Fake One Pound Coins - Part Three
I guess when it comes to counterfeit £1 coins, I’m a bit of a geek. I’ve blogged a couple of times before about fake coins, but it’s been a while, so I thought I’d post another small bunch.
If you’ve read the previous two parts in this ’series’, you’ll probably be quite familiar with common mistakes that counterfeiters make. It never really occured to me before, but perhaps fakers intentionally make ‘errors’ so that they can distinguish their own dodgy currency lying around from the pukka stuff that can be easily spent / laundered / exchanged / banked etc…? You’ll perhaps see what I mean later.
Anyway, remember, about 1 in every one hundred poind coins is supposedly counterfeit, so you’ve probably had quite a few in the past and just never noticed… read on…!
Example #9:
As far as fake pound coins go, this isn’t bad. Actually, none of the fakes in this post are particularly poor. They could all be quite easily passed on.
Here we’ve got a year 2000 coin (at least that’s what it’s stamped). We should find ourselves a nice Welsh dragon on the reverse. Oooh, we do! So far so good.
We can also expect a Welsh “PLEIDIOL WYF I’M GWLAD” inscription. Ahhh. This is where it goes a bit Pete Tong and we get a quite poorly inscribed “DECUS ET TUTAMEN” instead. The edge is only partially milled and the ‘cross crosslet’ or ‘Llantrisant Mint Mark’ is pretty much totally missing. That’s the little cross that sits between the word “TUTAMEN” and “DECUS” before you ask! Oh, you can see a picture of this at the end of the post…
Next…!
Example #10:
I would probably say that this is one of the better quality fakes I’ve seen! The front and back are quite clearly stamped. In fact, there’s a surprising amount of detail on both sides. It’s not been stamped totally centrally, but it’s 99.9% there. You can see the slightly raised edge on the reverse side at the top right which shows it’s not quite perfect.
Moving on. You can see it’s another year 2000 coin, this one has got a Celtic cross on the reverse though, not the Welsh Dragon that a genuine would have. It does have “DECUS ET TUTAMEN” correctly inscribed. But again, it’s the poor quality of the inscription that alerts you that this is a counterfeit coin.
Example #11:
Probably the worst of the bunch. The colour is a bit too dark and makes it just look suspicious. I’m sure most people would think that it’s been discoloured naturally however.
1989 was a Scottish year and had a thistle on the reverse, which only goes to prove that this ‘89 Ornamental Royal Arms backed coin isn’t legit.
We should have had “NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT” as the inscription, but yet again the fake reads “DECUS ET TUTAMEN“. I guess this is the phrase most people associate with one pound coins, regardless of the image on the reverse. It’s very poorly inscribed and only half the coin has a milled edge.
Last one then…
Example #12:
This just looks a bit dodgy! It’s difficult to explain and doesn’t really come across in the scan above, but I guess it’s the detailing on front and back which don’t look quite as sharp as it should and the colour being very slightly off.
It’s been stamped 1997 and the Three Lion reverse does match correctly. Shock!
Most fakes seem to have “DECUS ET TUTAMEN” inscribed around the edge, so you’d almost expect this to have it too. It’s a fakers favourite and it would also be the correct inscription after all. Rather oddly then, this one has the Welsh “PLEIDIOL WYF I’M GWLAD” instead. Hmmm, odd! It’s this coin that made me think that perhaps these mistakes aren’t always intentional. The edge has been well milled, but the lettering is pretty dire in places.
…and finally…
I probably should of thought out this part a little more, but not to worry! The pic above has got all the coins I mentioned above, sandwiched inbetween 2 genuine coins for comparison. The first stack shows the coins lined up with the ‘cross crosslet’ I mentioned earlier. The second stack is rotated slightly to better show the quality of the lettering.
In order then, the coin stack is:
1st (top): Genuine 1985
2nd: Example #12
3rd: Example #11
4th: Example #9
5th: Example #10
6th (bottom): Genuine 2001
I probably won’t do another of these again (”hurrah” you say!), or at least not this angle for quite a long while. Mainly because I’ve again run out of hooky quids and also as I’ve covered most of the main ways of spotting them over the last few posts. I haven’t really covered coin weight, simply because I haven’t got an accurate enough way to measure it!
