMorrisine said:
    counterfeit!

    no period between D and B

    i'd check the mm position, but there is an easier tell than the period and mm position:
    the deep N in united. compare to a genuine svdb and you'll see the N there is shallow

    The mm position seen in the OP coin is unknown for 1909-S and 1909-S V.D.B. Lincoln cent. There is really no need to look at the reverse. The piece is a fake, and a poor one at that.

    "Two things are infinite: human stupidity and the universe; and I'm not sure about the universe."
    -Albert Einstein-

    Mistakes are natural. But repeated mistakes without reflection are something else. That may be the “stupidity” he was referring to. In research, he admitted uncertainty openly. “If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” This shows humility. Even a Nobel laureate accepted doubt. That humility makes the quote less cynical and more observational.

  • JDark
    JDark Posts: 66 ✭✭✭
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    I did check for a "whispering VDB".

  • mr1931S
    mr1931S Posts: 7,309 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited September 2, 2026 10:55AM
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    Harsche does note in Detecting Altered Coins that it is well-known that some V.D.B.s as seen on authentic 1909-S V.D.B. cents are very faint, "whispering," if you will.

    "Two things are infinite: human stupidity and the universe; and I'm not sure about the universe."
    -Albert Einstein-

    Mistakes are natural. But repeated mistakes without reflection are something else. That may be the “stupidity” he was referring to. In research, he admitted uncertainty openly. “If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” This shows humility. Even a Nobel laureate accepted doubt. That humility makes the quote less cynical and more observational.

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