Royal gold coins are the most reproducible / counterfeited in the world. "Italian" is a remake of the RSFSR of the 1920s, imitating a coin of 10 rubles of Nicholas II and intended to pay for goods in the west and foreign trade With foreign countries, because Soviet chervonets did not take for ideological reasons.

Vladimir Rzayev in his book "Mysteries of Russian Numismatics" describes the "Italians" as follows:
characteristic differences:
- edged inscription with the minzmeister sign AG has a special style of the letter "G" - the usual short right mast is elongated and the letter is a bit like "P"
- a large mass, much higher than the norm up to 8.650 g, while the mass of ordinary gold coins is 6.585-6.595 g
- 10 rubles - "Italians" are known with dating 1898, 1899, 1901 and 1904

Stamp of the original 1898 coin. Note the poor minting of the scepter, on all original coins of 1898 the scepter is badly minted

"Italian" 1898 there is a reverse already from 1900

The difference between the original and the fake is that the printing machine under Nicholas entered / printed the year on the edge of the coin (say, 1898) with a greater gain per unit than on other digits of the year ... i.e. it turned out that in all the originals, the unit was driven deeper than other numbers ... therefore, when you check a coin with a magnifying glass, professional numismatists and zergars look at this difference ...

Originals 1899. There is also a bad minting of the scepter

"Italian" 1899 with the same reverse 1900

This suggests that the originals of the reverse and obverse of 1898-1899. by the 1920s, they had already been erased or lost, and the Bolsheviks stamped the coins of this year with new-cut reverse stamps, since there were no such "eagles" in 1898-1899. were not on the coins. The stamp is not type-setting, and if there is another year under the eagle, then the stamp is cut out again or on the stamps of the 1900s, other numbers of the year are re-soldered on the reverse, and the old ones are cut down. Just why this could be done, perhaps based on the fact that in 1899 there was the largest issue of 10 rubles 27,000,000 and the Bolsheviks hoped that abroad they would not think about where the Soviets got so many gold chervonets (again stamped), imagine if the Bolsheviks began to stamp 10s in such quantities, for example, 1909 and 1910, abroad they would immediately guess that this was not royal money, but fakes !!!
And if you look at the original eagles and at the "Italians", then if you draw a line from the direction of the middle feather of the eagle's tail clearly down, then on the original coins this line will pass to the right of half the letter "E", and on the "Italians" this line runs clearly in the middle the letters "E".

The main portraits on dozens of Nicholas II:
1. Portrait 1898
2. Portrait 1899
3. Portrait 1900
4. Portrait of a Soviet coinage ("Italian")

"Italian" 1901 Reverse one to one as on "Italians" 1898 and 1899. On "Italian" the last "1" in "1901" almost touches the "0". On the original, the distance is equal between all the numbers. The distance between the "Y" and the number "1" in the original is less than on the "Italian". the head is smaller, the rub is flattened. On the edge in the initials of the mintzmeister "AG" near the letter "G" the gasta on the right is long, almost reaching the middle.

Original 1901



Soviet remakes were stamped with any stamps that were at hand, without parsing the year, matching the obverse and reverse and edge. But the "Italian" profile, what is it all the same then - a newly cut profile? (which I doubt, the Bolsheviks had no time for cutting a new stamp) and the reverses (stamping the numbers of the year) of the "Italians" on the example of 1901 (which I cited above) do not correspond to the original. Although I did not notice even the slightest difference in the stamping of the eagle, even dividing the eagle into 47 vectors, the match along all lines is just perfect.

10 rubles 1903 AR. Edge - inscription. Gold. Weight - 8.59 gr

"Italian" 1904

Original 1904

We draw two parallel lines along the stamp line of the number "1" (in the number of the year) to the edge of the coin and see that the lines on both coins do not coincide with the pattern at the side, which means that the "Italian" has not only a different profile, but also a fake Eagle

Bitkin writes: "From December 1925 to March 1926, the Soviet government minted 2,011,000 pieces of 10-ruble coins and 1,000,000 pieces of 5-ruble coins of the tsarist design. (Presumably, stamps of 1911)".
So, he assumes that 1911 was minted, and with the original stamp.
It is quite possible, because according to documents only 50,011 coins were minted in 1911, but these coins are not particularly rare, at the same time, 100,018 coins were minted in 1910, but these coins have a rarity index R and are more expensive than 1911.
It is likely that part of this huge (2,011,000 pcs) circulation of new-made coins
minted with the original stamp of 1911. When it failed, a new stamp was made (Italian) and the rest of the circulation was divided into different years.

