Coin authentication can be both an art and a science, but the science part is better. When I started working for the American Numismatic Association Certification Service (ANACS) in November of 1978, with the ultimate goal of starting an additional grading service for ANA, I was first trained as an authenticator. After all, there is no point in grading a coin if it is counterfeit, altered, or otherwise not an original numismatic item.
Back then, the process of authentication—the determination of whether or not a numismatic item is both genuine and original—required the ability to look at an item with a good eye for detail and a good memory of what you had seen before. Eventually, I trained several authenticators myself, and I can assure you that some people have a better eye for detail than others. I suspect now that people who like to do jigsaw puzzles make the best authenticators, but that is just a guess.
Of course, some memory aids and records are important. The first generation of ANACS authenticators (the service opened in 1972) made drawings on index cards showing die characteristics of both genuine coins and counterfeits. A classic example of a genuine coin characteristic would be the diagonal die scratch inside the incused T of LIBERTY on an 1893-S Morgan dollar. Only one obverse die was used to strike the entire press run of this issue, so if an 1893-S dollar does not have this die characteristic, subject to damage or excessive wear in this generally well-protected area, the coin is not genuine.
Bu hikaye COINage Magazine dergisinin June - July 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye COINage Magazine dergisinin June - July 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Top 6 Most Popular U.S. Commemorative Coins
During a half-century of researching U.S.commemorative coinage, I have found that these are the top six U.S. commemorative coins favored by collectors, dealers and investors.
GUIDE TO GRADING SILVER AMERICAN EAGLE ONE-OUNCE BULLION COINS
CAC'S MODERN COIN MINT STATE GRADING STANDARDS
TOP Jen U.S. Gold Coins
LIST OF STRONG PRICES AT SPECTACULAR AUCTIONS
$7,500 GOLD BY THE END OF THE DECADE?
\"Gold can easily triple by the end of 2030,\" declares Maurice H. Rosen, the prominent Plainview, New York, gold coin prognosticator and award-winning writer.
PCGS Coin Grading 101
In 1986, the numismatic world changed when Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) entered the scene as a third-party certification service to authenticate, grade and encapsulate coins at scale.
HOW TO USE THE COIN VALUES LIST
Coin values are provided beginning with small cents through Double Eagle gold pieces and beyond, and many of the popular modern coins in between, all based on The Insider's Guide to U.S. Coin Values, 21st Edition, by Scott A. Travers (www.usgoldexpert.com) and updated for accuracy.
THEINSIDER'S GUIDE TO U.S. COIN VALUES 23RD EDITION
ULTIMATE LIST OF COIN PRICES
Coin Dealers Attacked, Targets of Organized Crime
Coin dealers nationwide have become the latest victims of organized crime, facing targeted attacks following their attendance at coin shows.
Should You be Paying Sales Tax on Your Bullion and Coin Purchases?
THERE ARE MANY IMPORTANT EXCEPTIONS AND EXEMPTIONS
Physical Format Bitcoin Gains Collector Acceptance
PRICE RECORDS CONFIRM MARKET DEMAND