Token Corresponding Society

Counterfeit Coins There are many different types of counterfeits, from those that are made and issued to circulate alongside an official coinage, to copies of rare pieces produced to fool collectors, to complete concoctions of pieces that never existed as circulating coins. Care must be taken in collecting such pieces, especially if the collection includes counterfeits of presently circulating legal tender coinage, as possession of such pieces constitutes an offence in most countries and proving that the pieces are part of a bona fide collection can be difficult. One of the most prolific types of counterfeits are contemporary counterfeits - issued to circulate alongside the official coinage. The illicit pieces have to be good enough to pass easily for at least a few transactions, after which the deception might be discovered and the final recipient bears the loss. With most historical coins being made of precious metals, there has always been an undercurrent of base metal copies that have been plated or treated to look the correct colour and only weighing or testing the metal would reveal the false coin. Even today, counterfeiting is common and it is estimated that between 1 and 3% of the circulating pound coins are false, with the cast pieces usually appearing slightly fuzzy and the edges nowhere near as well made as official pieces. Electrotyping is a very skilled process by which very exact copies can be made of genuine coins, often accurate to the scratches on the surface, and only detectable by a fine join at the edge (easily hidden) or microscopic inspection or careful metallurgical analysis. These pieces can be very deceptive. Forgeries can be made by anyone with a degree of metal working skill, though the quality does vary significantly. A prolific manufacturer of copies of rare English hammered coins, first appeared in the 1970's and his work can be very deceptive, whilst originally sold as copies, they have reappeared without such a label and can still cause difficulties today. Fantasy pieces are coins that might have existed had history taken a different course. Examples of these are film props and coin like pieces issued to fill gaps in collections. Illustrations:
1.	Contemporary counterfeit of an Edward VI base shilling. The circulating shillings were of base silver, and quickly showed a coppery appearance when handled. Thus the criminals of the time produced copper or brass cores and washed them with a thin silver coating.
2.	Contemporary counterfeit of a George III shilling.

3.	Electrotype of a Henry VII testoon. This is a copy of a coin in the British Museum, and was manufactured by Robert Reddy to fill gaps in other collections.

4.	Copy of a Scarborough siege shilling made by Trevor Ashmore in the 1970's. One of these pieces was once sold with a letter dated 1914, claiming that it had been found on the beach at Scarborough!

5.	A pewter shilling of Lady Jane Grey. A fantasy piece produced by Westair Reproductions Ltd, as a prop for the 1986 Paramount film "Lady Jane"

6.	A modern shilling of Edward VIII. There are a few contemporary issues, but the abdication meant that the coinage was never issued. These pieces have been manufactured to fill gaps in collections.

7.	A false countermark on a genuine Edward VI base shilling. Probably by Edward Emery c1840-1850.
Useful References and Links P. Finn, Forgeries of English Silver Coins, Spinks Numismatic Circular, June 1974 pp242-244 and March 1975, p104. Bob Forrest. From "Period Coins" to Ashmore Replicas. Coin News, October 1995, p36-39. C.M. Larson. Numismatic Forgery. Zyrus Press, 2004. L.A. Lawrence. Forgery in relation to numismatics. BNJ v2 (1905) pp397-409, BNJ v3 (1906) pp281-290. K. Peters. The Counterfeit Coin Story - Two and a half thousand years of deception. Envoy Publicity, 2002. http://rg.ancients.info/guide/counterfeits.html Token Corresponding Society Bulletin. v7 #9. December 2003 was dedicated to spurious coin and token issues. Gary

Counterfeit Coins