On the edge of a dozen Soviet-made 1911, traces of cutting from the strip can be found. And none of this is a secret. There are no such traces on the truly royal ones.

A small secret on the identification of a remake minted with the original stamp. Reverse 10 rubles 1911, the left neck and the head of the eagle are badly minted - this is the wear of the stamp. The main crown on the convex parts seems to have traces of walking, but the coin is UNC, you think it's a paradox - no, this is the same banal wear of the stamp. It's the same story with coats of arms on the wings... after repeated use, all small parts wear out and "break" the fastest, and what many "specialists" call stamp "clogging" is actually wear.

1911 - the last year of minting Russian gold - also asked collectors a lot of mysteries. There are many coins of this year of minting, and the circulation in the documents is small. As a result, Russian collectors do not pay for the last gold piece tsarist Russia- a symbol of the outgoing century - more than the gold of this coin is worth.

The ten stamps of 1911 - both the front and the back - were definitely taken out of the mint. But who and where?

Option one - dozens were minted by Kolchak, to whom genuine stamps fell.

The second option - the stamps ended up in the hands of the Soviet government, and it was it that in 1925-1927 minted 2 million gold tens for foreign trade, because there was much more faith in tsarist money than new, Soviet.

Version three - the stamps were either taken abroad, or new ones were cut out, and dozens were minted in the twenties. But it was no longer a remake, but a fake. However, in any case, gold in the coins of Tsarist Russia is more expensive than gold in bullion, and it is more profitable to sell it.

The most surprising thing in this story is that someone still uses the stamps of 1911, and coins are minted to this day. Who is unknown.

The weight and purity of the sample are observed by the smugglers very accurately and the coins come out of good quality.

Place a coin on its edge on a flat surface, if it does not fall, then it is 66% real.

The edge inscription does not depend on the position of the obverse - reverse on any coins.

A cast copy can be distinguished externally by the stamp field and a slight deviation in weight. Moreover, all these copies were made of gold.

If your chervonets holds weight well: 8.6 g + - 0.05 and dimensions, then it is genuine."

There is an unwritten rule: “get acquainted with the coin, start with the edge.” This means checking if we have encountered the so-called “galvano”, that is, two halves of the coin, made by electroforming, then connected together and filled with lead. If so, then under a magnifying glass you can see the junction of the halves around the entire circumference of the edge. "Galvanos" are usually copper, but they can be silver-plated or gold-plated.

If a trace of a sprue or traces of processing by some tool is found on the edge of the coin, then it is necessary to check whether we are dealing with a fake made by casting. In this case, the coin field is not an ideally smooth, as in minting, but a more or less rough surface. Sometimes it is smoothed out, but the roughness still remains in the gaps between letters, numbers or other small details of the image. The bases of letters or numbers (when viewed in profile) do not form right angle, as during minting, but smoothly, as if along a curve, they pass into the field of the coin. Details of cast fakes are sometimes corrected with a engraver, and this should not escape attention.

Most numismatists consider it most important to pay attention to the following indicators to determine the authenticity of coins:

1. The color of the metal and patina must be compared with other similar coins.

2. It is necessary to consider the color of worn and damaged places (foreign metal may be visible on a fake coin).

3. It is necessary to take a closer look at the nature of the luster of the metal: excessive luster (this can be both a sign of recent manufacture and polishing); haze of metal noticeable to the naked eye (for example, gilding of fake gold coins); greasy sheen (if the fake is amalgamated, or if there is a significant amount of zinc in the alloy of the coin).

4. Appearance of coinage; chasing (clearness of chasing), casting.

5. If the coin is cast or has a cast coin circle, attention should be paid to smooth outlines, a blunt edge, a grainy surface (a sign of a significant admixture of base metals), to the remnants of bubbles formed during casting, which the counterfeit coin maker is trying to polish.

6. The size and thickness of the purchased coin must be compared with the size and thickness of genuine coins of the same type.

7. Consider engraving.

8. Pay attention to the inscriptions on the coins (clearness when minting and softened outlines when casting), to the outlines of letters and numbers.