Hopefully that little lot has been mildly interesting. Good job I gave a geek warning before I began isn’t it! ;-)
October 27th, 2007 at 11:06 pm
Better start looking closely at the 2004/5/6 Bridge series of pound coins. There’s a fair few dodgey ones of them about… but not having wiggly lines instead of the edge inscription makes them stand out less.
October 27th, 2007 at 11:17 pm
… and if you tape a small stack of coins together and carefully roll them down the scanner as it scans… you can scan the entire edge-lettering ;-) Practice!
October 27th, 2007 at 11:26 pm
I’ve not seen any 2004/5/6 fakes yet… I’ve been looking but perhaps not hard enough! Let me know if you’ve got any scans of those.
That’s a genius idea for scanning the edges by the way. Seems so obvious now I think about it, but it would never have occured to me if you hadn’t mentioned it, so thanks for stopping by - I’ll give that a try!
November 6th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
Great Info and reading. some good ideas too. I will have to try the scanner trick.
I have seen many types of fakes in pound coins and tried to put them in some kind of collective order but its hard to list them.
I have noted there seems to be a collective edge inscription done by the same forger with different dates and designs. seems the forger uses the same roll marker on an assortment of coins.
some forgeries are so good that only the letter spacing arround the edge gives them away.
they make an interesting collection.
I have just got a 2004 in my change.It looks a bit gritty but with the correct date/bridge and edge.
feels sharpe edged,and there is a small dot on the roll marked edge at one side of the pattern. and one gap between the edge pattern is weak. must be wear they start/stopped .`one pound` looks double struck under a lense.
I have seen others, some good some bad. and some with no edge insciption/pattern.
I hope to find and here more about this subject.
and hope the change in coins in 2008 will not make them all just dissapear.
happy hunting.. Brian
November 6th, 2007 at 10:49 pm
Interesting! Yeah, the edging is usually the give away isn’t it. If you could post a scan of that 2004 fake, that’d be great… as I’ve still not seen one. :-(
I’ve not seen any £2 coin fakes either. I’ve heard a couple of times that people have had them in their change, so perhaps that’s just a matter of time…
December 19th, 2007 at 10:38 pm
i think i have a dodgy 2006 bridge coin as there is so little detail on it and the lettering that reads _one pound coin_ doesn’t look like the right font.
January 12th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
This is a fascinating subject. I once got a counterfeit 50p in my change which is now in my collection. Can you answer this question: Is the £1 coin edge inscription always oriented the same way, ie if you are holding the coin looking at the head side, then rotate it through 90 degrees so you see the edge, is the inscription always the right way up, or does it vary?
January 12th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
As far as I know it’s random. The inscription can start/end at any point around the coin too.
I believe the head and tail of the coin are stamped simultaneously, then it’s fed through another machine to do the edge inscription. So it’d just depend upon whichever side the coin falls on.
January 12th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
Thanks for the reply, that seems logical. The £1 coin I am suspicious of is 2003 with the correct reverse, however, it is not struck square with the obverse, being about 10 degrees out of true. The font used on the edge inscription appears incorrect, and the actual inscription is not central on the depth of the coin. This seems like a great subject for a collection!
January 13th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
It might be worth lining the edge inscription up against a genuine ‘DECUS ET TUTAMEN’ pound to check if the lettering has the same spacing. Unless the coin has had a particularly hard life, it should also have a good, even milled edge. If it is a fake, it sounds like it might be a pretty good one!
January 15th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
I am still not sure about this coin. I have checked the spacing as suggested and it *is* slightly different, but not markedly so. I will wait until I find another 2003 coin and compare the two. However, as I mentioned before, the reverse is 10 - 15 degrees out of true with the obverse, and struck very slightly off centre. The reverse also has a couple of dark streaks running across it at an angle. It has much of the original lustre. I will not be happy with it until I can compare it with another example from the same year.
January 15th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
Yes, checking how the obverse/reverse alignment compares against another coin of the same year should be another good ‘test’ to make. I don’t actually remember mentioning that particularly method in previous posts - so thanks for bringing it up.
Hmmm, what else… If you can weigh it accurately enough, perhaps you could see how close it is to the 9.5g that it’s supposed to be.
