Counterfeit Detection: 1935 Connecticut Commemorative Half Dollar

NGC - This fake has the right amount of silver, but problems with its surfaces abound.

The 1935 Connecticut Tercentenary Half Dollar was popular in its day, with its entire mintage of 25,000 selling out quickly. The bold designs include the state's storied Charter Oak on the obverse (an element that re-appeared decades later on the Connecticut State Quarter, even though the tree itself fell in a storm in 1856).

Today, Mint State examples of the Connecticut Tercentenary Half Dollar sell for several hundred dollars. NGC has graded more than 3,500 examples of this coin, one of the most beloved of the classic commemorative series.

Recently, NGC graders received a submission of an example of this coin that did not seem right.


Counterfeit 1935 Connecticut Tercentenary Half Dollar

At first glance, it appears to be a genuine example. However, the coin exhibits weak details throughout and an absence of noticeable circular lathe lines radiating from the center which are commonly seen on this issue. Both of these are signs that the coin may be a counterfeit, so an experienced numismatist would know to take a closer look.

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