Posts Tagged ‘variety’

As we all are familiar by now, counterfeiting has become a major problem in the world of Numismatics. Another problem is alterations of a genuine coin to make it appear to be a rare or valuable date, which can be complicated, but, well worth the extra work, because of how much more a collector is willing to pay for these minor types.

The varieties, although popular, have not been widely altered, nor counterfeited, with the exception of major varieties such as the 1922 “No D’ cent, the 1955 double die cent, and the 1972 double die cent. It is generally considered a safe series to collect, and, often not meriting authentication, as verification of the variety and the grade assigned professionally is seen as more important by many.

That being said, they do indeed exist. I found this on eBay.  The sellers claims it’s the ultra-rare inverted mint mark variety, but, if you look at the filed surrounding the “Mint mark”, you’ll see that it is a rather crude alteration attempt. The mint mark is not like that used in 1928. It is a circa 1964 quarter dollar mint mark that was added to the coin. Also, notice the triangular field around the coin, which automatically condemns this coin as an altered mint mark. It just goes to show that these scam artists are more complex than ever before, and, always looking for new ways to scam the trusting public. It is proof that we can not just assume that a coin that is a variety are authentic anymore. We must now have our variety coins authenticated, as, it not only ensures value, and grade, but, authenticity. I am lucky enough to own a genuine example of this rare variety, and, I can gleefully confirm that the mint marks are not even similar to what they should be for a 1928-S quarter dollar.

That is a good opportunity to bring up an excellent manner of authentication for all coins. Always have an unquestionably genuine coin on hand of that year (Or a photograph of one), and compare it to the suspect coin. It is foolproof.  We must be on our guard now, and this is the purpose of this article. Take this information. May it serve you well.

The photograph below is of the altered coin. Notice the discrepancies noted above.

Please feel free to copy this information in full or part for any purposes, but, please give credit to COINAUCTIONSHELP, DANIEL MALONE, and ISAIAH BARRETT.