2016-04-05 Tue

United States copper coins like half cents and large cents from the 1790s are falling prey to counterfeiters since their market value has risen. Fake coins which look almost similar to the original ones are minted using transfer dies or fake dies. The fake 1798 Draped Bust cent has a “modern-looking” edge instead of the 218-year-old edge. Also, amusingly, the fake coin weighs just 10.09 grams, compared to 10.89 grams which is debatable as copper is not an expensive metal.

Fake coins are sold at one-third to one-half of retail prices to buyers who do not verify the coins for years by a copper specialist or one of the major grading services. The forger is using worn out common date large cents as blanks and using extra pressure to destroy traces of the previous design. If he/she had used genuine coins as blanks then the coins would have passed sophisticated surface analysis test.