9. The weight of the new coin should be close to the weight of genuine coins of this type.

10. The specific gravity must be equal to specific gravity homogeneous metal.

11. The ringing of gold and silver coins when falling on a stone slab should be clear and melodic (it does not always help to accurately determine the authenticity of coins).

12. Chemical signs - stroke test.

Signs of the minzmeister of the St. Petersburg Mint (1895 - 1911):

1. Apollo Grashof (1883-1899) - A. G.

2. Felix Zalemn (1899-1901) - F.Z.

3. Alexander Redko (1901-1905) - A. R.

4. Elikum Babayants (1899, 1906-1913) - E. B.

5. Victor Smirnov (1912-1917) - V. S.

NICHOLAS 2 5 Russ 10 Russ 15 Russ 5 rubles Semi-imperial 10 rubles Imperial 5 rubles 7 rubles 50 kopecks 10 rubles 15 rubles 25 rubles 37 rubles 50 kopecks
4.3 g, Au 900 8.6 g, Au 900 12.9 g, Au 900 6.45 g Au 900 12.9 g, Au 900 4.31, Au 900 6.45 g Au 900 8.6026 g, Au 900, thickness: 1.7 mm, diameter: 22.6 mm 12.9 gr, Au 900, diameter: 24.6 mm 32.26 g, Au 900 Diameter: 33.5 mm. 32.26 g, Au 900 Diameter: 33.5 mm
5 372 000 16 829 000 11 900 033
52 378 000 200 000
20 400 004 27 600 013
31 077 013 6 021 000
7 500 022 2 377 000
6 240 009 2 019 000
5 148 019 2 817 000
2 016 010 1 025 000
- -
-
- -
? ?
200 018 100 018
100 011 50 011

Real photo sent with a request to evaluate the coin. We estimate: the retail price is $ 1, you can buy wholesale in China for 30 US cents (20 rubles at the time of writing). The most massive scam recent years has already been described many times on the Internet and in the media, but the flow of happy owners of “rare” coins practically does not dry out, so we will tell you again.

It all started with the fact that some enterprising businessmen ordered the manufacture of a large number copies of Russian coins. The Celestial Empire has long mastered the technology of making low-quality fakes from cheap alloys (there is no silver in them). According to some reports, the volume of production of fakes amounted to about 10 tons! The goal was quite "peaceful": in Russia, these copies were originally sold as souvenir copies for 100 rubles ...

But soon inquisitive minds came up with a simple scheme, from which hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens across the country have already suffered. On the street, a person (sometimes of a marginal appearance, sometimes dressed as a construction worker) comes up to you and tells a story that they say they worked at a construction site or demolished a house and found old coins. Then he offers to buy them - inexpensively, at 500-1000 rubles apiece. Sometimes, for persuasiveness, the victim is taken to a pawnshop, where, to confirm the sample of silver or gold, the pawnshop employee is given a real (pre-prepared) coin, the check shows that it is silver or gold, and the genuine coin is subsequently cleverly replaced with a fake one.

The lack of special knowledge, coupled with the dream of instant enrichment inherent in many, gave a stunning effect: thousands and thousands of unsuspecting people began to fall for the bait of scammers. We know the story when workers from sunny Tajikistan “dug up” and then sold the owner of the counterfeit object for 2,000,000 rubles, after which they safely left for their homeland. There was a period when a flurry of calls and letters with fakes practically paralyzed the work of numismatic stores and auctions. Now the wave of fakes has become smaller, and yet every day we receive requests to evaluate the next copies. The only advice we can give to protect yourself from such financial troubles is not to buy something that you do not understand. And also do not accept as a pledge, on account of a debt, etc.

One of the most FAQ that we are asked - how to distinguish a fake from the original? The unequivocal answer is: if you are not a qualified numismatist - NO !!! Numismatics is a serious science, and professionals gain experience for years, studying genuine things in order to gain knowledge and learn to distinguish real items from fake ones.

However, in this article we decided to lay out some common and characteristics fakes, which are the most common. Firstly, for familiarization and warning against purchases. Secondly - alas, very often people cannot believe that they were so easily deceived, and continue to stubbornly prove to us that it is they who have - "a legacy from their grandmother", "they personally broke the house / dug out of the ground" and "you you just don't understand...