Alternatively, if you’ve got the right equipment, there is a “sure test” mentioned on this page. Quite an interesting read even if you haven’t got a decent microscope.
January 18th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
Thanks for referring me to the page mentioned above. As you say, it is a very interesting read. I took the coin to my local post office but the scales there were accurate only to the nearest gram, and it weighed 9gms. I showed it to the chap behind the counter (a fellow coin collector) and he agreed it was counterfeit. I picked up another today (2001 with the correct reverse) but close inspection clearly shows it to be a fake: very shiny (appears quite new) but a lack of fine detail, in fact it is quite a poor strike, and the Celtic cross is at an angle of about 45 degrees from true. The edge inscription (DECUS ET TUTAMEN) matches exactly the one on the previous coin I found: in both position (not centred), font and spacing, so maybe it is from the same source. I’m hooked now! This subject is fascinating and is definitely going to be a branch of my coin collection! Many thanks for your help.
February 6th, 2008 at 10:47 am
I’m absolutely fascinated by this. I always check all the £1 coins in my change now, and have discovered quite a few. Some of the forgeries are so good, but it’s often the suspect edge inscriptions that give it away. On the newer counterfeit coins, I’ve found the lettering around the Queen’s head is also slightly fatter and less defined.
Sub-sections 15(2) and 16(2) of the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981 say:
15(2) It is an offence for a person to deliver to another, without lawful authority or excuse, any thing which is, and which he knows or believes to be, a counterfeit of a currency note or of a protected coin.
16(2) It is an offence for a person to have in his custody or under his control, without lawful authority or excuse, any thing which is, and which he knows or believes to be, a counterfeit of a currency note or of a protected coin.
It’s also an offence under section 10 of the Coinage Act 1971 to intentionally destroy a genuine British coin, although I’m not sure this is actively enforced anymore.
Source: http://wiki.chiark.greenend.org.uk/HowToSpotAFakePoundCoin
February 9th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
I agree that many of the current counterfeits are very good. At the moment we have a spate of the 2001 coins with the celtic cross on the reverse in this area. You are right about the edge inscriptions, they are often crude and certainly do not match genuine examples. The things I look out for are:
General appearance, (does it have that ‘chocolate coin’ look about it?);
does the coin look new? The 2001 coins circulating here seem to be made of brass and are quite shiny, and look newer than they should;
Lack of fine detail in the design (the bust 1998 onwards is designed by Ian Rank-Broadley and the initials IRB should be clearly portrayed under the Queen’s head. If they are badly defined or turning into blobs the coin needs a second look;
The base of the reverse should match the base of the obverse. Many counterfeits are offset at an angle;
The final clinchers are: an incorrect reverse for the year; and wrong inscription for the reverse design (and of course the wrong font and/or spacing.
I appreciate your pointing out the legislation regarding the possession of counterfeit coins. I guess I will have to destroy my collection now.
February 10th, 2008 at 1:17 am
Here’s quite a bit of further reading containing plenty more counterfeit £1 pics as well as an insight into the processes used to create fakes and the people behind it all. Although it’s not been updated to cover the December 2007 case.
6/4/08 edit: there is now something about the Dec 2007 case too.
February 18th, 2008 at 10:07 am
Yes the base and the obverse are often not aligned, good spot. And thanks for the extra links too - I didn’t know about the December 2007 case. The amount of coins he produced is simply incredible.
No way am I destroying my collection. I have no intention of ever using them as currency but I am just so fascinated I can’t bring myself to destroy them. They will be an important addition to my other coin collections.
April 18th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
I have a fake £1 coin. It has a celtic cross on the reverse and 2001 on the top. However i noticed that the cross was missing, so i took a closer look. The edge inscription was rubbish! It really was! The paint is also flaky.
April 18th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Do you know if anyone would buy it and if so for how much?
May 15th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Had quite a few fakes over the years, mostly from the local Woolworths, so much so i now make sure i check any pound coins they give me before i leave the till and they get most unhappy when i pass the fakes back and ask for genuine coins!
However, i only ever spot fakes by the quality and not by the date/image/edge inscriptions matching up, to be honest i don’t suspect many people would spot coins that way as how many people would know all the correct combinations anyway - if the forgers get it wrong (and there the ones who should be paying attention) joe public isn’t really going to know are they? It’s definately the quality that gives them away.
