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 Replies: 9 / Views: 16,669 |
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Valued Member
United States
355 Posts |
Hey all, So I've been spot checking links, topics, Google searches, etc. on how to spot fake Washington quarters. On the older pre 64 coins I think there are enough ways to detect a fake due to them being silver, however on the post 64s what is the best way to spot or detect fake quarters. Weight? Tone? Design?...as I pick these BU examples up, mind you not THAT costly, but as I pick them up I want to be able to make sure they are not fake or counterfeit. I was hoping my RedBook guide to Washington and State Quarters would have more info on this but I'm not finding it in there. And most searches on the internet talk about detecting fake pre 64s and key date quarters. Am I being paranoid, are there any good resources out there specifically for detecting fake Washington's? |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
12437 Posts |
Quote:
Am I being paranoid Basically, yes. I see no logical reason to convincingly counterfeit clad quarters, not a single one could ever be considered a rarity(excepting top pop conditional rarities that are chased by the registry crowd). It is also worth noting that the clad metal stock in not easily obtainable, it was originally created through a process called explosion welding. Edited by biokemist6
06/28/2011 10:21 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1391 Posts |
It sounds pretty paranoid to me. The profit margin for counterfeiting these would be so small...
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Pillar of the Community
United States
797 Posts |
I agree I never heard of anybody counterfeiting those quarters. Not worth it, it would have to be done on such a huge scale to even begin making it worth the time and effort.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
648 Posts |
 and you could get them in a slab ( sniper-ed on ebay ) Quote:
as I pick these BU examples up, mind you not THAT costly, try US cheap coins link column on left. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
543 Posts |
I would think someone might see counterfeiting a 1983 in shape MS-63 or better
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
I have seen very few post 1964 counterfeit quarters. Those I have seen were basically intended to be circulating counterfeits and were not very deceptive. They have either been made of a lead based alloy and are overweight, or an aluminum based alloy and are underweight. One group of fakes that I haven't seen are a bunch of 1999 counterfeits that were reported in early 1999. A couple were traveling up the east coast paying their way with rolls of fake 1999 quarters. They should be easy to spot though as they have the eagle reverse and not a State Quarter reverse. |
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Valued Member
 United States
355 Posts |
Thanks for all the replies. This certainly makes me feel better :) I rather be thought of as paranoid I guess, than gullible. Are the 32 D's and S's usually the only key dates that I should worry about. Over all on 64s and earlier, are there visual references (other than knowing the diff between light, medium and heavy motto, rev-A vs. rev-B). Figuring out real silver vs fake silver is pretty simple and weight, but are there other methods of detecting fake pre 64s?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1817 Posts |
I don't think the Chinese have perfected a method of counterfeiting lead that looks like uncirculated silver, so they have not focused on Washington quarters. Most of the Chinese fakes look to be copies of Fine-Very Fine coins. The greater issue in Washington quarters are altered coins from other dates or added mint marks. There are 12 other dates in addition to the 32D & 32S which are near or over a $100 in MS: 34D, 35D, 35S, 36D, 36S, 37D, 37S, 38, 38S, 39S, 40D, 42S. Always check the mintmark area with a 10x/20x magnifier. The 32D and 32S can only be altered from 34s and 35s and plain 32s. The 32 quarters are really a unique one year sub-type with a full 3D medallic rendering of Washington. They were commemorative coins after all, so the care shows. The 34s & 35s have mushy details by comparison. The trickiest coin in the silver run in the lower MS grades (60-63) is the 36D. Have seen many four figure MS65/66s and a woefully high number of AU58s sliders masquerading as Mint State. A difficult coin to find in an affordable range of $500-$800. Great overlooked series, my favorite by far, these quarters were the workhorses of the greatest generation. A complete uncirculated silver set is a thing of beauty. Of the 83 dates & mintmark combination, I am just missing one coin, the 1932D. |
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Valued Member
United States
262 Posts |
You can usually pick up PCGS cameo quarters for about 5-10$, non-key dates of course.
Definitely not worth the effort to counterfeit.
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Replies: 9 / Views: 16,669 |
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Posted 06/28/2011 6:14 pm
