For comparison, we give you the link to the Numista page of the real coin.
About forgeries
A common case with fake coins is copying designs that never existed, where the size and weight of the coin are substantially larger or smaller than the right size. These are automatically fakes and are worth only the metal they are minted on.Let's start with copper coins. Usually fake copper coins (from China) have a soapy oxidation to them that is green and tough, but does not eat up the coin. Oftentimes they have scratches surrounding the coin to imitate short but thorough circulation; coins that circulate for long periods are smoother and evenly worn, while fakes have sharp, but worn features. Many fakes, however, are simply restrikes that imitate circulating coins and are intended to deceive buyers. These are usually coins that rarely circulated, or have very high values.
Silver Chinese coins, along with silver trade dollars from the US and Hong Kong are among the most faked coins in the world; luckily they are easy to spot, while some others are harder. The best place to start is to use a magnet. Any coin intended to be silver that is magnetic is automatically a fake, since silver is not magnetic. The second measure to determine a fake silver coin is looking at the rim. The reeding should be consistent, straight, and sharp; they usually reach the top and bottom of the rim. A third factor is weak impressions on the coin; a character may be blurred or unclear, and the design might be unclear around the edges of the coin. Lastly, fake silver coins occasionally have a porous surface, and this can be found by using a magnifying glass.
Another type of fake is a contemporary counterfeit. They have some value, in some cases, more than the real coin itself. Contemporaries usually have crude designs and use brass or tin and nickel instead of copper and silver, respectively. In most cases, contemporaries have much circulation wear throughout the coin.
How to recognize a fake coin?
First of all you should check your coin with a magnet. If your coin is supposed to be in gold, silver, brass, copper or bronze and it is attracted by the magnet you can be sure it's a fake.If your coin passed the magnet test, check the size: diameter and thickness. The weight is more difficult to reproduce exactly if the original coin should be in gold or in silver. A different alloy will produce a big weight difference.
If your coin passed all these tests, take a magnifier and observe the edge, the details and the year, compare the design with the original coin on the Numista page.
If you still hesitate ask for confirmation on the Coin identifications and valuations forum.
The fakes
The characteristics showing that it is a forgery are in red.| Bermuda | China | Ecuador | Euros | France | Germany | Greece | Hong Kong | Hungary | Indochina | Italy | Japan | Mexico | Russia | South Africa | Spain | United Kingdom | USA |
|---|
The Gallery
| Napoléon III France |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: | 1867 BB | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | Bee | ||
| Ø mm : | 37.5 | ||
| Weight in g: | 22.61 | ||
| Edge: | reeded | ||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | No | ||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 10 Fr TURIN France |  |  | |
| Year: | 1933 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø mm : | 27,8 | ||
| Weight in g: | 7.62 | ||
| Edge: | reeded | ||
| Metal: | ? gray look | ||
| Magnetic: | No | ||
| Has more value than the real coin itself! | |||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 10 Fr TURIN France |  |  | |
| Year: | 1934 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø in mm : | 28 | ||
| Weight in g: | 7,63 | ||
| Edge: | reeded | ||
| Metal: | gray alloy | ||
| Magnetic: | no | ||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 10 Fr TURIN France |  |  | |
| Year: | 1938 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø mm : | 27 | ||
| Weight in g: | 10.00 | ||
| Edge: | |||
| Metal: | bronze-aluminium | ||
| Magnetic: | |||
| The reverse looks soft as it was casting. The bronze color leaves no doubt that it's a fake. | |||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 20 francs France |  |  | |
| Year: | 1939 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø in mm : | 35 | ||
| Weight in g: | 20,53 | ||
| Edge: | |||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | no | ||
| form, place and size of date not correct | |||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 10 Francs Leon Gambetta France |  |  | |
| Year: | 1982 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø in mm : | 26 | ||
| Weight in g: | 9,86 | ||
| Edge: | |||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | no | ||
| more yellow than the original coin - smooth forgery | |||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 5 Fr Hercule France |  |  | |
| Year: | |||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | A | ||
| Ø mm : | 37 | ||
| Weight in g: | 19.45 | ||
| Edge: | sharp (looks like poor imitation of inscription in relief) | ||
| Metal: | Lead or tin | ||
| Magnetic: | No | ||
