Prompting this article is a counterfeit 1878-CC that was previously listed to eBay and quickly removed. All 1878cc have B reverses, otherwise known as the “2nd reverse” with parallel arrow feathers (rather than slanted).
As a refresher, here are both kinds.
In addition, the 1878-CC has a different type of mintmark from other CC years, excluding some 1880cc varieties.
Compare mintmarks with the 1879-CC Morgan, which has slanted tail feathers.
Now inspect the 1878-CC coin below.
Looking through my log of documented counterfeit reverses for Morgan Dollars I realize I’ve seen this one a few times. The “Doubled wreath reverse.” If any of these were genuine they would be some of more dramatic doubled dies of the series, which evident by this 1878cc that isn’t the case.
Now to the real meat and potatoes of this article! An 1881-CC that was posted to a Facebook coin group for determination of value and authenticity. Being that 1881-CC has a low mintage of a mere 296,000 coins, there are very few die marriages. Only VAM-2 and VAM-6 has a CC tilted left, clearly this coin doesn’t attribute to either die marriage. (To learn about VAMs, click here.)
It does match the reverse of the previous 1878cc!
Below see a comparison image of both the 1878 and 1881-CC reverses. The “doubled wreath” stands out clearly. Along with a few repeating circulation marks, one being a minor indent on the wreath and another in the field below the right star.
After a lengthy conversation with the individual who owns the coin, they couldn’t come to terms that it was a very modern counterfeit. I’m sure our readers will see this coin is clearly unattributable to a genuine die marriage and matches a known counterfeit.
The best way to guard against buying a counterfeit coin is to purchase an authentic one from a reputable dealer. Barring that, view Jack Young’s Jack Riley’s and my articles on counterfeit coins published by Proxiblog.
If you like posts like this, please subscribe so you can be informed whenever there is a new article or column.
Proxiblog also has more than a thousand friends and followers on Facebook Coin Groups and thousands more across YouTube and social media. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.
You can find more information about errors and varieties as well as buying and bidding on coins in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider purchasing the work for yourself or a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist website. Thank you.
Clash marks are valuable, but people often try to mimic them with a vise, pressing two coins together. Other times, for one reason or another, glue creates an impression of one coin on another. Do not bid on any of these until you can tell them apart. As you might imagine, eBay and online auctions often label vise and glue coins as clash marks.
Here are all three:
You can easily distinguish them by looking for specific tells under a loupe or magnifying glass. You want to check if the extra impression is raised or sunken, and whether the lettering is oriented normally or backwards. If backward, you’re looking at a vise or glue coin.
TYPE
CLASH MARKS
VISE COIN
GLUE COIN
RELIEF
Raised Devices
Sunken Devices
Flat Layered
ORIENTATION
Normal
Backward/Reversed
Backward/Reversed
THICKNESS
Normal
Flat/Distorted
Thick/Sticky
A die clash happens at the Mint when erroneously the obverse and reverse dies strike each other without a blank planchet between them. The so-called “ghost” image will be raised, not sunken or flatly layered.
Vise coins are created by pressing two coins together with a vise or hammering them to mimic the clashed die. Because of the method, the lettering will be backward, flattened, distorted or damaged, especially by the rims.
A glue coin happens any number of ways when two coins are bonded by an adhesive. When separated, the ghost image appears flat and layered on the other coin.
Often the tone of the coin will be altered with a dried or amber look, as you might anticipate with glue. True, flat and layered can be confused with raised of a die clash. To be sure, dip the coin in acetone and the ghost will dissolve.
Sometimes people use a vise to create weird patterns, thinking those unfamiliar with how coins are minted will consider this an error or variety.
You’ll find many more examples of vise and glue coins on Facebook because few people know how to tell these apart from clashed dies. They find them in rolls, typically, because someone realized this wasn’t a mint error.
Sometimes glue takes strange shapes. Again, you need to know how coins are made to understand how this could never happen at the Mint.
Depending on the condition of the coin and the denomination, because clashed dies, vise jobs and glue coins happen across denominations, values vary from minor examples $30 to major ones in the hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
If you like posts like this, subscribe so you can be informed whenever there is a new article or column.
Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and other social media. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.
