Counterfeiters Expand Their Wares to Varieties

The list of known counterfeit USA coins continues to grow, but with a new twist. Not content to produce simply every possible date/mint combination, the fakers have now added a unique Indian Cent variety. This coin appears to be an 1869 with a boldly repunched 9 in its date, yet there is no genuine cent of that date having such a spectacular spread between the first and second numerals. Such a discovery would be a major development for Indian Cent collectors, were this coin not such an obvious fake.

Bearing all the hallmarks of the Chinese counterfeits plaguing the hobby, this coin is readily spotted as a phony by its indistinct denticles and puffy, dull-edged numerals and lettering. While most such counterfeits are offered in gem, fully red uncirculated condition, what makes this phony so disturbing is that it has been very skillfully aged to look like a vintage coin. A novice could easily be fooled into believing it to be genuine. Indeed, the person who submitted it to NGC for grading and variety attribution almost certainly thought it to be real.