By Jack D. Young and the Dark Side Group ……
A friend asked a couple of weeks ago how long I had been chasing and researching counterfeits. He said my answer surprised him… nine years! And my first CoinWeek article on the subject was published back in 2017 (74 total to date).
In several of my articles I have discussed various levels of fakes, from ones I call “cartoon” counterfeits through mid-level deceptive ones to the “exceptionally deceptive counterfeits” that are good enough to fool third-party grading services and collectors alike.
I have since renamed the basic fakes “Red Book Counterfeits (RBCs)” and written a CoinWeek article on some, as well as discussed the exceptionally deceptive ones in a current COINage Magazine interview.
So here I am, nine years later, writing another “Dark Corner” CoinWeek article – but one I never expected to do. As I have in all of the Dark Corner articles, I will start with the subject example:
Is this a genuine 1817 Cent?
A Counterfeit 1817 13 Stars Large Cent
As one can see, this is a TPG-certified specimen, which may be surprising enough, but it was also listed in a major auction house auction! Since I had written two CoinWeek articles on this family of fakes, even I was surprised when I saw this listing. The reference article can be found here, and is based on a genuine 1833 N-5 Large Cent.
Subject example (on the left) Genuine source example 1833 N-5 reverse (on the right).
In that article, I stated:
“Just a note, I consider this type of counterfeit an intermediate level of deceptive “type”, better than the lower level fakes that I refer to as “Chinese Cartoon” types on up to the multiple lower-level “Ali” offerings.
These struck fakes are documented in several different denominations and varieties and are fairly accurate as compared to the source coins, but the counterfeiters use the same layout and change the date to create a series of fakes, resulting in impossible die combinations and states. These take a higher level of knowledge to discern and being savvy about the series and its variety attributions is part of the best defense.”
The reason this one “surprised” me is, as a mid-level fake, I would not expect it to fool either serious collectors of the series or paid third-party graders.
And speaking of “Ali” (AliExpress) counterfeits, the following is my 1817 example:
Author’s AliExpress “1817” example.
And the subject example:
Subject “1817 Cent”. Image: Jack Young.
I realize I’m a broken record here but in any evaluation/authentication review, one should always start with “ATTRIBUTION, ATTRIBUTION, ATTRIBUTION!”
And this one does NOT attribute as any genuine 1817 Large Cent variety.
Surfaces and coloring look more genuine than on others I have seen in the past, but they can’t get past the attribution issue. Unfortunately, attribution is not part of the standard TPG service; it is typically an added extra cost option but it could have caught this one in grading if included.
I compared this 1817 “13 Stars” Large Cent to a generic specimen of similar grade. Taking a good look at the comparison, Liberty’s profile is different, the date digits look off, and the subject example has the famous common pit on the bust of this family of fakes.
Subject example (on left) genuine example (on the right).
Subject example (on left) author’s Ali example (on the right)
No doubt this one is bad and matches the off characteristics for the known CN fake.
As well as these:
Group of fake 1817 Cents sold on AliExpress.
Their obverses are the common counterfeit type with the pit; the reverses are mixed and matched with 1833 N-3 and N-5 varieties.
So, it got past a top TPG. What about the auction house? Typically, issues get caught in cataloging, but this auction may have been considered a lower priority for the company. Nevertheless, it DID get caught and the listing ended prior to sale. I assume it will be returned to the consignor, and who knows if or when it will show up again. The TPG has been notified, so I’ll watch the cert to see if it stays active.
As always, the research on this counterfeit 1817 Large Cent and all of the others has been a team effort, with friends and fellow members of Early American Coppers (EAC) and the Dark Side Group instrumental in the work as well as others, including my wife (who continues to put up with me and this) and my new Fun with Fakes group members!
Best, as Always,
—Jack
MORE Articles on Counterfeit Coins by Jack D. Young
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The post From the Dark Corner: An “Authenticated” 1817 13 Stars Large Cent appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.