You can find more information about types, varieties, errors, grading, bidding and buying in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider buying or gifting the work for a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist blog. Thank you.
Today’s feature subject- the Trifecta all over again; counterfeit 1882-CC Morgan $, counterfeit PCGS slab, and counterfeit PCGS CN “authentication” website.
This article documents what is happening to our hobby. It is important for every collector to know what is happening on eBay and other venues with counterfeit coins, slabs and websites.
So, let’s start with the current one. I notified PCGS about this 1882-CC Morgan. As I have noted previously I use eBay for new material to write counterfeit articles on, and eBay apparently remembers me and my dumpster dive searches! The following is one page of a series of “inspiring” Bay offerings that came up the other day:
So the 1882-CC looked different and I thought worth taking a deeper dive on (notice the similar looking 1880-CC to the right as well). The original listing:
I have seen many odd listings on the Bay, but this one is notable. Starting with not-PCGS label the nomenclature seems bizarre; I have never seen a genuine one with the word “America” on it, making me think of others with “Morgan” on the label! And I had no clue what the “LM” and “Y” designations stands for; turns out they are attributions for Chinese coins!
The barcode doesn’t scan, the cert number doesn’t exist in the true PCGS database, and the gold shield looks like a child’s coloring book effort.
The seller shows front and back images and then a raw one on a scale while stating “With NFC C” for whatever that is supposed to mean.
And an old friend, “slash” the eagle! And where do you suppose the scale came from?
So bad cert #:
So, what about the reverse QR code? With that many “cn’s” in the address where do you suppose it will lead?
So a note for reference- the site we exposed at the beginning of the year was entirely different and was taken down quickly after notifying my contacts at PCGS and reporting on Proxiblog:
And the new site and images:
And like the previous site there is a “TrueView” type image to aid with authentication…
A little pricy to me at the time as I had 2 others going through the eBay refund/ return process then. Interestingly, both of them were reported through the Bay AI reporting process and came back AOK, but when I posted each on my Face Book sites and stated I bought one, they suddenly were removed along with the sellers…
So I reported this one and the bogus site to my contacts at PCGS and then posted on my personal FB page:
And poof, both the seller and listing were removed from the Bay…
From my post one can see there are Chinese coins included, as I went through the effort to find other ‘coins” on the site. Many CC Morgans and even more CN coins including this example:
Notice the cert #, 66259150 and the subject example, 66259979- each cert # in-between these shows another counterfeit. It goes on and on…
And an image of the ones I screen printed:
Saved images from the bad website
A true nightmare IMHO.
And the story continues, as after the subject listing and seller “disappeared”, more showed up to the party.
2 new sellers with the same appearing stuff, they now state “with grading box”.
I looked at the 1880-CC, and it matched the website examples but decided to purchase the 1882-CC.
And what about seller feedback? WOW, I didn’t know there was even such a thing as counterfeit perfume!
Yep, I took the chance of submitting feedback before receiving the item, so we will see how that worked for me.
And I did also report the 1880-CC, but both of these and the website are still up.
And eBay’s responses to both reports:
eBay’s report response states made by a “customer service agent” in both cases!
And the 1882-CC seller’s response to my feedback? Well, like another seller he cancelled my order stating I requested the cancellation.
And he added to the negative feedback chain and asked I contact them “directly to discuss”:
And an interesting anecdote, Paula Bluhm found a Chinese coin with the variety nomenclature used on this “Morgan” counterfeit! (Maybe a viewer can help with the Y and LM designations.)
I actually tried to purchase another one from the same seller, but he cancelled it after I paid for it; I was refunded by eBay.
And a 6-18 update- more sellers of these counterfeits hit the Bay, and they must have read my negative feedback and now obstruct the reverse QR code!
I purchased an 1880-CC, so we will see what I receive.
If you like posts like this, you can read more articles on counterfeit coins by Jack D. Young, Jack Riley and Michael Bugeja at this URL. Also, please subscribe so you can be informed whenever there is a new article or column.
Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups and across social media. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.
You can find more information about errors and varieties as well as buying and bidding on coins in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider purchasing the work for yourself or a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist website. Thank you.
