Modern Counterfeit and Altered U.S. Coins
Altered Date and Mintmarks. These are usually or always genuine coins that have been intentionally altered, such as adding or removing a mintmark, or altering a date, in order to try to make it seem as though the coin is more valuable than it otherwise is. (more opening info forthcoming)
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18 altered coins and counting...
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Not all genuine coins are known or documented as being counterfeited, reproduced, or altered.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
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ACEF. Report a Counterfeit
Search by Criteria
(Conceptual Idea) This search allows you to browse by category and denomination. Date is an optional field that helps narrow your search results.
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Genuine Date
Altered Date
Modern Counterfeit
1804 Large Cent
The 1914-D Lincoln cent is another heavily altered U.S. coin given that it is a semi-key date in the series. Genuine 1914-D cents have # genuine mintmark positions, as shown on the left. Alterations can be made by two methods. The first and most common is to remove part of the first 4 from a 1944-D cent to become a 1914-D. These tend to be very easy to spot because the tooling to remove part of the 4 leaves visible scratches and there tends to be a relatively large gap between the 9 and the '1'. The second and less common method is to add a D mintmark to a 1914 cent. A gallery will be created illustrating some of these added mintmark examples.
1856 Flying Eagle Cent
The 1914-D Lincoln cent is another heavily altered U.S. coin given that it is a semi-key date in the series. Genuine 1914-D cents have # genuine mintmark positions, as shown on the left. Alterations can be made by two methods. The first and most common is to remove part of the first 4 from a 1944-D cent to become a 1914-D. These tend to be very easy to spot because the tooling to remove part of the 4 leaves visible scratches and there tends to be a relatively large gap between the 9 and the '1'. The second and less common method is to add a D mintmark to a 1914 cent. A gallery will be created illustrating some of these added mintmark examples.
1908-S Indian Cent
The 1914-D Lincoln cent is another heavily altered U.S. coin given that it is a semi-key date in the series. Genuine 1914-D cents have # genuine mintmark positions, as shown on the left. Alterations can be made by two methods. The first and most common is to remove part of the first 4 from a 1944-D cent to become a 1914-D. These tend to be very easy to spot because the tooling to remove part of the 4 leaves visible scratches and there tends to be a relatively large gap between the 9 and the '1'. The second and less common method is to add a D mintmark to a 1914 cent. A gallery will be created illustrating some of these added mintmark examples.
1909-S Indian Cent
The 1914-D Lincoln cent is another heavily altered U.S. coin given that it is a semi-key date in the series. Genuine 1914-D cents have # genuine mintmark positions, as shown on the left. Alterations can be made by two methods. The first and most common is to remove part of the first 4 from a 1944-D cent to become a 1914-D. These tend to be very easy to spot because the tooling to remove part of the 4 leaves visible scratches and there tends to be a relatively large gap between the 9 and the '1'. The second and less common method is to add a D mintmark to a 1914 cent. A gallery will be created illustrating some of these added mintmark examples.
1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent
The 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent is one of the most altered U.S. coins based on its popularity and value. It has 4 genuine mintmark positions, as shown on the left. However, many examples exist with added mintmarks, some more convincing than others. A gallery will be created illustrating some of these added mintmark examples.
(The image on the left comes from this COINWEEK article)
1914-D Lincoln Cent
The 1914-D Lincoln cent is another heavily altered U.S. coin given that it is a semi-key date in the series. Genuine 1914-D cents have # genuine mintmark positions, as shown on the left. Alterations can be made by two methods. The first and most common is to remove part of the first 4 from a 1944-D cent to become a 1914-D. These tend to be very easy to spot because the tooling to remove part of the 4 leaves visible scratches and there tends to be a relatively large gap between the 9 and the '1'. The second and less common method is to add a D mintmark to a 1914 cent. A gallery will be created illustrating some of these added mintmark examples.
1922 (no D) Lincoln Cent
The 1914-D Lincoln cent is another heavily altered U.S. coin given that it is a semi-key date in the series. Genuine 1914-D cents have # genuine mintmark positions, as shown on the left. Alterations can be made by two methods. The first and most common is to remove part of the first 4 from a 1944-D cent to become a 1914-D. These tend to be very easy to spot because the tooling to remove part of the 4 leaves visible scratches and there tends to be a relatively large gap between the 9 and the '1'. The second and less common method is to add a D mintmark to a 1914 cent. A gallery will be created illustrating some of these added mintmark examples.
1931-S Lincoln Cent
The 1914-D Lincoln cent is another heavily altered U.S. coin given that it is a semi-key date in the series. Genuine 1914-D cents have # genuine mintmark positions, as shown on the left. Alterations can be made by two methods. The first and most common is to remove part of the first 4 from a 1944-D cent to become a 1914-D. These tend to be very easy to spot because the tooling to remove part of the 4 leaves visible scratches and there tends to be a relatively large gap between the 9 and the '1'. The second and less common method is to add a D mintmark to a 1914 cent. A gallery will be created illustrating some of these added mintmark examples.