| Very smooth, very bad forgery - maybe vintage? | |||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 5 Francs France |  |  | |
| Year: | 1960 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø in mm : | 29 | ||
| Weight in g: | 9,38 | ||
| Edge: | LIBERTE*EGALITE *FRATERNITE* | ||
| Metal: | gray alloy | ||
| Magnetic: | no | ||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 5 Francs France |   |  | |
| Year: | 1962 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø in mm : | 29 | ||
| Weight in g: | 10 | ||
| Edge: | reeded | ||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | No | ||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 10 francs France |  |  | |
| Year: | 1988 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø in mm : | 23 | ||
| Weight in g: | 6 | ||
| Edge: | 5 groups of reeds | ||
| Metal: | bi-metallic | ||
| Magnetic: | Yes (center) | ||
| Crude forgery, the central part clearly stands out from the ring | |||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 10 francs France |  |  | |
| Year: | 1989 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø in mm : | 23 | ||
| Weight in g: | 6,51 | ||
| Edge: | 5 groups of reeds | ||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | yes | ||
| reeds very soft | |||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 10 francs France |  |  | |
| Year: | 1990 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø in mm : | 23 | ||
| Weight in g: | 6 | ||
| Edge: | 5 groups of reeds | ||
| Metal: | bi-metallic | ||
| Magnetic: | Yes (center) | ||
| Crude forgery, the central part clearly stands out from the ring | |||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 10 francs France |  |  | |
| Year: | 1991 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø in mm : | 22.7 | ||
| Weight in g: | 6.47 | ||
| Edge: | 5 groups of reeds | ||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | yes | ||
| rust on the center part | |||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 5 mark - Wilhelm II German states (Prussia) |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: | 1907 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | A | ||
| Ø in mm : | 38 | ||
| Weight in g: | 17,46 | ||
| Edge: | reeded | ||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | Yes | ||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 5 mark - Wilhelm II German States (Prussia) |  |  | |
| Year: | 1904 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø in mm : | 38 | ||
| Weight in g: | 25 | ||
| Edge: | reeded - has no legend | ||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | no | ||
| Die crack through hair | |||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 5 Pesetas - Joseph Napoleon Spanish states |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: | 1814 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø mm : | 40.3 | ||
| Weight in g: | 25.4 | ||
| Edge: | |||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | |||
20 flowers around "pesetas" instead of 25 no dot after Barcelona blue-gray look | |||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 20 reales - Isabel II |   |  | |
| Year: | 1859 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø in mm : | 37,5 | ||
| Weight in g: | 20 | ||
| Edge: | lettering on edge | ||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | Yes | ||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 10 Centimos - II Republica Spain |  |  | |
| Year: | 1938 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø in mm : | 20 | ||
| Weight in g: | 3,75 | ||
| Edge: | |||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | Yes | ||
| obverse: poor design of the shield, larger letters reverse: poor design of the wreath, 1 in "10" is different | |||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 1 Real - Reyes Catolicos Spain |  |  | |
| Year: | |||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø in mm : | 24 | ||
| Weight in g: | 4,6 | ||
| Edge: | |||
| Metal: | Tin | ||
| Magnetic: | no | ||
| "Normatensyl" advertising token | |||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 1 Pond South Africa |  |  |
|---|---|
| Year: | 1896 |
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |
| Ø mm : | |
| Weight in g: | |
| Edge: | |
| Metal: | |
| Magnetic: | |
| Supposed to be gold, and in daylight this fake does have a little gold-plating still showing. | |
| The real coin on Numista | |
| £1 - Menai Bridge United Kingdom |   |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: | 2008 (the bridge on the reverse was only used on 2005 coins) | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø mm : | |||
| Weight in g: | |||
| Edge: | rubbish edge design | ||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | |||
| The obverse has a portrait that someone has taken time over to create a new one. | |||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 5 Shillings - George VI United Kingdom - Festival of Britain |  |  | |
| Year: | 1951 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø mm : | 38.1 | ||
| Weight in g: | 19.00 | ||
| Edge: | reeded | ||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | Yes | ||
