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1943 Steel LWC Is It A Fake?

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carmykle's Avatar
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 Posted 08/27/2010  3:46 pm Show Profile   Bookmark this topic Add carmykle to your friends list Get a Link to this Message Number of Subscribers
I found this at an antique mall in Fredrick, MD 13 years ago. I forgot about it until I remember reading that someone was arrested in Fredrick for counterfeiting pennies. It never seemed "right" to me ever since.

1943-Steel-LWC-Is-It-A-Fake?

1943-Steel-LWC-Is-It-A-Fake?

1943-Steel-LWC-Is-It-A-Fake?

1943-Steel-LWC-Is-It-A-Fake?

1943-Steel-LWC-Is-It-A-Fake?

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nod2003's Avatar
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 Posted 08/27/2010  3:47 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add nod2003 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Seems like an odd item to fake...
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carmykle's Avatar
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 Posted 08/27/2010  4:33 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add carmykle to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
I know, that's what I thought. I could understand the DD D, but just the 43? He was calling them UNC and asking 50 cents for them. I said, what the heck. Sell enough things at 50 cents and they eventually add up to dollars. GOK how long he had been there and selling LWCs.
Edited by carmykle
08/27/2010 4:37 pm
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big777bill's Avatar
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 Posted 08/27/2010  4:45 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add big777bill to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
I find it hard to believe they would bother to fake that particular coin. Besides the fact it looks OK.
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bobby131313's Avatar
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 Posted 08/27/2010  4:50 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add bobby131313 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Looks like it's been replated. Tons of them have.
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Adam_E's Avatar
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 Posted 08/27/2010  4:52 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Adam_E to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply


replated
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biokemist6's Avatar
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 Posted 08/27/2010  5:23 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add biokemist6 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Not fake, just replated. Genuine steel cents are unplated on the edge which exposed the steel, causing premature rusting. The reason for this that the metal stock was plated and then the planchets were punched.
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Indian1's Avatar
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 Posted 08/28/2010  01:49 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Indian1 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Yes, a reprocessed cent.
Bio, guess I learned something then.
I always thought that the plating took place after the blank
punch then lost it's coat some during upsetting then the punch.
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Scooby Due's Avatar
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 Posted 08/28/2010  03:18 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Scooby Due to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Look at the orientaion of the "P" in EPLURIBUS. I don't ever recall seeing one like that.
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 Posted 08/28/2010  08:45 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Dcreek1968 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
I would say original, but am interested to learn more about the "replating" comment. What did they replate them with as I have numerous LWC steelies that have this same shiny appearance? I've always felt it wasn't natural, but the thought of replating never entered my mind. Well, learned something new today and looking to learn more. Please advise and thanks.
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big777bill's Avatar
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 Posted 08/28/2010  09:14 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add big777bill to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
I would like to learn more about the "replating" process also. I'd never heard of it before.
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Indian1's Avatar
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 Posted 08/28/2010  10:19 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Indian1 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
The process has been going on for some time now. They use zinc. to replate but have also used mercury in the past. Back when mercury was not harmful to you :) It was a way to take a rusted or lightly worn coin and try to make it appear as an unc. one. A money maker basically. You may find a lot of these in so called mint sets made up by different companies. Sold for a profit. Some even went as far
to sand the outer edges down a little and let them oxidize so they looked legite. There are some pretty good ones out there so you have to look carefully at them and learn what to look for on a repro.
Years back I saw many on ebay and they actually sold for big bucks.
The Coin World has gotten smart now. I just found one in a bank roll
the other day. Still a steelie but only worth the normal going rate.
This particular one was a real winner.
The outer edge was like new but had PM damage real bad. Deep gouges and gashes but no rust anywhere. Even on genuine unc. coins you can still find a hint of oxide on the edge. There are some though and they are scarce, that have none. A lot of legite coin dealers sell them as BU and do not even realize they may be repro's.
Once the coin is in a flip it is hard to see the outer edge to examine it closely with a loupe. So it is a good idea to get to know
what to look for on the obv./rev. fields and devices.
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Conder101's Avatar
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 Posted 08/28/2010  10:59 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Conder101 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply

Quote:
I always thought that the plating took place after the blank
punch then lost it's coat some during upsetting then the punch.

On the steel cents they plated the strip an then punched the blanks, on the current cents they punch the blanks, upset the rims, and then plate them.

Other metals that have been use to replated the steel cents include nickel and chrome (talk about shiny)
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carmykle's Avatar
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 Posted 08/28/2010  11:32 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add carmykle to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Thanks, I knew of the mercury plating but not re-plating with Zinc. I didn't think there was a mercury problem. I just looked at my lesser grade steelies and thought something wasn't right.

I've looked for the article in the Washington Post and Baltimore Sun for that time frame but can't locate a thing. I'll try another search method and see if I can get the name. Allegedly, He'd been selling counterfeit LWC for decades and no one ever thought to look in to the coins because (and not my words so don't shoot the messenger) they were "Just Pennies".

Here's a better photo of the "P". It does look askew but I can't really tell due to the condition of my other steel cents.

1943-Steel-LWC-Is-It-A-Fake?
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 Posted 08/28/2010  12:48 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add StJoeBlues to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Is that a die crack on the reverse going up through 12 o'clock? I think that's the definitive answer as to whether this is fake or not. Who would fake a die crack?
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Indian1's Avatar
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3640 Posts
 Posted 08/28/2010  7:07 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Indian1 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
I beleive the coin is a legit steelie just a repro.
Did anyone suggest just using a magnet ? If it sticks it's steel. Repro or not.
Even if there was a die crack present it would be raised so it would still show through a replating.
Sorry, when I state repro. I mean reprocessed (recoated) not reproduction. Thanks Condor/Bio for clearing up the process that Bio also had mentioned.
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