1939 French Indochina 5 Cent. Surface Abnormality

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Author	Replies: 6 / Views: 1,403
63horses New Member United States 17 Posts	Posted 03/20/2016 8:48 pm Hi all, forgive me if this is a noob question but I was recently comparing 1938 and 1939 French IndoChina 5 cent coins and noticed the 1939 surface appears covered in tiny bumps/pockmarks. There also seem to be second "ghost images" of surrounding some of the letters on the 1939 (clearly seen on the close up). Both coins are worth about $1 so I figured counterfeiting wouldn't be an issue, would it? Is this possibly the result of a poor cleaning attempt (although details are pretty good)? Any insight would be much appreciated. Report this Post to the Staff

Spence Moderator United States 34428 Posts	Posted 03/21/2016 8:12 pm Not a noob question at all. There are several others who are far more knowledgeable about fakes, but if those are raised bumps on the surface, then this cannot be a struck coin. The details definitely look a little blurred to me. As far as motivations for faking coins, I'm not sure that a low price for the real coin is a deterrent anymore... "If you climb a good tree, you get a push." -----Ghanaian proverb "The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed." -----King Adz Report this Post to the Staff
63horses New Member United States 17 Posts	Posted 03/22/2016 06:21 am Thanks, I'm not 100% sure if it's bumps or pockmarks, but the surface is definitely grainy. Also the pic was taken by a cell phone through a loupe and the coin is in a 2x2 so my photography setup could also be contributing to the blurriness haha Report this Post to the Staff
trout1105 Pillar of the Community Australia 7096 Posts	Posted 03/22/2016 06:29 am I am pretty certain that this is a genuine coin that has been struck with a rusted die which is responsible for the granular appearance of the surfaces Report this Post to the Staff
63horses New Member United States 17 Posts	Posted 03/24/2016 10:32 pm Thanks both of you for the opinions. I measured the coin again, dimensions and weight are right for an authentic specimen. I hadn't considered rust before but this seems like a good explanation after looking at some other examples. Strange to me that a major mint like that of the French would let their dies get into such bad shape though... Report this Post to the Staff
Tryna Pillar of the Community United States 937 Posts	Posted 03/25/2016 5:18 pm well lets not forget what was going on in French IndoChina about this time. Thailand, backed by Japan lusted after the lands of cambodia, Laos and Viet Nam. France was doing little better than raping the area for resources. In Europe Britan said 'Don't' to Germany, Germany said 'Watch me!', and heck broke loose engulfing France in 1940. In May of 1941 Thailand walked into Indo China commiting all the oldest sins in the newest ways. Many coins of Indo China in the period just prior to WWII show signs of burial. It is reasonable to think that your coin has been buried for a long while causing a coroded surface, it is also reasonable to think it is a cast forgery. What does the edge look like? Report this Post to the Staff
63horses New Member United States 17 Posts	Posted 03/25/2016 6:57 pm The edge is smooth although there is one spot that is heavily scratched, maybe filed? There is no visible seam along the edge though. I know a lead counterfeit exists but from the pics I've seen it looks darker while this looks similar to another (hopefully?) real 1938 issue in terms of color. Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 6 / Views: 1,403

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