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BAD METAL COIN

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Where Counterfeit Coins Meet Context

March-April 2026. WEBSITE UPDATES AND MAINTENANCE IN PROGRESS

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Counterfeit Coin of the Month

Barber Half Dollar
1915-S
TD.2-TD.R

This contemporary counterfeit U.S. coin is the only known variety struck on a steel planchet. This should not be too surprising given the hardness of steel compared with standard coin metals and alloys. There are currently 2 documented examples of this variety.

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Some countries have produced steel coins. For example, the U.S. produced zinc-coated steel cents in 1943. Other countries have used stainless steel for currency, the earliest being the 1939 Albania 0.50 Lek. Italy also minted the 50 and 100 Lire coins from the 1950s onward.

 

Nevertheless, this Barber half dollar counterfeit may be the earliest example of steel being used as a planchet to strike a coin, genuine or counterfeit.

1915-S.50c.TD.2-TD.R_edited.png

Report a New Die Struck Variety

Please complete this form, including uploading clear obverse and reverse images and providing a description (see additional details and requirements below).

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​REQUIREMENTS

  • For now, this is limited to die struck contemporary counterfeit Federal U.S. coins. Please do not send images of cast counterfeits.

  • Please upload a clear obverse and reverse image, an adequate description and details why this is (or may be) a new variety, and any other relevant information.

  • If confirmed as a new variety, I may request that the coin be sent to me for XRF analysis and other documentation. Owners are under no obligation to send anything.

  • By submitting images and confirming a new variety, the new variety may be published in a book and/or on this website, and the owner will be credited (or the owner can remain anonymous if preferred).

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