Everyone knows that Chinese counterfeits have flooded the coin market with some production estimates exporting between 100,000 to 500,000 counterfeit coins per month. The majority of these are offered as raw coins on eBay, Etsy and Temu, among others. But now a new threat has emerged: sellers offering counterfeits in fake PCGS holders with phony “Not PCGS” certification sites.
This is a much-overlooked consequence because it attacks the fundamental priority of top holdering companies: authentication.
These fakes pop up when you try to access PCGS. To show how frequent, I now will access the site and report the results in 10 minutes of searching.
These are from different sellers. I could have published a dozen or more.
When viewing counterfeit “Not PCGS” coins on eBay, you’ll see that sellers have few sales. Never bid or buy from such sellers. Nevertheless, that is not the lesson here. It is the erosion of the reputation of the top holdering companies in the hobby.
While we cannot do anything about Chinese fakes, we can ask eBay to listen more closely to our messages and reports about counterfeits and perhaps fix their algorithm and provide more education for their customer service employees.
To be fair, eBay has honored many of our complaints about counterfeit coins. It has forced sellers to reimburse buyers of counterfeit coins. We know that.
But the issue now is the proliferation of counterfeits in fake PCGS holders. An algorithm or customer service employee may see that famous logo and–ironically!–believe the listing is authentic because … wait for it … it trusts PCGS’s reputation.
That is why counterfeiters are using fake PCGS holders, playing off of PCGS’s good name. They also play off the good name of top auction houses like GreatCollections with fake stickers.
Every hobbyist needs to know counterfeit detection. Click here for that. Here is a visual primer on how you, too, can identify counterfeit coins in fake PCGS holders:
Our concern here focuses on the hobby and the ramifications of using fake PCGS holders to fool hobbyists into thinking they have a genuine coin.
While many hobbyists have complained about counterfeits, the conventional wisdom is disappointing: nothing can be done because the Chinese government allows this as part of its economy.
That thinking results in defeatism. If nothing can be done, then the hobby is at risk. But that risk is becoming greater each day. If eBay in particular does little when informed about counterfeits, because (a) its algorithm cannot detect a fake based on die markers and (b) its customer service may not be schooled enough to know those markers, seeing only a slabbed PCGS coin; then (c) the corporate reputation of PCGS is at issue.
This is an article about that premise. eBay can argue that it has invested $X amount of dollars in counterfeit detection and even has customer service employees check listings when multiple complaints have been lodged; but if both are proving at many occasions ineffective, that is not a strong defense when it comes to PCGS. It only means that eBay’s methods need enhancement.
These are matters beyond the scope of this article.
Stephanie Sabin, president of PCGS, is aware of the ongoing issue.
She provided Proxiblog with this statement:
“Since founding PCGS in 1986, our mission has been to protect collectors through leading authentication, grading, and the most secure holders in the industry. However, a powerful brand inevitably attracts counterfeiters, and we treat combating these fraudulent holders as an aggressive, ongoing priority. True security requires staying multiple steps ahead, which is why we continually invest in advanced overt and covert security features across all our product lines. We applaud the dedicated individuals and organizations within our community who work tirelessly to educate collectors on the dangers of counterfeit holders; their vigilance to eliminate altered and fraudulent collectibles is essential to protecting consumers and preserving the integrity of the numismatic marketplace. By combining their grassroots educational initiatives with our ongoing technical innovations and strengthened marketplace partnerships, we will continue to build a safer, more secure hobby for all.”
In recent years, Chinese counterfeiters have upped the ante, targeting PCGS, often cited as the most reliable and top holdering company. Not only are the coins fake; the holders are too. And the certs open to a fake PCGS authentication site.
Proxiblog’s Jack Young, Jack Riley and Michael Bugeja have been monitoring the proliferation of “Not PCGS” counterfeit coins.
In January, Jack Young wrote, “As if the Chinese counterfeit coins in fake PCGS slabs isn’t bad enough, now there appears to be a fake Chinese PCGS website to verify them.”
Young identified this counterfeit:
Of course he checked the cert and found no similar or other coin. His next step was to try to read the reverse label QR code. He got this:
A fake coin. A fake holder. A fake site. (If you are interested in the complete article about this fake coin and site, click here.) Jack Young has found that this trifecta is happening again.
