Greece 20 Lepta 1831 Genuine?

After looking around a bit, this appears to be genuine, but there are some red flags still. The feathers on the eagle, and the leaves on the reverse look a little suspicious. But after looking at the Counterfeits, they look pretty crude to me. This one shows wear in exact same spots of graded genuine examples sold at auction on heritage, which makes me think genuine. It'll be worth getting checked out and/or graded if you plan on buying it.

definitely genuine, the coins from this period 1828-1831 is my passion! .there s many different types/varieties. your's is in fine condition.if you ever need any info on greek coins of this period feel free to contact me. vasilis *** Edited by Staff - Please review the rules that you agreed to when you registered. ***

Nikos I am not referring to a harsh brushing when I say it has been cleaned. I am referring to the rather minimal amount of normal circulation grime (dirt) that accumulates naturally on old copper coins. On this coin such grime is seen only on closed letters and highly protected or uncleaned areas (like the rim). Note particularly the alphas, the pi and the edge details. The edge shows extensive grime in all of the features in the picture. The surfaces show some grime but only in areas that would have required scrubbing or tooling to remove. Cleaning the edge of the coin to match the faces is rarely done and it is a good check to make sure the color and appearance is identical. To my eye the edge is darker more uniform in color. That is why I suspected cleaning in the first place.

In the 1950s it was common for collectors to use soft gum erasers to remove the grime and make the coins look "better". It was also considered permissible to oil the surfaces after cleaning to block oxygen from hitting the surfaces.

I know both are considered very bad today but 60 years ago the practice was just starting to be phased out.

The color of the coin is not correct for copper that has aged since 1831 without cleaning. The round dark spots "speckles" are usually associated with older cleanings and oilings after which the coin has re-toned possibly naturally. The round spots are traces of dirt not originally removed that reacted with the copper under the oil. It is an appearance that is common on older large cents made in the US. It is one reason why so many coins were initially rejected by TPGs as "cleaned" when the "new standard" of original surfaces came into vogue.

Changing standards is a great way to make some coins "rare" because they were never treated normally. It is one reason why I see no great value to the very high grades given by TPGs to some coins today while others are denigrated.