ATTENTION!!! DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DIFFERENTIFY FORGES YOURSELF WITH THE HELP OF OUR ARTICLE! There are a great many types of fakes, there is no way to describe everything, besides, the skill of counterfeiters is growing and new “names” appear with the correction of very obvious flaws. Let's repeat it again: don't buy what you don't understand. No one will sell a coin worth thousands of dollars for a penny - there are no miracles! Unfortunately there are a lot of scammers...

So, let's begin.

"Coin Spoons"

The presence of such spoons - sure sign what is in front of you is fake. In tsarist times, no one ever made such spoons - damage to the state coin, and even more so desecration of the face of the monarch, could lead to severe punishment. There is no silver in them, the hallmarks are fake.

Edge inscription "SER. 83 1/3 SAMPLES 4 ASH 82 14/25 SHARE" on the coins of the 18th century.

For the first time such an inscription appeared on the edge (edge) of coins in 1810. Her presence on the coins is more than early years- a clear sign of a rough low-quality fake.

“Your mustache has peeled off” - peeling off the coating of coins, as a result of which yellow spots of the true metal from which the fake is made appear on the surface.

Silver is known to be a metal white and in places of scuffs there can be no yellowness. On some fakes, the coating stays on for a long time and firmly, on others it begins to peel off quite quickly.

"Wavy" edge edge.

It does not occur on all fakes, but the phenomenon is common. Apparently, the deformation occurs as a result of insufficient metal pressure during the casting of the “coin”.

10 rubles 1901 "A.R"

We decided to dwell on this coin separately. For some reason, it so happened that such a fake turned out to be the most massive copy of the royal chervonets, although fakes of other years are also found. They are made of brass, the weight does not correspond to the catalog (for a genuine coin - 8.6 grams, 900 gold standard). IN Lately the demand for genuine chervonets of 1901 with the initials of the minzmeister "A.R" (Alexander Redko, head of the St. Petersburg Mint in 1901-1905) has grown significantly precisely from the side of swindlers: they persuade the victim to go to a pawnshop, where they give a real coin to check the sample, after which they deftly replace it with a fake.

Differences in the details of the stamps - "Find 10 differences."

In fact, the question "How to distinguish a fake?" the answer is very simple: compare it with the original. The appearance of all coins was approved on the highest level, and any deviations in the "design" were impossible. This concerns not only stamps, but also discrepancies in edge inscriptions: for example, there is often a fake coin “1 ruble in memory of the 300th anniversary of the reign of the Romanov dynasty 1613-1913”, where the initials of the minzmeister “MNTs” are on the edge - such letters on a genuine coin it can not be. Also, the edge inscription is often found on those coins where it should not be at all, and the edge should be smooth.

There are a huge number of serious scientific works on Russian numismatics (and now high-quality photographic materials on the Internet), all the nuances and varieties of stamps have long been described to the smallest detail, and any discrepancy with the catalog data says one thing: in front of you is a fake. Alas, a non-specialist does not have knowledge of how exactly a coin should look, which is what scammers actively use.

And finally:

“Semeynik”, “Konstantinovsky ruble”, “Monogram John Antonovich” and diamond “Count Orlov”…

The photo shows some samples of fakes of the rarest Russian coins, which scammers easily sell in a “bunch” to gullible citizens near hypermarkets, metro stations and other crowded places. The presence of these or other "rare" copies is an indication that you have fakes in front of you. It is unlikely that anyone will buy the Count Orlov diamond or the Crown from the gypsies at the train station. Russian Empire, being sure that it is the original. However, as practice shows, this trick has been successfully working with coins for more than a year ...

Unfortunately, it is impossible to describe and show all types of fakes with a complete list. hallmarks- especially since many terms and aspects will be clear only to numismatists. That is why we strongly recommend that you do not try to determine the authenticity yourself and do not buy something that does not have special knowledge. We really hope that this material will help at least someone to protect themselves from unnecessary financial losses.

If you need a professional, high-quality and free evaluation of coins for sale, contact us and you will receive it in a short time!

Category

"Here are these coins, how much can they cost?" With captivating gullibility, the guy laid out three rubles with the profile of the last Russian tsar in my palm.

