Counterfeit Detection: 1859 Indian Head Cent Judd-226 Pattern

NGC - This type of fake is called a spark erosion counterfeit, and it often comes with plenty of clues about its spurious origin.

Cents underwent a stunning transformation in the 1850s, as the US Mint realized it was becoming cost-prohibitive to produce low-denomination copper coins that are bigger than today's quarters. The Large Cent era ended in favor of a coin less than half its weight: the Flying Eagle cent. That short-lived series was doomed by design problems, and its replacement, the Indian cent, carried the banner for the new Small Cents for a half-century run, beginning in 1859.

A number of patterns exist for 1859 Cents, including one that is identified by its catalog number as Judd-226. (Pattern coins are struck for the purpose of testing a coin design and are often among the rarest coins produced by any country's mint.) Judd-226 features a reverse with an oak wreath accompanying a bundle of arrows. Examples of this particular pattern are rarely offered at auction and generally sell for well over $1,000.


Genuine 1859 Judd-226 Pattern Indian Cent

NGC recently received a purported example of a 1859 Judd-226 Pattern Indian cent. The coin weighs 4.83 grams, a bit more than the expected 4.67 grams. And a metallurgical analysis determined that the coin is 64% copper, 18% zinc and 18% nickel, instead of the expected composition of 88% copper and 12% nickel. Weight and composition aside, the coin has numerous red flags — including the general porosity of its devices — that make it easily identifiable as a fake.


Counterfeit 1859 Judd-226 Pattern Indian Cent

This fake coin was created with the spark erosion process, which typically targets small copper coins. The counterfeiter places a genuine coin in an electrolytic bath near what will become the counterfeit die. An electrical current is then used to etch the design of the genuine coin into the die. The process can leave behind pits in the die, which can show up as lumps, such as on the 'N' in ONE on the reverse.


Close-up of counterfeit 1859 Indian Cent

The reverse also holds other important clues, including odd lines in the fields near the edge to the left of the word ONE as well as the missing or badly faded denticles seen in this area. The obverse has similar issues, including odd lines and raised areas in the field, including near the second 'S' in STATES.

Read More: Counterfeit Detection Series

Check out 1859 Indian Head Cents on ebay.