Education

Commonly Counterfeited Coins – 1916 D Mercury Dime

The 1916 D Mercury Dime is a rare and valuable coin. With a mintage of under 260,000 this coin is highly sought after and is usually sold for high prices even in low grades. Because of this, it is a favorite coin for counterfeiters to attempt to recreate. Because 1916 Mercury Dimes minted in Philadelphia have no mint mark and there were over 20,000,000 minted, they seem to be the perfect candidate for the ruse. Counterfeiters add a D mintmark to the Philadelphia 1916 in hopes to pass it off as a genuine 1916 D.

As you can see from the above picture of this genuine 1916 D, the D mint mark is located after the “E” in the word “ONE.”

While these coins may fool an unsuspecting buyer, an authenticator is not so easily fooled, by looking at the mint mark and other features of the coin, they can easily tell if it is forged or genuine. So if you find yourself in possession of this coveted coin, it is well worth your while to have a professional check it out and verify it’s authenticity.

American Silver Eagles – Buy – Sell – Trade: 1986 – 2016

When you are looking for a pure silver coin for either investment purpose or just as a gift, American Silver Eagle is a perfect coin.
Minted by United States Mint since 1986, American Eagle is the only 1 oz Silver coin with weight, content and purity guaranteed by the government of the United States.

Please review a large collection of American Silver Eagles in Proof and Mint condition offered on our goodoletom.com.

1890 CC Liberty Head Gold Double Eagle

The Gold Double Eagle is made from 90% gold and 10% copper and has a denomination of $20 (although you’d have to be either desperate or a fool to use for that) making it the largest denomination coin in the United States.

The Liberty Head Double Eagle, such as the one shown here, was authorized on March 3, 1849 and first minted later in that same year. The Liberty Head design ran until 1907 when it was replaced by the more modern Saint-Gaudens.

The Liberty Head Double Eagle features a depiction of Liberty on the obverse wearing a crown inscribed with the word “LIBERTY”  and surrounded by thirteen stars representing the thirteen original colonies.  The reverse has two subtypes though. the one seen on the 1890 CC is from the second and as such features our countries motto, “IN GOD WE TRUST.” The first type does not, yet both types feature an eagle with wings outstretched with a crest and banner that is inscribed with the words, E PLUIBUS UNUM.” The reverse also features the words, “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” as well as, “TWENTY D.” on every coin pre. 1877 and “TWENTY DOLLARS” on every coin since then making a third and final subtype.

As the Liberty Head was found to have less desirable artwork than the Saint-Gaudens, it is less often found in shops and collections, so when collectors see a coin from this set they need it is often snatched up quick further reducing the availability of this coin.

Commonly Counterfeited Coins:

1937 D three Legged Buffalo

The 1937 D Three Legged Buffalo has been a favorite of collectors for years. Being a rare error type this coin is worth a substantial amount depending on condition and as such is commonly counterfeited. The point of this guide is to help you from getting fooled by counterfeits.
The reason some 1937 D Buffalo have three legs is because of a failed attempt to repair the die for making the coins that had been damaged. It wasn’t until some had already slipped out into the public that this issue was found. While the leg is gone, the hoof still remains.
The way people counterfeit this coin is by removing the leg of the Buffalo on a regular 1937 D. Although this seems like a foolproof method, there is a way to identify fakes. First of all, genuine 1937 D three legged buffalo coins have significant die erosion on the back of the Indian’s neck as you can see in this example from our online store. Compare that to this image found on ngccoin.com of a counterfeit and you can really see the difference in the neck.

Another tell tale sign is any tooling or scratches where the buffalo’s leg should be. Also the “P” in “E PLURIBUS UNUM” is closer to the back of the buffalo on a counterfeit then a genuine three legged.

Whether you are a brand new collector, or have been a numismatist for years, don’t be fooled by counterfeit coins, we here at Good Ole Tom’s are rooting for you!

Washington Double Headed Cent

Not a whole lot is known about the Washington Double Headed Cent, as you can see it is called double headed because both the obverse and the reverse of the coin feature a bust of George Washington. The main difference though is that on the obverse it says “WASHINGTON”: and the reverse says “ONE CENT”

Like all Washington Double Headed Cents, this particular example has no date, but we do know that it was minted sometime in the 1780’s.
This coin is a brown color with even wear, their is also a slight bend in the coin that is not very obvious but is noticeable, still a very decent pre-federal post-colonial type coin though.
Many experts say that the design of this coin was taken from the Washington Military Bust Token as they are very similar. One of the main differences between the two busts though is that in the Military Bust Token, Washington’s lapel has a button whereas on the Double Headed Cent it does not.