Fake Coins - How To Detect Fake Coins

While there are really not all that many fake coins on the market, there is a genuine risk of purchasing a fake, especially if you are new to coin collecting. In order to protect yourself from counterfeits, it is best to research before you begin adding valuable coins to your collection.

Looking into the coins you are interested in purchasing will allow you to learn more about the value of the coins; this way, you’ll know if the price being asked is a reasonable one. You should always keep in mind that any deal which seems too good to be true almost certainly is. Don’t think that just because a coin dealer is offering the coin that it is necessarily genuine. Even the experts are occasionally fooled by a counterfeit coin. The best way to prevent buying fake coins is to buy only from very reputable, well established dealers.

It can sometimes be a simple matter to tell genuine gold and silver coins apart from fakes, particularly if you are able to examine them side by side. In many cases, authenticity can be established by looking at the quality of the coin – fake coins are often lacking the luster of a real coin; alternately, they be unnaturally lustrous. A lot of fake coins will also bear imperfections, which make the coin appear as if it has been cast, not pressed (which may well be the case). Another test is to drop the coin against one which is known to be real – what does it sound like? If it doesn’t sound right, it is probably fake – fake coins are almost invariably softer than the genuine article. However, the best way to determine if a coin is a fake is to have it examined by an expert. Coins which are intended to be passed off as valuable ones tend to be too light, too thick or made from the wrong metal entirely (which is why they will look, feel and sound wrong).

The best way of all to protect yourself against buying a fake coin is to never buy from a dealer who does not offer a guarantee of authenticity (a certificate of authenticity is especially good) for their coins. However, there are actually some fake coins which are of high value due to their notoriety. There are some counterfeits which are of very high quality, produced by counterfeiters who have made the investment in presses. That said, there are not really all that many fakes out there and you may in fact never run across a counterfeit. The majority of counterfeits are intended to be passed off as very rare and valuable coins which are within the reach of only a few very wealthy collectors.