July 28th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
hi how do i make coins if you can help thankyou
July 28th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Farooq, earn (or win) them, don’t make them yourself. :-)
The reason I blogged about this in the first place was to try and enlighten people about how to spot fake pound coins, not to assist people with criminal activities. So to answer your question, I’m afraid I can’t help you.
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:57 am
NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT-No one provokes me with impunity. seems a warning to all counterfeiters from ER.that’s why the forged coins never use these words….
September 22nd, 2008 at 9:32 am
Thank you for your incredibly interesting blog.
You may like to know that the BBC have just released an article on the same subject here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7628137.stm
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:15 am
Thanks very much Hal, glad you enjoyed it. :-)
Yes, I saw that article on the BBC news website, the video is pretty good and hopefully it’ll make people check the change in their pocket.
If anyone reading finds any fake pounds (or any other coin for that matter), please feel free to scan it and post a link here.
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Hi
My Dad has the most amazing forged £1 coin I have ever seen. It is built around a penny and a magnet and when you tap it the two parts come apart. He only realised when a parking meter spat it back and he tried the rub it on the machine trick and ended up with two bits!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:23 pm
I never knew there were so many fakes about, I hardly ever look at the pound coins I’m given, to be honest I never thought forgers would bother with small change.
Having read the blog I went and looked at my change and I think I have a fake from 2005 with the bridge on it. I’ll take a picture of it if you want but I haven’t got a scanner.
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Pigtailsuk, the £1 coin - 1p piece example seems to me like a prop for a magic trick. It probably cost more to manufacture than it’s assumed value (perhaps not). How well is it built?
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:06 pm
nice blog, lots of info with examples. i been duped a few times when in a rush. as works machines won’t accept them when i cash up its taken out my pay as a ’short’. I must say 3 years ago it was rare to get one but now there seem to be a lot more about. most are crap quality and the coins edge is the first place i look when im suspicious.
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:44 pm
thanks for the excellent information!
Seeing the news on bbc I decided to check the single pound coin I had in my wallet and it looks pretty fishy to me. Any opinions? The typeface looks entirely wrong (against colleague’s coins), the side text looks far to deep and slanting, and even the portrait seems non standard.
(large images)
http://twing.co.uk/coin-front.jpg
http://twing.co.uk/coin-back.jpg
http://twing.co.uk/coin-side.jpg
thanks!
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:41 pm
Andrew, I’d say that’s a fake.
For starters, it’s not centrally stamped. The “IRB” initials (Ian Rank-Broadley) that should appear below the portrait instead look like a couple of blobs, and there’s no real detail on either side of the coin (the back of the crown and the shield on the reverse).
But yes, the lettering around the edges does look totally wrong which is what would’ve made me look twice at that too.
It might also be worth taking a look at the quality of the ‘crosslet’ between “Tutamen” and “Decus”. Does it look like a messy blob or do you see a more recognisable crosslet shape? Also, try matching it up against a real “decus et tutamen” pound and see how the letter/word spacing lines up against each other. Finally, spin it on it’s axis and see if the head and tail are the same way up.
Good spot, it looks like a half decent fake to me. Thanks for the pics. :-)
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:56 pm
The crosslet is somewhat defined but the impresson is far too deep. It was the first thing I noticed when comparing my coin versus others in the office.
http://twing.co.uk/coin-crosslet.jpg
It also shows how “worn” the edge markings are. The head and tail seem well alligned, perhaps not perfect but I don’t have any other coins for comparison at the moment. High resolution photos seem to make it easier to spot forgerys, now I feel compelled to examine every pound I recieve!
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:45 pm
I don’t think it’s worn, it’s just missing part of the milled edge - another sign of shenanigans! :-)
As it happens, I’ve got a legit 2003 pound coin, so I’ve taken a few similar pics and uploaded them here, here and here. There’s a noticeable difference in detail.
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:48 pm
Wow! quite a difference in the level of detail.
Thanks for the pics.
