2016-09-26 Mon

In the 1960s and 1970s, the counterfeit 1873 Coronet, Closed 3 gold $2.50 quarter eagle coins were produced to bring gold into the United States. Importing gold bullion was prohibited legally but U.S. gold coins were allowed which is why this malpractice began.

The gold content used in these fake coins is correct, details are sharp, and the lustre and colour are retained, which is why they are hard to be detected.

They can be identified based on some raised lines at the front tip of the coronet, raised rim spikes extending from the dentils into the field on the obverse. These spikes were used to correct a defect on the fake die, or to sharpen an area that did not transfer over properly.

On the reverse, there is a depression above the E in AMERICA, and above the left corner of the I in AMERICA which comes from the genuine model coin. Most of them were originally contact marks or tiny defects, but contact marks are random in nature and finding similar marks on several coins is one way to identify these fakes.

Not every fake coin can be identified based on these points and coins without these features cannot be 100% real either.