| Thickness: 2.1 mm | |||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 1 Crown - George V United Kingdom |  |  | |
| Year: | 1935 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø mm : | 38 | ||
| Weight in g: | 18.77 | ||
| Edge: | reeded | ||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | yes | ||
| Thickness: 2.1 mm | |||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 1 Crown - George VI United Kingdom |  |  | |
| Year: | 1937 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø in mm : | 39 | ||
| Weight in g: | 20,06 | ||
| Edge: | |||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | yes | ||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| British Trade dollar United Kingdom |   |  | |
| Year: | 1930 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø in mm : | |||
| Weight in g: | 23,33 | ||
| Edge: | incorrect reeding | ||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | |||
| excessively worn rim | |||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| Piastre de Commerce Indochina |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: | 1908 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø mm : | 39 | ||
| Weight in g: | 16.78 | ||
| Edge: | Reeded | ||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | Yes | ||
| one of the most copied coins. | |||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| Piastre de Commerce Indochina |   |  | |
| Year: | 1896 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø mm : | 39 | ||
| Weight in g: | 14.04 | ||
| Edge: | incorrect reeding | ||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | |||
| Grainy Field - improper mint damage | |||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| Piastre de Commerce Indochina |   |  | |
| Year: | 1827 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø mm : | 39 | ||
| Weight in g: | 19.21 | ||
| Edge: | poor quality reeded edge | ||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | |||
| poor detail - heavily worn lettering - missing border teeth | |||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 1 Trade Dollar 10th year Meiji Japan |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: | 1877 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø mm : | 36 | ||
| Weight in g: | 17.80 | ||
| Edge: | reeded | ||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | No | ||
| casting with a big break on the reverse | |||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 1 Yen - Meiji Japan |  |  | |
| Year: | 1882 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø in mm : | 38 | ||
| Weight in g: | 19,7 | ||
| Edge: | |||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | No | ||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 7 Mace 2 Candareens China - Empire (Jiangnan province (Kiangnan)) |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: | |||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø mm : | 39 | ||
| Weight in g: | 20.99 | ||
| Edge: | reeded | ||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | Yes | ||
| casting look - rust on some places | |||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 1 Mace 4.4 Candareens China - Empire (Guangdong province (Kwangtung)) |  |  | |
| Year: | ND (1890-1908) | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø mm : | 24 | ||
| Weight in g: | 4.49 | ||
| Edge: | |||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | Yes | ||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 1 Yuan - Sun Yat-sen China - Republic |  |  | |
| Year: | 1934 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø in mm : | 39 | ||
| Weight in g: | 26,48 | ||
| Edge: | |||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | No | ||
| casting | |||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 1 Yuan Automobile China - Republic (Guizhou province (Kweichow)) |  |  | |
| Year: | 17 (1928) | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø in mm : | |||
| Weight in g: | |||
| Edge: | |||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | Yes | ||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 1 Dollar - Yuan Shi-kai China - Republic |  |  | |
| Year: | 3 (1914) | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø in mm : | 38,7 | ||
| Weight in g: | 2,57 | ||
| Edge: | |||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | no | ||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| Trade Dollar United States |   |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: | 1877 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø mm : | 38 | ||
| Weight in g: | 23.60 | ||
| Edge: | poor quality reeded edge | ||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | |||
| poor detail - heavily worn lettering - missing border teeth | |||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 1 dollar "Seated Liberty" United States |   |  | |
| Year: | 1840 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø mm : | 38 | ||
| Weight in g: | 21.50 | ||
| Edge: | irregular reeding | ||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | |||
| worn border teeth - heavily worn lettering | |||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 1 dollar "Morgan Dollar" United States |  |  | |