1943 (P, D, S) Lincoln Cent
The 1914-D Lincoln cent is another heavily altered U.S. coin given that it is a semi-key date in the series. Genuine 1914-D cents have # genuine mintmark positions, as shown on the left. Alterations can be made by two methods. The first and most common is to remove part of the first 4 from a 1944-D cent to become a 1914-D. These tend to be very easy to spot because the tooling to remove part of the 4 leaves visible scratches and there tends to be a relatively large gap between the 9 and the '1'. The second and less common method is to add a D mintmark to a 1914 cent. A gallery will be created illustrating some of these added mintmark examples.
1955 Double Die Lincoln Cent
The 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent is one of the most altered U.S. coins based on its popularity and value. It has 4 genuine mintmark positions, as shown on the left. However, many examples exist with added mintmarks, some more convincing than others. A gallery will be created illustrating some of these added mintmark examples.
(The image on the left comes from this COINWEEK article)
1913 Liberty Nickel
The 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent is one of the most altered U.S. coins based on its popularity and value. It has 4 genuine mintmark positions, as shown on the left. However, many examples exist with added mintmarks, some more convincing than others. A gallery will be created illustrating some of these added mintmark examples.
(The image on the left comes from this COINWEEK article)
1937-D '3-Leg' Buffalo Nickel
The 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent is one of the most altered U.S. coins based on its popularity and value. It has 4 genuine mintmark positions, as shown on the left. However, many examples exist with added mintmarks, some more convincing than others. A gallery will be created illustrating some of these added mintmark examples.
(The image on the left comes from this COINWEEK article)
1950-D Jefferson Nickel
The 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent is one of the most altered U.S. coins based on its popularity and value. It has 4 genuine mintmark positions, as shown on the left. However, many examples exist with added mintmarks, some more convincing than others. A gallery will be created illustrating some of these added mintmark examples.
(The image on the left comes from this COINWEEK article)
1916-D Mercury Dime
The 1916-D Mercury Dime is another one of the most altered U.S. coins based on its popularity and value. It has 4 genuine mintmark positions, as shown on the left. Many examples exist with added mintmarks, some more convincing than others. A gallery will be created illustrating some of these added mintmark examples.
(The image on the left comes from this COINWEEK article)
1853 'No Arrows' Seated Quarter, Half Dollar
The 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent is one of the most altered U.S. coins based on its popularity and value. It has 4 genuine mintmark positions, as shown on the left. However, many examples exist with added mintmarks, some more convincing than others. A gallery will be created illustrating some of these added mintmark examples.
(The image on the left comes from this COINWEEK article)
1932-D and -S Washington Quarter
The 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent is one of the most altered U.S. coins based on its popularity and value. It has 4 genuine mintmark positions, as shown on the left. However, many examples exist with added mintmarks, some more convincing than others. A gallery will be created illustrating some of these added mintmark examples.
(The image on the left comes from this COINWEEK article)
1913, '14, '15 (P) Barber Half Dollars
The 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent is one of the most altered U.S. coins based on its popularity and value. It has 4 genuine mintmark positions, as shown on the left. However, many examples exist with added mintmarks, some more convincing than others. A gallery will be created illustrating some of these added mintmark examples.
(The image on the left comes from this COINWEEK article)
ASSESSING AUTHENTICITY
METHODS AND TECHNIQUES
There is rarely one piece of information that can inform and identify whether a coin is genuine or counterfeit.
A coin can be described in various ways.
Here you will learn the various methods and techniques used to build confidence as to whether your coins is genuine or counterfeit.
Process...
Ask your self the following questions:
Does the coin appear struck or cast? If struck, does it appear to be a mint design or hand-made die design?
All genuine U.S. coins were struck from a die, and none were cast.
If struck, does it appear to be a mint design or hand-made die design?
Of the presumed die struck coin, compare the obverse and reverse die workmanship against an authentic coin of the same date, mint, denomination, and type. If there are striking differences in the details, your piece may not be genuine. However, a coin with altered surfaces may appear not genuine, when in fact the alteration is merely distorting genuine details.
Show photos of everything you are talking about.
Describe any surface defects. Do the surfaces appear physically or chemically altered?
Does the surface metal appear accurate for the coin’s denomination and type?
What is the die alignment?
Is the edge type accurate for that denomination and type?
How does the piece resonate when tapped on the edge? Is the ring sharp, dull, or absent?
What is the weight of the piece? How does that weight compare to authentic coins of that denomination and type factoring in circulation wear, and assuming no metal has been intentionally removed from an alteration.
What is the diameter and thickness of the piece? How do these measurements compare to authentic coins of that denomination and type, again factoring in circulation wear, and assuming the planchet has not been physically or chemically altered?
What is the alloy of the coin as conducted through nondestructive SpG, XRF, or similar analysis?