He has found two more sellers that offer fake coins in fake PCGS holders with certs going to a fake PCGS site.
Jack Young says “Michael and I have been discussing what I have termed the ‘proliferation’ of counterfeit coins using stolen PCGS Intellectual Property, fake ‘PCGS’ holders on eBay. I see all of the listings ‘allowed’ there as a huge failing of eBay. And their AI reporting process is also an apparent failure to many collectors and hobbyists as well.
“So, going forward I use eBay for new material to write counterfeit articles on, and today’s usual browse of ‘US Coins’ on the Bay resulted in 44 counterfeit coins in fake PCGS slabs listed on just the 1st page. I screen-printed a number but quite frankly got tired of the effort after documenting these below.”
Snippet of the 44 listings available on 1-page of eBay US Coin listings 6-11-26
The frustration with eBay stems from counterfeit experts using the eBay reporting system only to be told that the fraudulent listing is fine and nothing will be done. Example:
But it gets worse. Jack Young has been warned about reporting counterfeit coins on eBay, further damaging its supposed defense that it vets all reports of fake offerings on the platform. Example:
Because of the proliferation of “Not PCGS” counterfeits, Jack Young and Proxiblog have received or seen requests on Facebook coin groups to check if an actual authentic PCGS coin is, well, authentic!
In sum, scam sellers acting in effect as agents of Chinese counterfeiters are eroding the very heart of what top holdering companies do: authenticate.
The question now, of course, is what can be done collectively.
Jack Young and I have contacts at PCGS, which has encouraged us to report fake offerings and to do one more thing: inform the company if eBay refuses to take action. But that will hardly fix the problem. The issue at hand is what can be done when popular platforms like eBay get it wrong at the expense of its bidders and holdering companies.
That will have to be decided by others.
Proxiblog can help by continuing to grow our subscriber base and influence on Facebook. Jack Young and Jack Riley also have large spheres of influence. But we need the American Numismatic Association, the U.S. Mint and the National Coin and Bullion Association to understand this new threat of corporate reputation and to break the defeatism that nothing can be done.
Let’s review legalities:
Counterfeiting or knowingly passing fake coins is a federal crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison and severe fines. The U.S. Secret Service investigates all suspected counterfeit coins.
The creation, sale and distribution (pertinent here) of fake coins can be prosecuted under United States Codes:
Manufacturing and Forging (18 U.S. Code § 485): Falsely making, forging, or counterfeiting any coin (valued higher than 5 cents) or any gold or silver bar is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and substantial fines.
Passing or Possessing (18 U.S. Code § 485): Passing, selling or bringing counterfeit coins into the United States with the intent to defraud carries a penalty of up to5 years in prison.
There is also the Hobby Protection Act, which states, it is illegal to buy, sell or possess counterfeit coins. Moreover, all replica, copy or imitation numismatic items must be plainly and permanently marked with the word “COPY”.
Jack Young, Michael Bugeja and Proxiblog subscribers have encountered sellers who bought a counterfeit coin, are reselling it as genuine and refuse to take it down.
We present one example here, but we encounter this regularly.
Here are exchanges by Bugeja and subscriber Tim Scott, trying fruitlessly with eBay to take down this obvious fake. Our complaints were ignored by eBay.
Despite our concerns, shared across Facebook coin groups, the fake coin in a fake PCGS holder sold for $607.33. You can see it had 24 bids.
We thank Stephanie Sabin and PCGS for helping us safeguard their reputation and our hobby.
If you like posts like this, please go to our counterfeit archive with reports from Jack Riley, Jack D. Young, John Lorenzo and Michael Bugeja. Also, please subscribe so you be informed whenever there is a new article or column.
Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and social media. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.
You can find more information about errors and varieties as well as buying and bidding on coins in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider purchasing the work for yourself or a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist website. Thank you.
Key date coins are a target for counterfeiters with a large profit to be made, but what about common date coins? Well, nothing is safe!
This article doesn’t focus on a connected “family,” rather a specific coin. This Bicentennial Eisenhower Dollar was previously shared in a Facebook group and many were shocked to learn that it is in fact counterfeit!
One may notice at a glance many raised “lumps” across the obverse fields and a large tell of the distended letters primary in “One Dollar”.
