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My #1 tell-tale sign is finding identical error coins listed for sale in unlimited quantities on one particular non-U.S. website. I'm not condemning that entire site and I won't mention its name here because CCF probably doesn't want to host trash talk about other sites. Let me just say that the site I'm referring to is A*********, it is a giant online retail service made up of small businesses in C**** and elsewhere offering products to international online buyers. Finding dirt cheap unmarked 'replica' coins there removes any doubt if it matches one you are investigating. Without this kind of easy evidence, identifying fakes can be much tougher. There are books on the subject and maybe articles/discussions elsewhere on this forum (I'm ignorant, just got here!)
Let me add that one thing working in favor of die struck error collectors is that genuine errors are rarely identical so they tend to be easy to distinguish from one another without magnification. Large quantities of identical errors raises red flags pretty quick. In contrast, non-error coins are largely similar and harder to distinguish from one another (experts and magnification excluded), making it easier for the counterfeiters to pass off their junk in larger quantities for a longer period of time.
Thanks for the pointers, much appreciated.
I can't believe how cheap it is over there to buy this type of error coin! They must be quite common with prices so low?