Counterfeit Double Eagle - Some Interesting Images

poorguy · January 24, 2006 6:21AM

I thought this was interesting so I wanted to post it. Another eBay seller called me up this morning asking about high relief double eagles. He said he had a consignor who sent one to them and wanted some information about it and to sell it. I asked the seller to describe the coin and any defining characteristics. I then had him check the edge of the coin for a seam that ran around the entire coin. Not many people know what I am talking about when I tell them to look at the edge and describe if it has a small line running all the way around the coin. Sure enough, the coin had a seam running all the way around the edge which guarantees it being a counterfeit. The coin was also not "high relief". Well, I had him send me some images and he did a wonderful job of scanning the entire edge of the coin by rolling it on his scanner. I thought I would share these images of the coin done by him for reference on what to look for with regards to "the seam around the edge of the coin". Looking at both the obverse and reverse images, one can easily see the corrosion and the strange looking design details which also indicate the coin is counterfeit. However, asking someone to look for any strange design differences, especially if they aren't sure of what they are looking at, would get you nowhere in determining a coin's authenticity.

claychaser · January 24, 2006 6:24AM

Is it even made out of gold, or junk metal?

crispy · January 24, 2006 6:29AM

<< <i>Is it even made out of gold, or junk metal? >>

That's how my "gold" bracelet from my girlfriend back in 9th grade ended up looking. Gold plated nickel I believe.

Nice image of the edge. Must've taken a few scans to put together that shot.

JDelage · January 24, 2006 6:32AM

The green corrosion is from copper, correct? It's vert-de-gris.

Boy, this is an ugly coin...

Bailey1977 · January 24, 2006 6:33AM

The first thing that pops out at me is the bottom foot that is showing is not suppossed to be there at all. Her jaw is somewhat angled and her hair is strange.

poorguy · January 24, 2006 6:38AM

I believe it is looks bronze to me. Could have been plated.

MoneyCollector · January 24, 2006 6:38AM

That there coin is just all WRONG!

Merc · January 24, 2006 6:42AM

Wow, I've never seen such a crude counterfeit Saint. Die struck counterfeits look almost perfect.

Longacre · January 24, 2006 6:44AM

Thanks for the informative post. I wonder if it was nicely plated and shiny if it would be as obvious that it was a fake.

poorguy · January 24, 2006 6:44AM

The eBay seller "did" give me permission to post his images and this coin. I just wanted to clear that up. I also gave him a link to this thread.

poorguy · January 24, 2006 6:46AM

Thanks for the informative post. I wonder if it was nicely plated and shiny if it would be as obvious that it was a fake.

I would think the line around the edge would be a dead-giveaway, even for someone who doesn't know what a double eagle looks like. If people would be informed on how to spot counterfeits of anything, they wouldn't get taken by coins like this.

LanLord · January 24, 2006 6:53AM

not counterfeit, that's the new debased double eagle that the gov't is about to add to our current fiat coinage.

BillJones · January 24, 2006 6:54AM

Ms. Liberty has a quizzical express on her face, which is nothing like the genuine article, that seems to say, “What am I doing here?” This looks like a souvenir that might have been sold for a buck or so at a place like St. Gaudens Museum in Vermont before Congress passed the Hobby Protection Act.

earlwbollinger · January 24, 2006 7:09AM

I am really impressed.
I wonder how he did the scan and rolled the edge of the coin that way so you coule get a pic of it?

Steve27 · January 24, 2006 7:11AM

Obvious fake, the corrosion is the giveaway even if you don't see the seam.

poorguy · January 24, 2006 7:16AM

I wonder how he did the scan and rolled the edge of the coin that way so you coule get a pic of it?

I instructed him to roll it along the scanner following that white line of light as it was scanning. Never tried it before but it worked well.

AValde · January 24, 2006 7:29AM

Lady Lib looks like Ana Kornikova.

And is made out of copper, may be gold plated. Copper sulphate (blue deposits) ?

and the eagle looks like it is hallucinating.

PerryHall · January 24, 2006 7:36AM

Extremely crude casting. Someone hand engraved a coin which was used to make the mold used to cast the coin. They should have used a real coin to make the mold. Also, there should be a lettered edge which this coin doesn't have. This POS is laughable.

crispy · January 24, 2006 10:07AM

<< <i>I wonder how he did the scan and rolled the edge of the coin that way so you coule get a pic of it?

I instructed him to roll it along the scanner following that white line of light as it was scanning. Never tried it before but it worked well.

>>

So that was how he did it. Good thinking!

EagleEye · January 24, 2006 1:02PM

You probably could have cleared up a lot of confusion just by comparing the size of the the piece. It looks like a 3-inche "coaster" too me.

Fountainhead · January 24, 2006 1:20PM

I had one like that, but inside it was chocolate - yummy!

100proof1957 · January 24, 2006 1:32PM

The verdigris should have been enough.

RickMilauskas · January 24, 2006 1:43PM

I too could tell it was counterfeit.

--Helen Keller

coppercoins · January 24, 2006 1:58PM

It would take someone who has never seen a double eagle in their life to mistake this one for the real thing. The lettering is wrong, the design is wrong, and it looks like the size of the piece is wrong...not to mention that even to a novice like me, the metal is even wrong. I don't know much, but I do know that gold is gold, and gold doesn't corrode.

Lakesammman · January 24, 2006 2:55PM

The scan was a very clever idea - thanks for posting it!

Counterfeit Double Eagle - Some Interesting Images

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