This surely isn’t a “one off” piece. I haven’t found a second example of one surface since this one so additional repeating marks are inconclusive. I suspect the diagonal notch through “trust” will be seen on all examples using this obverse.
Why would China counterfeit a common dollar like this?
Many hobbyists think that a high value of a coin makes it a candidate for counterfeiters. Counterfeiters take advantage of this false sense of security. The coin here probably was part of a complete set that someone purchased, realized the deception, and used or sold.
It costs about a dime to a quarter to make these dollars. Sell one, even for a dollar, and you have a substantial profit.
If you like posts like this, please go to our counterfeit archive with reports from Jack Riley, Jack D. Young, John Lorenzo and Michael Bugeja. Also, please subscribe so you be informed whenever there is a new article or column.
Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and social media. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.
You can find more information about errors and varieties as well as buying and bidding on coins in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider purchasing the work for yourself or a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist website. Thank you.
While new hobbyists typically search for the unicorns–1992/92-D Close AM cents–veteran collectors know that chances are infinitely better looking for the 1998, 1999 and 2000 Wide AM varieties.
If you are interested in the 1992/92-D Close AM cents, click here. This post is about the 1998, 1999, and 2000 Wide AM varieties, all from the Philadelphia Mint.
In 1994, the U.S. Mint developed rules for Lincoln Memorial Cents. Business strikes were supposed to use a “Close AM” reverse die. Proof coins would use the “Wide AM” reverse die.
Between 1998-200, two US Mints produced business strikes for cents, Philadelphia and Denver. At the Philly facility, coin operators mistakenly used a “Wide AM” reverse die on some of the production runs.
There are three markers to discern what you have.
Let’s dissect each of these.
Now let’s compare with the regular correct business strikes:
Values for these varieties depend on the coin’s condition and color (Brown, Red-Brown, or Red).
Here are mintage estimates and values for each year:
YEAR
ESTIMATED VARIETY MINTAGE
RANGE OF VALUES
1998
100,000
$25 to $150, Lower Mint State
1999
2,000
$400 to $1,000+, Lower Mint State
2000
200,000+
$15 to $35, Lower Mint State
Do not purchase raw Wide AM 1998-2000 cents unless you know the markers. Almost every raw example on eBay has the wrong markers (Close AM) for the rare 1999 cent. Examples:
There are true “unicorn” coins, theorized but never found, including the 1964 Morgan Dollar and the 1965 Kennedy Half on a 1964 90% Silver Planchet. You can add the 1998-D Wide AM, 1999-D Wide AM and 2000-D Wide AM to that list.
ALL of the several 1998-D, 1999-D and 2000-D Cents on eBay listed as “Wide AM” are just regular “Close AM” cents. Example:
If you like posts like this, subscribe so you can be informed whenever there is a new article or column.
Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and social media. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.
You can find more information about types, varieties, errors, grading, bidding and buying in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider buying or gifting the work for a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist blog. Thank you.
When the US Mint makes a transition from one type of planchet to another, as we have seen with the popular 1982-D Small Date brass cent, unused planchets are sure to be stuck somewhere in the coinage bins, which is precisely what happened with 1965 dimes and quarters.
To get your hands on one or both, you need to be rich … or lucky with rolls and pocket change. Nevertheless, you’ll have better odds with these than the 1982-D Small Date transitional error, of which only two have been found.
1965 Dime on 90% Silver Planchet
1965 dimes were supposed to be copper-nickel. The price of silver was responsible for common denominations to transition to clad. A small number of silver blanks got into feeder bins. Between 20-100 of the rarity may have escaped into circulation.
Value is between $3,000 and $13,000 and higher, depending on condition and certification grade by a top-tier holdering company.
To determine if you found the rarity, look at the edge. If you see a copper stripe, you have the clad dime. If you can’t see the stripe, weigh it. A clad dime weighs 2.27 grams; the silver dime, 2.5 grams.
1965 Quarter on 90% Silver Planchet
The same thing happened with quarters as with the dime above. Some leftover 1964 silver planchets got into 1965 clad hoppers. Fewer than 20 are believed to have left the Mint.