| Year: | 1921 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø in mm: | 38 | ||
| Weight in g: | 19.20 | ||
| Edge: | reeded | ||
| Metal : | |||
| Magnetic: | Yes | ||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 1 Dollar "Peace Dollar" United States |  |  | |
| Year: | 1929 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø in mm : | 37,13 | ||
| Weight in g: | 22,1 | ||
| Edge: | |||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | Yes | ||
| "Reproduction" under the eagle | |||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 1 dollar "Draped Bust - Small Eagle" United States |  |  | |
| Year: | 1795 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø in mm : | 39 | ||
| Weight in g: | 18,13 | ||
| Edge: | reeded | ||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | Yes | ||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 1 dollar "Draped Bust - Heraldic Eagle" United States |  |  | |
| Year: | 1799 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø in mm : | 38 | ||
| Weight in g: | 17,45 | ||
| Edge: | reeded | ||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | Yes | ||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 1 Dollar "American Silver Eagle" USA |  |  | |
| Year: | 1896 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø in mm : | 38.9 | ||
| Weight in g: | 18.30 | ||
| Edge: | |||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | yes | ||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 1 Dollar - Victoria Hong Kong |  |  |
|---|---|
| Year: | 1867 |
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |
| Ø in mm : | 39,2 |
| Weight in g: | 26,54 |
| Edge: | reeded |
| Metal: | xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx |
| Magnetic: | No |
| The real coin on Numista | |
| 1 Euro 1st map Italy |  |  |
|---|---|
| Year: | 2002 |
| Mint/Mint Mark: | R |
| Ø in mm : | 23,25 |
| Weight in g: | 6 |
| Edge: | segmented reeding |
| Metal: | |
| Magnetic: | Yes |
| notably thinner than the real coin | |
| The real coin on Numista | |
| 8 Reales - Felipe V Colonial Milled Coinage Mexico |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: | 1732 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø in mm : | 24 | ||
| Weight in g: | 5 | ||
| Edge: | plain | ||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | Yes | ||
| mini coin! | |||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 8 Reales Federal Coinage Mexico |  |  | |
| Year: | 1882 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø in mm : | 39 | ||
| Weight in g: | 18,45 | ||
| Edge: | reeded | ||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | yes | ||
| Inferior Mint quality | |||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 8 Reales - Carlos III Colonial Milled Coinage Mexico |  |  | |
| Year: | 1760 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø in mm : | 37 | ||
| Weight in g: | 15,8 | ||
| Edge: | |||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | no | ||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 20 centavos Mexico |  |  | |
| Year: | 1980 | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø in mm : | 28 | ||
| Weight in g: | 9,2 | ||
| Edge: | |||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | no | ||
| Obverse: fantasy design - MEXICO instead of Rep. Mexicana Reverse: MEXICO instead of CENTAVOS | |||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| 50 Centesimi - Vittorio Emanuele II Italy |   |  |
|---|---|
| Year: | 1867 |
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |
| Ø in mm : | 18,06 |
| Weight in g: | 2,29 |
| Edge: | |
| Metal:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx | |
| Magnetic: | no |
| "BN" upside down silver test is negativ | |
| The real coin on Numista | |
| 5 Sucres Ecuador |  |  |
|---|---|
| Year: | 1944 |
| Mint/Mint Mark: | Mexico |
| Ø in mm : | 39 |
| Weight in g: | 19 |
| Edge: | xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx |
| Metal: | |
| Magnetic: | yes |
| xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx | |
| The real coin on Numista | |
| Tetradrachma - Athens Greece (ancient) |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: | xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx | ||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø in mm : | 32 | ||
| Weight in g: | 26,1 | ||
| Edge: | |||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | no | ||
| xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx | |||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| Tetradrachm - Lysimachus Kingdom of Thrace Greece (ancient) |  |  | |
| Year: | |||
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |||
| Ø in mm : | 35 | ||
| Weight in g: | 26,3 | ||
| Edge: | |||
| Metal: | |||
| Magnetic: | no | ||
| The real coin on Numista | |||
| YOUR fake here soon! |  |  |
|---|---|
| Year: | xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx |
| Mint/Mint Mark: | |
| Ø in mm : | |
| Weight in g: | |
| Edge: | |
| Metal: | |
| Magnetic: | |
| The real coin on Numista | |
Thank you to every member who colaborated to this gallery.