Tips on Spotting Counterfeit Coins

Collecting coins, or numismatics, is more than a hobby these days, it is a huge industry involving several different businesses. Some of these include dealers, grading services, professional numismatic photography, auctions, collectors and more. As with any business, there are those who are unethical and try to make money by forging valuable historic coins or rare coins . The best way to prevent this from happening is to become aware of the techniques the forgers use to trick people.

Counterfeiters have developed more skills in forging historic coins. The methods of forging coins have become more advanced and can even sometimes fool dealers and collectors. One of the main problems is that once a type of counterfeit coin is detected and taken out of the market, another forgery is there to take its place. With forgeries constantly evolving it is extremely important to stay educated and continue learning about new methods of counterfeiting rare coins and other types of coins like gold coins and silver coins.

Coins That Have Been Cast

Fake coins that have been cast usually have a distinctive seam where the metal covering the coin meets up. Also look for pits on the exterior of the coins. These pits are from air bubbles getting trapped during the process of the metal solidifying. If the coin is a silver coin or gold coin, check the weight. The wrong weight is a solid indicator that the coin is a forgery. Check the details of the coin, if they appear extremely dull and have the absence of sharpness than it could be a counterfeit. In recent years, forgers have tried to eliminate the pitting and air bubbles with putting the coins through a centrifugal casting procedure. Fortunately even after this procedure the coin will most likely be the wrong weight and have that distinctive seam.

Coins That Have Been Altered

It has become common for counterfeiters to attempt to alter a legitimate, genuine coin. Most likely, the forger will alter or modify the coin so that it appears to be more rare than it actually is. Of course the end goal of this type of forgery is to misrepresent the coin and charge more money then it is truly worth. The best way to combat this type of counterfeiting is a close examination of the suspect coin. Under magnification is one of the most reliable ways to spot a forgery of this type.

Sarasota Rare Coin Gallery has over 40 years of experience as a full service coin dealer. Call (941) 366-2191 or (800) 447-8778 for any questions or assistance with any type of coin or paper money! They are also available by email at Sarararecoin@aol.com