Golden fever
Messages about treasures found during the analysis of old houses come from all over the country. It's kind of an epidemic. Royal coins are offered to you everywhere: in the parking lot, at the entrance to large chain stores, in shopping malls.
I've already received three offers for last month. Last time"an old house with a treasure was dismantled" right at the threshold of the editorial office. I think if it weren't for the guards, the successful builders would bring rarities directly to the offices of journalists.
For a weighty coin with a profile of Russian tsars, treasure hunters ask for 10,000 rubles or more. Assuring that its real value is hundreds of thousands.
The demolition of old houses in Moscow is a common thing, so the version about the treasures that the workers allegedly find is very popular. But in the suburbs, sellers of coins from the "just discovered treasure" often present themselves as road workers. Recently there was a case. The scammers acted with fiction: in front of the victim, they accidentally dropped a rag bundle, coins spilled out from there. They explained: "We dug a trench, accidentally found it." They sold fakes for 10 thousand rubles, left the phone. The deceived turned to the police, during the control purchase of "old" coins for 100 thousand rubles, the swindlers were caught red-handed.

And the king is not real!
I was offered rubles with the face of Nicholas II - these are one of the most popular "finds" of treasure hunters.
In order to find the original source, it took only 15 minutes of searching the Internet. And here it is, the original: on the popular Chinese trade portal, the offer is "replica coin". On the obverse is a bas-relief of Nicholas II, on the reverse is the so-called small coat of arms of the Russian Empire.
Done very convincingly.
The diameter of the original coin is 33.65 mm, the thickness is 2.5 mm. Compare with the characteristics of the Chinese replica: diameter - 33.7 mm, thickness - 2.9 mm. The weight of the original is 20 grams, the Chinese one weighs 19.7 grams.
According to the manufacturer, the replicas are made of silver-plated pewter. But at the request of the customer, tin will be replaced with another metal, such as cupronickel, followed by silver plating.
A real royal ruble was made of silver. The ruble with Nikolai was minted by three mints: Petersburg, Paris and Brussels. You can distinguish them by the stars on the edge (which collectors call edge or welt) of the coin. The French put one, the Belgians two stars. The Petersburg Mint marked the coins with the initials of the minzmeister (manager) of production, Apollon Grashof - AG. Since 1899, the mint was headed by Felix Zaleman, the marking was changed to FZ.
The ruble with the last Russian emperor is not too rare, more than 25 million of them were minted. Parisian ones are more valued among collectors: simply because they were produced less. And an absolute rarity is a coin where the obverse is not aligned with the reverse: the coat of arms of the empire is upside down in relation to the profile of the emperor.
For example, let's take the hundred-year-old Nikolaev ruble. According to the catalog of collectors, the average price for 1 ruble in 1915 is from 17 thousand to 97 thousand rubles. The most expensive are marked "proof", that is, the condition of the coins is close to ideal.
And now, shock. At the aforementioned Chinese virtual auction, such rubles are offered in batches. One batch includes three coins and costs ... 413 rubles. 70 kopecks! That is exact copy royal ruble - less than 140 rubles!
Delivery to Russia is free.
And what is most unpleasant: the Chinese manufacturer reports that he is ready to listen to the wishes of the customer. Can make coins look like original ones. For an additional fee, they will repeat the weight of the original with high accuracy, although they are already doing quite well. And if you order a wholesale batch, then the coins will age you. Literally sounds in a free translation from Chinese: "we will make you an original mold."
And after that, is anyone else surprised that all of Russia was suddenly flooded with "treasures"?

We do not need these treasures
How to stop the epidemic of scams?
From a philistine point of view, people who produce and sell Chinese "royal" coins are counterfeiters. But the fact is that under the article on which counterfeiters are judged, neither manufacturers nor sellers can be brought down. Because an old coin does not serve as a means of payment for a particular state and it can be made freely and in any quantity.
And most importantly, the Chinese do not position their goods as original coins. Honestly warn: these are replicas in the style of "antique imitation". And this means that fake "royal" chervonets and ruble coins cross the border quite legally.
But not everything is so hopeless. If you are offered a fake under the guise of the original, then this is a scam. Several criminal cases have already been initiated: vigilant buyers filed statements with the police on time, the most impudent sellers face fines and real terms.
But the most cunning ones do not sell, but mow down like simpletons and ask for "help" - here a builder friend found old coins, help evaluate the find. If you fall for the trick and offer some money for coins from the "treasure" yourself, then it is almost impossible to punish the swindler. Therefore, the most effective and oldest method remains: do not buy anything from the hands on the street. Or pay "treasure hunters" honest money. Namely: 140-150 modern rubles for one old one. Remember: it was for this much that the Chinese originally sold it. And delivery to Russia to the buyer was free of charge.

