Have you ever wondered how you could be able to watch out for counterfeit coins? Actually, if you can learn how to spot counterfeit coins on your own, then you can consider yourself among the skilled numismatists.
After all, it takes a trained eye and keen mind to know what you are looking for — and NOT looking for — when trying to tell real coins apart from fake ones!
Certain coins are likelier than others to be counterfeited.
For example, there is little chance you will run across a counterfeit example of the common 1985-D Lincoln cent. But beware when buying an example of the rare 1914-D Lincoln cent. Many counterfeiters will shave away the left part of the first “4” on the highly common 1944-D Lincoln cent.
There are many other ways coin collectors and investors can be taken by a scammer. However, if you are a cautious coin buyer who knows what you are looking for, you can guard yourself against mistakingly buying a counterfeit coin.
I’m the Coin Editor here at TheFunTimesGuide. My love for coins began when I was 11 years old. I primarily collect and study U.S. coins produced during the 20th century. I’m a member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA) and the Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG) and have won multiple awards from the NLG for my work as a coin journalist. I’m also the editor at the Florida United Numismatists Club (FUN Topics magazine), and author of Images of America: The United States Mint in Philadelphia (a book that explores the colorful history of the Philadelphia Mint). I’ve contributed hundreds of articles for various coin publications including COINage, The Numismatist, Numismatic News, Coin Dealer Newsletter, Coin Values, and CoinWeek. I’ve authored nearly 1,000 articles here at The Fun Times Guide to Coins (many of them with over 50K shares), and I welcome your coin questions in the comments below!
