Counterfeit! ?

[sheep.dog]

Out digging yesterday and I found what i believe to be a counterfeit 1820 large cent. It was found with a handful of other 19th century relics including a real 1836 large cent.

When i saw that silver color I instantly forgot that the tone and VDI were way too low for silver and got really excited. Definitely not silver or lead, some sort of pot metal?

It matches a large cent in size. There is a seam along the rim.
Weight: 94.6 grains
Air test VDI:
ML Equinox: 15-16
XP Deus : 75

 

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[wagbert]

1836 Large Cents were issued with a newer style "young Matron Head". I'm not seeing that. What does that coin weigh compared to the 1820 dated Cent ? Nice and interesting historical finds, Thanks for sharing !

 

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[Vldetecting]

It's amazing that they were counterfeiting way back then. I wonder how easy it was to pass fake coins back then? Gary

It's fascinating cause people have always counterfeited coins. Archaeologists once found a vikings treasure silver hoard here in Sweden with about 8000 Arabian silver coins and there was even a few counterfeited coins in that hoard.

 

[against the wind]

That's a pretty cool coin. One for my bucket list.
Congrats on your finds.

 

[sheep.dog]

1836 Large Cents were issued with a newer style "young Matron Head". I'm not seeing that. What does that coin weigh compared to the 1820 dated Cent ? Nice and interesting historical finds, Thanks for sharing !

Maybe i'm misreading the date, it's pretty hard to see, i'll re check it

 

[CASPER-2]

I think it may be pewter or a zinc mixed alloy - I found a KG that rang real low on my xlt - others had passed it up it was that low
it was made with a zinc mix and we all know how zincs go off
easiest counterfeiting ever of bills - lot or most people don't know this - back in the 70s and 80s - the bill changing machines they
had back then - use to have a small disclaimer on them that it was illegal to use counterfeit bills in their machines
reason they put that is those machines could not tell the difference between a real one and an old Xerox copied one - had a friend
that made a bunch of Xerox copies of $1 bills and put them in change machine at store with old pinball machines - these were the type
(if you are old enough to remember) that you lifted a (usually red) plastic door and laid bill down and then pushed it into machine
it would give 4 quarters - copies were of Washington side and in black and white and worked every time -
a guy at a place I worked in the 90s did IBM copies on both sides -black & white - and used them in a more recent change machine (some places still
use them) he kept getting ripped off by food machines and every time he left a note for the vending guy - guy threw them in trash
he pumped about 20 -$1 into to it - I remember when vender came into office and threw pile of them on desk and b*itched
we all laughed cause we'd all been ripped off by his machines and he never reimbursed anyone. but big boss had to cover them cause
he did not want police involved - if more people were aware of this back then - could have been real profitable for the wrong person
if they made the rounds - I see some of those change machines still and they take $5s now too
90s

 

[CASPER-2]

KG here is one mentioned - its light and was corroded like zincolns do
many don't realize that large majority of the KGs we find in Canada and states are in fact forgeries
people talk about cost to make - there were many small copper mines discovered in New England area
so they just used this to make them - so really no cost just time - mining - melting and casting
In western Ma. there is a cave know as "the counterfeiters cave" - I knew about as a kid - its still there in the woods
many have hunted all around it - I think a few guys found some rejects in the 70s near it

 

[Ahab8]

Not really all that odd if you think about it. A penny was bought more back then. And if you think about it how many would really scrutinize a penny that closely? Really don't understand counterfeiters these days. If I was a crook, it'd make more sense to counterfeit $5 & $10s. Might take more work to pass, but how many people even look at a five or ten dollar bill?

The smart ones counterfeit the small denominations. People today and long ago were paying a lot more attention to gold and silver coins (today’s $50s and $100s) than they were/are the small stuff. A few cents could buy you a decent amount of stuff back then. You sprinkle a counterfeit in with some real ones and continue to do so that adds up pretty quickly. My fiancé manages a bank and the small denomination bills are always the most likely to sneak past stores and even bank employees.