Healthy
The most common way to distinguish a fake from the original is to test it with a magnet.
Imperial rubles were made of silver of the 900th test. This means that it contains 90% silver and only 10% copper. Silver is known to be diamagnetic. Simply put, a coin is not attracted to a magnet. So you can output to clean water coins of low quality, which are made of metal alloys to maintain weight. And if a coin is smelted from polymers, then you will immediately feel the catch: the coin will be too light.
True, modern manufacturers have already learned how to make fakes from non-magnetic alloys, the weight of which is close to the original. These can only be distinguished by a specialist.

Specifically
In the Urals, in the city of Verkhnyaya Pyshma, old silver coins with portraits of kings were sold to gullible citizens for 1,000 rubles. When asked about the origin of the money, the sellers answered: "Left from the grandmother ..." A local resident immediately bought six rubles with profiles of kings and empresses. Having previously found out on the websites of collectors that the price of the original starts from 20 thousand rubles. The market price of those bought by a woman, experts estimated at 90 rubles apiece.
A case in Cherepovets: a 30-year-old Cherepovets resident turned to the city police department with a statement - an unknown man sold him 15 old coins 2 thousand rubles for each. The evaluation showed that the coins are of no value.
In Feodosia, fakes from the found "treasures" were even offered to the local Museum of Money! As its director Alexander Oleshchuk said, most often in Crimea they try to sell copies of coins from the times of Alexander III, Nicholas II, as well as medals tsarist period. According to the director, not only crooks come to them, but also people who have already fallen for the bait of a fraudster: "The technology of counterfeiting has reached such a level that a coin can even be artificially aged to give it an antique look."
The apogee of the swindle is the incident in Miass. Here they are trying a swindler who managed to hand over counterfeit money to the bank collectible coins almost 700 thousand rubles. The 35-year-old collector supplied one of the local banks with counterfeit coins of the USSR and the Central Bank of Russia for six months. The fake was revealed only when the bank began to sell the coins. During interrogation by the police, the man admitted that he bought coins in China. Now he faces up to six years in prison and a fine of 80,000 rubles.

Price-list
Popular coins of Chinese Internet sites
1 ruble of 1727 with the image of Empress Catherine, bronze - 82.4 rubles.
1 ruble 1949 with the image of Generalissimo I.V. Stalin, silver - 99.29 rubles.
Coin with the image of Barack Obama, gilded - 124 rubles.
Coin with the image and autograph of Michael Jackson, gold - 1124 rubles.

The desire to have coins of large denominations has always made people try themselves again and again in hand-drawn for further enrichment. Counterfeiters have always been those criminals who were severely punished by law, because their activities caused damage to the country's economy.

Excursion into history

The activity of illegal production of coins was observed in the country during turbulent times. As soon as the established model of governing the country began to leak, the counterfeiters gave free rein to their ingenuity. On turn of XIX-XX For centuries, the manufacture of fakes has spread so widely among the masses that the professionalism of their execution baffled even specialists. Without noticing fakes, people used fakes and did not even suspect it.

holey coins

The beginning of the 20th century was marked by another more virtuoso type of crime: scammers knocked out precious metal from silver coins and made the coin full of holes. At that time, the use of silver coins with minor damage. However, when the holey silver forced whole coins out of the pockets of citizens, the government decided to abandon their circulation.

But the ingenious counterfeiters were not confused for long and actively began to fill the damaged coins with lead and tin. Distinguish fused metals from pure silver visually was almost impossible, so the circulation of leaky units was again allowed.

Counterfeit gold coins

This number did not work with gold coins, since they were considered means of payment only if they were intact. Then their fake came into use. A typical fraud with gold coins was to reduce their weight, for which profit lovers erased or etched gold from the surface, and the most talented ones cut the coin in half along the edge and filled the coin with base metal, having previously removed the gold from the inside. Distinguished such a coin from the original only weight.

Categories of fakes

Although the purpose of the manufacturers of fakes has always been the same - enrichment, the purpose of the coins were different. Conditionally counterfeit coins were divided into 2 categories:

  • the first category - for release into circulation,
  • the second category is for deceiving collectors.

Counterfeit coins of the first category were replicated and made by chasing or mold casting. Genuine ordinary coins were used to make molds. Fakes were minted not only by local craftsmen, but also foreign mints.

Coins belonging to the second category differ from each other depending on the period of their manufacture.