An authentic 1965 Washington quarter accidentally struck on a 90% silver planchet is valued between $4,000 and $17,000+, depending on its condition and professional grade and certification. Again, look at the edge. If you see a copper stripe, you have the common clad quarter. If not, weigh it. A clad quarter weighs 5.67 grams whereas a silver one weighs 6.25 grams.
The 1965 Half Dollar “Unicorn”
Hobbyists searching for the “Unicorn”–a coin so rare as to be mythic–continue to look for a 1965 Half Dollar struck on a 1964 90% silver planchet. Hey, if the same thing happened with the dime and quarter, why not the JFK Half?
Good luck with that. None have been found.
If you think you found the unicorn, it should weigh 12.5 grams whereas a 40% regular strike should weigh 11.5 grams.
It goes without saying, beware of replicas and alterations and false claims on eBay and Facebook.
If you like posts like this, subscribe so you can be informed whenever there is a new article or column.
Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and other social media. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.
You can find more information about types, varieties, errors, grading, bidding and buying in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider buying or gifting the work for a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist blog. Thank you.
There are all manner of scams by people looking to cash in on collectors who do not know markers for ultra rarities. And when it comes to the 1982-D Small Date Bronze transitional error, there is a desperation by newbies educated by clickbait social media that the third example is out there in pocket change.
Sellers take advantage of such ignorance.
If you are interested in an article about the various types of 1982 cents, including all markers for the transitional error, click here.
But let’s cut to the chase with basic knowledge.
Only two 1982-D Small Date 3.1 grams have been found.
Here’s how they look close up.
Here are markers for the small date.
DO NOT bid or buy any coin that is placed on a scale reading 3.1. You’ll be buying a zinc small date, of little or no value. Or a coin on tinkered scale.
You will see several examples on eBay of sellers showing a regular 1982-D large date bronze cent in a PCGS holder. Sellers think if they claim a regular strike is the small date, you’ll believe it, only because it is holdered by PCGS and you don’t know the markers.
Here’s an example:
Here’s how to decipher.
There are two numbers below the condition. In this case below, 146021.58, means two things: 146021 goes to the CoinFacts designation and the 58, the condition, AU58. In the image below, you can see that the 146021 goes to the regular large date strike.
Here’s another example with the seller claiming this large date is a small date. Again, the 146021 gives it away.
The seller of the above coin did not take kindly to my message that this is a scam.
He doesn’t like his time being wasted. He just wants to waste your money.
Ultra rarities are not found in pocket change; when one is, that becomes a national news story. If you think you found one, do not post it on social media and claim authenticity. If you are so sure, send it to PCGS, NGC, ANACS or CAC. And if you want to buy an ultra rarity, make sure you know how to read the holder company label.
If you like posts like this, subscribe so you can be informed whenever there is a new article or column.
Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and other social media. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.
You can find more information about types, varieties, errors, grading, bidding and buying in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider buying or gifting the work for a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist blog. Thank you.
Special issue coins typically are made for collectors and have their own designations, devices and mintmarks. Ones featured here are readily available. Some hobbyists collect all of them.
1996-W Roosevelt Dime
One of the most popular special issues is the 1996-W Roosevelt dime, marking the half-century of the design. This was the first base metal coin struck at the West Point mint.
The 1996-W Roosevelt dime is the lowest-mintage business-strike coin in the series (1,457,949). The next lowest was the 1955 dime (12,450,000).
Unlike other business strikes, the coin was not released into circulation. It was a bonus coin included in that year’s U.S. Mint Uncirculated Coin Sets.
It is the only business strike dime carry the W mint mark for West Point.
PCGS recounts the trouble that the Mint had in adding the W mintmark. For the occasion, engraver John Mercanti was asked to hand-punch the mintmark into the die directly. But the steel die was not properly prepared (heated) so the force of the punch made it mushroom. It could not be used. Another engraver had to create an entire new dime model, carving the mintmark directly into the master plaster. This is why the mintmark looks different than on ones used for other W mintmark issues.
If you want to buy or bid on this dime, make sure that it has full bands. PCGS estimates it has holdered some 6,700 dimes that are not full bands compared with 4,500 that have them.
An MS68FB retails for about $60; in MS69FB, about $260.
