Fake 1786 Lima 8R...

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Nice example of comparative analysis. That is how I tracked over 100 die varieties of Portrait 8Rs produced by Chinese forgers between 2002 and 2011. If you look at and copy all of the Chinese offerings - you routinely spot identical errors and damage. I first spotted this variety in August of 2003 (I refer to it as D1-024) - so it has been in production for no less than 8 1/2 years.

The partially complete dentils on the first picture tell the whole story. The transfer impression from which the dies or molds were made, was copied from a coin that had "INCOMPLETE" dentils at that point. This is normal since NO original coins contain complete dentils around the entire edge. This is a given because the planchets were smaller in diameter than the full face of the die.

So when you see dentils that stop short of the edge in a circular arc - you are dealing with a fake - PERIOD.

The book is progressing well. There are over 1100 counterfeits in my list broken into 4 main categories. It should be useful to ID many of these Modern Chinese fakes.

I have some friends who are Chinese forgers - so I do not by any means "hate" the Chinese. What they are doing is after all legal where they live.

The problem is that US laws are not enforced on imports which arrive without the word "COPY" counterstamped on them. I do have a problem when the sellers indicate the coins are marked COPY and they arrive without any marking at all.

But with that exception I find it difficult to blame the Chinese for greed on the part of US buyers who think they are getting a "steal".

In this life you rarely get something for nothing and when something seems too good to be true it usually is.

So beware - KNOW your chosen coins and above all be selective when buying.