Counterfeit coins produced in the 19th and early 20th centuries were mostly primitive forgeries, since their manufacture was carried out on a cheap technical equipment and without professional metal carving skills. Most often used casting and chasing. However, there were also such fakes that were made by refining genuine coins. Hand-cut coins were the least common.

From the second half of the 20th century to this day, counterfeit coins have been produced on industrial multifunctional equipment, which has led to a sharp improvement in the quality of counterfeit intended for collectors. The nature of the modern production of fakes has become more massive, as workers have replaced the lone craftsmen. industrial enterprises using technical equipment for other purposes.

Trail of counterfeiters in history

The most famous counterfeiters who left a noticeable mark on history were Ivan Demidov and a gang from St. Petersburg, who were engaged in counterfeiting at the beginning of the 20th century.

The first was engaged in the manufacture of silver fakes even more High Quality than the original, so its coins were introduced into the ranks of legal tender. The latter became famous for minting fake gold coins near the mint.

The very phenomenon of counterfeiting was the impetus for the emergence of a new direction in numismatics - collecting counterfeit coins. Moreover, the popularity of counterfeit coins collected by numismatists sometimes even exceeds the desirability of their historical originals.

Modern forgeries

The fakes made today are not intended to be used as a means of payment, because banknotes have replaced gold and silver, but to deceive collectors. It is quite difficult to distinguish modern fakes from the original, especially if it is produced on expensive equipment with knowledge of all the subtleties of design.

The main parameters for detecting a fake, if you are not a professional, are:

  • weight (for fakes it is less),
  • the quality of the edge (for fakes it either does not exist or is in poor condition),
  • bead condition,
  • sound when falling (for fakes it is deaf).

The list is not limited to these items, as professionals also identify counterfeit coins by the presence of miniature hallmarks, image clarity, and general circulation defects. The most reliable way is spectral analysis.

Ways to counterfeit coins

Modern counterfeit coins are obtained using one of the following manufacturing methods.

1 Casting in special molds. These forms, called clichés, imitate the obverse and the reverse of the original coin. An alloy is poured into the mold, and after solidification, the coin is covered with valuable metal or paint that imitates its color. Modern technologies electrolysis and centrifugal casting make it possible to produce fakes with a clear relief and the absence of bubbles. The only thing that gives them away is the difference counterfeit coin weight from the original. 2 Chasing with a stamp imitator. The stamp is created on the model of the original by a professional carver. This method is quite laborious and expensive, therefore, it is used for rare items. 3 Chasing with the help of an old stamp that has worked out its own. Coins obtained in this way distinguished by fuzzy lines and flaws. 4 Machining. By adjusting some elements of the coin, scammers get real rarities from ordinary coins. In the course is cutting signs, engraving, soldering letters and much more. 5 Electrotype. Coin prints made of plastic mass are covered with a conductive material and placed in an electrolyte. passing through the solution electricity, build up a layer of metal on the cast, after which the casts are removed and the metal sides are joined together by soldering. In this manner good quality copies that are difficult to visually distinguish from the original. 6 Copies of coinage. Using a laser, an exact copy of the original is cut into a plastic mold, which is scanned on a computer. This technique is today considered one of the most accurate, but even it cannot deceive the detection of counterfeit coins using spectral analysis.

Fake patina

A beautiful coating on old copper and silver coins gives it a special charm. Such oxidation of the surface of the coin called patina.It is she who becomes the guarantor of the authenticity of the copy.

However, do not think that it appears with improper storage. Everything is just the opposite. Only aging in good conditions provides a beautiful unique patina. In addition to the decorative component, such a film on the surface of the coin protects it from further oxidation.

Fraudsters take into account the fact that coins become covered with patina over time, and use special means for its artificial creation. Artificial coloring of a coin in order to age it called patination(by oxidation).

Patination can be carried out in several ways: baking in the oven, burning with a blowtorch, fumigation, applying acid, bleaches and sulfur-containing chemicals.

Longer ways to create a patina are sun exposure or wrapping in carbon paper. To retouch the shiny surface of a fake, scammers also resort to such a method as soaking a coin in hot distilled water mixed with blue vitriol and potassium permanganate. All these sophistications, although they make the coin less brilliant, but do not add value to it.

Separate types of coins

Unlike fakes, there are several more varieties of coins that are not original, but repeat their ideology.

new coin

Often, according to the prototype of a coin that is very rare for collectors, a copy is minted at the state mint that is completely identical to the original or has a changed edge, date, or design details. Such an instance called a remake.