2019-W Lincoln Cent
The 2019-W cent was produced to celebrate the 110th anniversary of the Lincoln cent. PCGS lists three finishes for the dime, released as a bonus in these sets:
Proof finish: Included with the standard 2019 Proof Set.
Reverse Proof finish: Included with the 2019 Silver Proof Set.
Uncirculated finish: Included with the 2019 Uncirculated Mint Set.
As with all coins manufactured for collectors, the overwhelming number of coins will be uncirculated still and not worth much unless in extremely high grades. Examples of the business strike in MS69 are worth about $30 whereas an MS70 retails for about $350.
2020-W Jefferson Nickel
This was the first U.S. nickel to bear a “W” mintmark. The regular nickel came inside the 2020 Mint Proof Set. A 2020-W Jefferson Nickel in a Reverse Proof format came inside the 2020 Silver Proof Set.
The Mint planned to make a 2020-W nickel with an uncirculated finish to be included in the 2020 Uncirculated Coin Set. The COVID-19 illness limited production, however, and the issue was canceled.
The 2020-W Proof Nickel had a mintage of 464,039; the 2020-W Reverse Proof Nickel, 313,185. These typically retail online for $35 in PR69 and $80 in PR70.
2015-W March of Dimes
The 2015-W March of Dimes Proof Silver Dime and the 2015-P March of Dimes Reverse Proof Silver Dime also were special release issues. They were available only when collectors bought the 2015 March of Dimes Special Silver Set.
2015-W Proof Silver Dime was the first ever silver proof Roosevelt dime to carry the “W” mint mark and also the first non-dollar denomination coin to ever be produced with a reverse proof finish.
The set was limited to 75,000 units. As such, both silver dimes are some of the scarcest in the Roosevelt series.
Depending on the price of silver, the 3-Coin Set typically sells for about $200.
If you like posts like this, please subscribe so you can be informed whenever there is a new article or column.
Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and other venues. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.
You can find more information about errors and varieties as well as buying and bidding on coins in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider purchasing the work for yourself or a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist website. Thank you.
Several friends notified me of an obvious scam on eBay recently involving a PCGS certified 1882-CC image used by multiple sellers (showing the same origin location) listed for sale at a bargain price.
Past auction listing- I added seller’s reverse image to this
I have written previous articles on these “bait and switch” tactics by MANY eBay sellers using genuine coin images (to help fool artificial intelligence, which needs little help to do currently) to sell counterfeit coins. I have actually purchased a couple in the past just to see what a buyer would get and reported them and received my purchase price back.
So, a couple of bad signs with this listing:
Image of a genuine PCGGS certed example; PCGS shows a value of $450.00.
Listed price $39.99 with 2 sold and more than 10 available.
And the seller’s feedback notes:
Well, at least they show eBay “Verified purchases”!
And while I was reviewing this one 5 other listings with the same stock images but different sellers popped up; I started saving images and organizing my files:
From this I put a note together and sent a message to eBay alerting them about this scam and reported the subject listing.
Note to eBay
I reported them all through the feeble AI reporting process with all coming back as no policy violations including the subject example.
And so I decided to buy this one and see what I would receive.
And I received a typical CN counterfeit CC Morgan with the slashed eagle reverse!
I emailed the seller with no response; looks like he packed up his “shop,” and nothing now listed.
And going back to check the listing and follow-up I find eBay now removed the listing! It did allow me to request a return and leave appropriate feedback for the seller.
Now 3 negative feedbacks for the counterfeit bait and switch!
So we’ll see where this goes from here, as eBay stated they will step in if requested May 1. Pretty sure I won’t hear back from the seller by then.
And he apparently sold MANY of these through several different seller IDs right under eBay’s nose.
And continued reviewing turned up the genuine example and seller the scammers used for their listings:
So, come on eBay! You can do better than this.
We can do better, too, as hobbyists by learning how to identify fakes.
If you like posts like this, please go to our counterfeit archive with reports from Jack Riley, Jack D. Young, John Lorenzo and Michael Bugeja. Also, please subscribe so you can be informed whenever there is a new article or column.
Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and social media. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.
You can find more information about errors and varieties as well as buying and bidding on coins in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider purchasing the work for yourself or a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist website. Thank you.