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:28 pm
Happened to have 40 coins in the xmas collection. One very suspect, and a number which, without matching the criteria of year, tail stamp, edge text, may be fake. What prompted me was the news that £30M worth of coins are in circulation and I had one coin that was rejected in the drinks machine at work. Not being an expert, I made a balance out of a ruler, Swiss army Knife, two reference coins (both placed such that balance was achieved), replaced one of the reference coins with dodgey coin and re-balanced against the ruler scale. The coin that was rejected was 2mm in from the centre of the balance consistently, i.e was heavier. What that means in terms of its weight I haven’t worked out. It was also worn, but retained its colour. From a safety view point are the fakes a problem? Do they contain elements that could be absorbed through contact that are detrimental to health.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:37 pm
I’ve just taken some money to the bank to pay in to my account, and the bank refusd to accept a tenner! What’s worse they kept it and didn’t change it up for a legit one! Went with £70, left with £0 and £60 more in the bank. NOT HAPPY
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Brilliant info on fake coins, congrats!
Never bothered until the BBC news item this week. Went off and checked through about 45 one pound coins, most of which LOOK ok. But I have 2x 1985 coins both with the leek on the reverse and the correct text on the edge ‘PLEIDIOL WYF I’M GWLAD’, however if both coins have the leek on top (showing when laid flat), the text on the edge of one is the correct way up and the other looks upside down… if that makes sense?
Not sure if this is normal or indeed which one is ok, any ideas anyone?
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Hi Tony, thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
Yes, that makes sense, and funnily enough, I’ve just written an answer to that very question. Spooky!
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:14 pm
Ah, well I’ll be sure and keep looking, odds are that I’ll find one soon enough… ;-)
September 26th, 2008 at 11:39 am
I had a fake the other day! Heard about it on the news, had a look at my pound coins and the Queens head was straight, turned the coin over and the pattern on the back was upside down!! the writing was also pretty bad on it.
September 27th, 2008 at 10:26 am
Hi after looking at my coins in my pocket I have two 2005 one pond coins both with different bridges on and both have no writing on the edges just a criss cross pattern. Are these fakes?
September 27th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Hi Heather, if you have two different 2005 coins with different bridges on, then at least one of them will be fake. The ‘bridge’ series of coins (2004-2007), don’t have writing around the edge - just a couple of overlapping lines wrapping around the coin. One of the lines should be angular, the other curved. There should also be a break in the pattern with a ‘dot’ in it.
Post some scans/pics if you can. :-)
October 1st, 2008 at 3:27 pm
I dish up a cash payroll every week and check notes with a spcial pen, never found a fake yet (would love to, just to see what one is like) but I have handled many pound coins that don’t ‘feel’ right. I have to say, unless you study pound coins it is ridiculous to expect people to know which design fits which year, and what the design should be on the rim. I see some coins that feel too smooth, look shiny but in a dull way and they just look weird. I was never told to look out for fake coins and the payroll consists of money handed over beforehand during business transaction so it never occured to me I might be given fake coins to dish out into pay packets. I shall be very careful which ones I pick for my own pay packet from now on!
October 1st, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Hi, Thanks for the help and tips. I came across a suspicious fake one pound coin just now. I can’t get a good picture just now, I will post them tomorow if that’s okay. I’ll try and describe it now, First of all I notice the colour was faded. Next on the side no ingravement exists just 3 areas of lines, if the coins edge was laid out flat it would look like this:
Start: ||||||||| ||||||||| ||||||||| :End
(The lines are much closer together.
Now the text looks well engraved and the picture is all centred also when turning the coin around the queens head and the picture are the right way up, however The coin on the front says 2000, and if I am not mistaken that was the year of the welsh dragon? Well on the back is a castle in the middle. Curved text on the top which reads “ONE POUND” and curved the other was at the bottom (so they both are in line with the edges) The curved text at the reads “MONTIS INSIGNIA CALPE” After googling up this I found this: “coat of arms of Gibraltar” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_arms_of_Gibraltar
The picture on the back looks exactly like the picture on Wikipedia, with the added “ONE POUND” at the top. So yeah it all looks well done, normally you get dots in a circle on both sides on this coin the queens side is just largely raised up, and on the Picture side is like very small lines which the ends merge into the small raised edge. Lastly I can see slight scratching with green copper (it looks like showing through) not sure though as it is very small)
That’s all, I appreciate for reading it, I will try and get a picture of it ASAP. Cheers, Rudolf
October 1st, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Hi Rudolf,
Does it say “Gibraltar” next to the Queen’s head too?