There are many coins of this type. From an investment point of view, such a coin cannot be called a fake, since it is an official copy and is not created to deceive, but to maintain the historical value of the original.

Replica

Another imitation of the original is replica. Such coins made of other materials than the original, however, accurately convey the image of the original. On the replicas, special signs are minted that notify that you have a copy in front of you, or some elements are not included in the drawing so that they can be easily distinguished from the original version. Replicas are minted by private individuals, very often for souvenirs and memorable gifts. Replicas are also not considered fake..

Coin marriage

Coin marriage includes coins that differ from other coins of a certain issue in the following parameters:

  • type of metal
  • image shift,
  • the absence of a band,
  • unmarked elements of the picture,
  • stripes from cracks in the stamp,
  • alignment of obverse and reverse,
  • form.

However, these violations appearance coins are not considered fake, but rather highly valued by collectors. In this regard, a new direction has even appeared in collecting - errorism.

How to spot a fake

It is impossible to describe any specific features that distinguish all counterfeit coins from the background of the originals, since they are all made different ways. However some advice can help identify fakes.

  • The first step is to check the coin for the presence of steel in it. For this a magnet will come in handy. If the coin sticks to it, then you have a steel coin in front of you.
  • Also, an important tool for detecting counterfeit coins will be high-precision scales (up to a hundredth of a gram). If the weight of the coin does not match that of the original, then the coin is counterfeit. Find out the weight real coin can be found in reference books or on the Internet.
  • A more "rigid" method becomes use of nitric acid: a fake posing as old original coins will simply collapse when immersed in it.
  • Old base metal coins dated from the original year, should not shine like they were just made. Forgeries are characterized by a strong shine and the use of a white or nickel alloy instead of silver.
  • Impact sound check: for a fake coin it will be deaf, and for a real one it will be voiced (hence the expression “voiced coin” came from).

Handicraft fakes are the easiest to identify. They usually have a bad edge, uneven details on the obverse, or characteristic shells on the coin field. You can easily check the quality of a edge by placing a coin on it. The counterfeit coin will immediately fall, while the real one will stand steadily.

If you are not a professional numismatist who will immediately identify counterfeit, then it is better to avoid commemorative issues of coins and memorial items. It is better to limit yourself to standard coins.

Signs of fake patina

If the coin was artificially aged, then its patina is distinguished by the presence round spots, incorrect color transitions, localization over scratches or vice versa only on protruding parts. Colors such as khaki, pale blue, and red-orange are direct indicator of artificial patina.

Hydrostatic weighing method

Identification of a fake from a precious metal can be carried out by determining an alloy sample. The method of hydrostatic weighing allows you to accurately calculate the sample of a coin without damaging it. It consists in determining the weight of the coin in air and in water. The difference in grams is numerically equal to the volume of the coin in cubic centimeters. This technique is applicable only for two-component alloys. In the presence of the third element, the sample cannot be determined in this way.

Conclusion

No matter how deceptive appearance counterfeit coin, there are always methods to detect its falsification. The main thing is to know the features of each of them. And in the case of rare specimens, entrust the business of checking the coin to professional numismatists.

Recently, on specialized forums in huge number all sorts of counterfeit coin sellers began to appear. In my opinion, the task of a fraudster is not to sell a coin on the site, he is well aware that it is quite easy to calculate it. The seller's task is different, he needs to collect as much information as possible about the jambs of the exposed bullshit, for the subsequent successful sale. The Chinese are now taking up with great enthusiasm the revision of coins to a beautiful sales look corresponding to the original one. The weight is adjusted as it should be, the coin becomes obsolete, etc. Now many of us do not attach much importance to this, but I am sure that in a few years such completed coins will be sold at auctions with might and main and replenish the albums of numismatists ... bringing disappointment. In general, I will start and describe everything I know on the issue, and you friends will support me, since my knowledge is clearly not enough to cover this topic, but you need to write about it, because it problem and problem if it cannot be resolved, then each of us needs to know about it.
Everyone probably came across a seller of coins that appeared as a result of the analysis of the house, finds in the forest and other legends. Slowly, counterfeit coins began to flood our bird markets, Internet sites, bazaars and streets. Here is the usual tray of an antiques seller, on which there is already enough of this bullshit