Counterfeit Mint Error Overstrikes

PCGS - Counterfeiting workshops, particularly those in China, have produced thousands of different counterfeits of Chinese coins and other numismatic issues from around the world. As a result, counterfeiters can have thousands of different dies at their disposal. Counterfeits of inferior quality don't get easily passed off as genuine, or they become exposed as fake, which often gives counterfeiters motivation to try fixing their dies to produce better specimens - or produce "errors" to pass them off as premium pieces that defraud people. Over the last few years, hundreds of these pieces struck or overstruck with counterfeit dies have been submitted to PCGS and returned as not genuine. Yet they continue to appear on the market being sold as genuine mint errors and have even been certified as genuine by some other services. Today, I will highlight four different types of examples we have seen.



This first piece is a China Szechuan 7 Mace 2 Candareens or Dollar (1901-08) listed as Y-238.1 and L&M-346 with the variety where the V for PROVINCE is an inverted A. This piece is struck with counterfeit dies and flipped over and struck again with counterfeit dies. This intentional flip-over double strike is counterfeit. One can tell from the newly struck luster on this "circulated details" coin. Another diagnostic is the way the striking occurred, with both strikes being within the collar and details from one of the strikes being off-set; this would have happened only if being broadstruck or off-center, which that strike would have been partial or out of collar. Another diagnostic is the inconsistent striking details of what appears on both sides; the counterfeiters wanted the appearance of a dramatic error for premium sale, but what is struck - and double struck - is inconsistent with actual mint produced strikes and actual errors.

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