If so, it’s probably not a fake. Gibraltar, The Isle of Man and a few other territories issue their own currency, that’s pegged at the same value as Sterling. Technically, it’s not legal tender in the UK, but I’m sure you really wouldn’t have any problem spending it here if you really wanted.
This might help:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibraltar_pound
Could still be a fake though, but you so rarely see Gibraltar/Manx/etc pound coins in this country that the chances of finding a counterfeit is pretty slim. They probably exist, I’ve just not seen any myself.
October 2nd, 2008 at 9:48 pm
Hi, Okay so maybe it is not a fake. :( I really want to find one. XD
Picture time! Now This should give you a better idea of it.
Side of Coin:
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/2559/25827945sk3.png
http://img407.imageshack.us/my.php?image=95087815qz3.png
http://img146.imageshack.us/my.php?image=76596892ef6.png
Queens side:
http://img388.imageshack.us/my.php?image=46415167mn6.png
Picture side:
http://img146.imageshack.us/my.php?image=45503967cv9.png
Thanks for the help, Rudolf
October 2nd, 2008 at 9:54 pm
Looks like a legit Gibraltar pound to me, sorry!
Keep looking - I’m sure it won’t be long until you find one! :-)
October 3rd, 2008 at 10:41 am
I received a dodgy 2002 coin today - exactly the same problems with it as the 2003 coin covered in detail above. IRB reduced to two smudges, poor detail, off-centre. All parts match though.
I did once have a fake with NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT on the edge many years ago. The year, however, was a Royal Arms year (1993 IIRC), and the leek in coronet on the back (should have been a thistle with that edge) was also about 20 degrees twisted clockwise relative to the Queen. I handed it in at my bank and they didn’t believe it was a fake until I asked them to compare it with another one from the same year. When they did, they put it aside.
I’ve had other fakes including one that was obviously the wrong colour and a little too big.
October 12th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
At last, knew if I kept looking I’d find one!! Got a 1997 pound coin in change today, three giveaways to the fake (I think…)
1. 1997 coins should have the 3 lions not the royal arms as on mine
2. on rotating the coin the queens head is set to a different orientation to the reverse of the coin
3. the text on the edge decus et tutamen is very very faint and the u of decus, t of et, and tutn of tutamen have all been rubbed off, as has the cross.
Any thoughts from the above description…?
October 17th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Tony, that certainly sounds fake to me. Post some scans if you can. :-)
October 18th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Managed to take some photos/scans of the coin, not sure how to make available for you to view, can you advise?
Thanks Tony
October 18th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Good stuff, can you pop them on an image hosting site, like Imageshack and post the links (like comment #46)?
October 18th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Hadn’t appreciated how awkward it is to get a good scan/photo, so apologies in advance if they’re not as good as you are used to, but here goes..
http://img396.imageshack.us/my.php?image=royalcrest97fakeod9.jpg
http://img374.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fake97edgepz7.jpg
http://img374.imageshack.us/my.php?image=obverse97fakedi2.jpg
http://img396.imageshack.us/my.php?image=obverse97fake3yd0.jpg
October 18th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Just as a reminder why I think this one is a fake…
1. 1997 coins should have the 3 lions not the royal arms as on mine
2. on rotating the coin the queens head is set to a different orientation to the reverse of the coin (can’t show this on the photo but it is different by about 15 degrees.
3. the text on the edge decus et tutamen is very very faint and the u of decus, t of et, and tutn of tutamen have all been rubbed off, as has the cross.
Thanks Tony
November 18th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
Interesting. I have a 2005 pound coin that I thought looked funny. On closer inspection, it is probably the worst fake ever. I found another 2005 coin and compared it. The picture is lacking detail and clarity, the stamping is off centre and not flat, causing a raised rim and it is the wrong colour.
Thats when I looked at the side. I had never realised that they were meant to have lettering on. The squigles seemed fine-until I read your article.
Then, looking back at my two coins, I realised the other one had squigly writing on too! I was comparing a fake to better fake!
On reflection, the better fake was pretty good. Slightly too yellow, and also slightly off centre, but pretty damn good all the same.
I am now off to complain to the guy who gave them to me (and tell him that his fake mint is pretty good)…