Counterfeit Detection: 1887 3 Cent Nickel

The 3 Cent Nickel entered circulation in 1865, amid a coin shortage caused by the Civil War. The initial mintage of 11.3 million was the high-water mark for the series over its 25-year existence. Mintages dwindled down to the thousands for most of the 1880s, including a mere 5,001 for the 1887 business strike.

Genuine 1887 3 Cent Nickel Click images to enlarge.

Today, examples of the 1887 3 Cent Nickel are worth hundreds of dollars in About Uncirculated and more than $1,000 in Gem Mint State. NGC recently received a purported example of this semi-key date, but after examination by NGC’s experts, it was easily identified as a counterfeit.

Counterfeit 1887 3 Cent Nickel Click images to enlarge.

The date at the bottom of the obverse has multiple red flags. The shape of the numbers is inconsistent with a genuine example; for instance, look at the bottom of the ‘7.’ The position of the date (including the ‘7’ slightly overlapping Liberty’s hair) does not match known examples. Finally, if you look at the field behind the numbers, you can see how disturbed it is, which is possibly a result of the counterfeiter reusing the master hub in order to strike coins with other dates.

The date on the counterfeit (left) and genuine coins Click images to enlarge.

Overall, the fake coin has an odd color, as well as poor and mushy details. Another area of interest is the die cracks on the reverse. They lack definition and are not as sharp as expected, indicating they were present on the host coin that was used to create the counterfeit die.

Close-up of the reverse of the counterfeit Click image to enlarge.

A good loupe and access to images at NGC Coin Explorer might be all the tools many collectors would need in order to determine this coin is counterfeit. But whenever you have doubts about a coin, remember that NGC backs its determinations of authenticity and grade with the NGC Guarantee.

Did you know? NGC has created a comprehensive Counterfeit Detection resource to help collectors and dealers identify counterfeit and altered coins. Visit NGCcoin.com/counterfeit.