Fake foriegn coins

[Robert]

Coin World article on p. 54 of the July 3 issue shows pics of a counterfeit 1890 one yen silver coin. Denticles appear "hollowed out" and the field shows raised and incuse pockmarks. The scary thing is an 1890 one yen coin isn't a scarce date. The coin is slightly larger than a US silver dollar and is worth about $100 or so. Over 7 million were made. Much scarcer and much more valuable dates exist. This would be like faking an 1884-O Morgan or a 1920 cent. You don't expect those dates to be fakes. So be careful out there and look at the coin w/ a loupe. If you see many tiny raised or incuse semicircular bumps/pits be very suspicious.