Chinese Counterfeits

I have a scale and a Red Book. My questions were:

1) What variation is expected in mint samples (I would think very little)
2) What percentage weight loss can be expected from heavy use? 5%?

I'm asking about a VERY specific group of coins (Wheats) and it seems that the best advice is to "read up" or become a specialist and create a collection of real coins and fakes. I don't WANT to be a specialist! I've been there and done that in a few areas of stamp collecting. It's interesting and rewarding, but coin collecting is a side hobby for me. I'm happy to "read up" on the subject, but what is the recommended source? Again, relating this to stamps (which I know far better than coins), if you asked me about Periodical stamps and were concerned about fakes I would tell you:
1) Check the perforations - all genuine stamps are perf 12. Most fakes are perf 11.
2) Look for clear letters of banknote name at bottom of PR1-PR7. Fakes will be blurry.
3) Look for "FALSCH" embedded in the design. Many fakes from Germany had an embedded word that means "FALSE" or "FAKE".
For more information on this topic, Doc. M. Pepper publishes 4 separate offerings:
a) The Regulars: A study of Regular Issues
b) The Facsimiles: A study of fakes, forgeries, and facsimiles (focus on facsimiles)
c) The Forgeries: A study of fakes, forgeries, and facsimiles (focus on forgeries)
d) The Proofs: A study of die proofs, plate proofs, and printings.

Can I at least get a suggestion for a reference book on Lincoln Wheats?

OK, fair enough. That makes sense. Thanks, Pete!

Can anyone suggest a good comprehensive guide to Wheats? Either a book or a web site. It would be nice to know what to look for. I have a 1943 steel penny that weighs OVER the specified weight. A good reference would tell me if that is normal (perhaps the amount of zinc coating varied by a few hundredths of a gram, or maybe somebody "re-coated" these things). I have a digital gram scale accurate to 0.1 grams, a magnet, and 4 loupes (10x, 20x, 30x, 60x). I just need to know what the "danger zone" is. Nobody would alter a $20 stamp to make a $25 fake. There is a $2 stamp that can be "processed" to appear as a $4500 stamp, but that deception is well know so I hardly ever see any offered. It is akin to the folks that "cut" the "S" mint mark off of any penny and "glue" it to a 1909 VDB. No reasonable person would pay top dollar for a 1909S VDB without checking it out.

However, the other early "S" mint varieties may be ripe for such a treatment, just as altering a $10 stamp to "create" a $50 stamp is common since getting a cert isn't hardly worth it - unless you KNOW these are commonly faked (and you care about what's in your collection). I just bought two early "S" mint wheats and plan to examine the mint mark VERY closely with the 60X loupe. Are there any books or web sites with additional guidelines/tips?