Legend Numismatics

HomeUS CoinsFun With Fake Coins - 1824 Capped Bust Half Dollar

Fun With Fake Coins – 1824 Capped Bust Half Dollar

Jack Young's Fun with Fakes: 1824 Capped Bust Half Dollar. Image: CoinWeek/ Adobe Stock/ Young.

By Jack D. Young, Early American Coppers (EAC), and the Dark Side Group ……
My latest installment of this CoinWeek exclusive series concerning the more “affordable” varieties of fake coins will follow the same format as my previous ones as I present a group of counterfeit Capped Bust half dollars, starting with a listing for an 1824.

Both of the following are past eBay listings that were removed prior to a sale.

Counterfeit 1824 Half Dollar listed on eBay.
Counterfeit 1824 Half Dollar listed on eBay.

These, like many of the fake groups, use a common reverse and the same obverse with different dates dropped in (the dates never look correct except possibly the source example used).

Counterfeit 1824 and 1836 Half Dollars. 1836 These two counterfeit examples share some common features.
Counterfeit 1824 and 1836 Half Dollars. 1836 These two counterfeit examples share some common features.

1836 Counterfeit Half Dollar pick up points.

Common marks on the obverses are not as plentiful as the reverse:

Common Counterfeit Reverse; matching attribution marks in red.
Common Counterfeit Reverse; matching attribution marks in red.

These highlighted marks can be used to identify various dated fakes in this series. And the following group can be purchased on Etsy for a fraction of the eBay cost.

Etsy collection of counterfeit half dollars
Etsy collection of counterfeit half dollars

This grouping utilizes the same basic obverse with different dates, the common reverse, and edge lettering. The “1819” shows they are trying to tone them as well.

Counterfeit 1819 half dollar listed on Etsy.
Counterfeit 1819 half dollar listed on Etsy.

Reverse of a counterfeit 1819 half dollar listed on Etsy.

Of course, there are other fake coins that I found on other selling venues instead of Etsy, including this “1833”. The grade is noted as MS64+ and the denomination is noted as $1…

Counterfeit 1833 Half Dollar.
Counterfeit 1833 Half Dollar.
Counterfeit 1833 half dollar in a fake PCGS slab.
Counterfeit 1833 half dollar in a fake PCGS slab.

…Not even close to the genuine example!

And a second seller from the other side of the “Bay”...
And a second seller from the other side of the “Bay”…

And a second seller from the other side of the “Bay”…

Counterfeit 1833 half dollar from German eBay listing.
Counterfeit 1833 half dollar from German eBay listing.

No doubt these will continue to be listed as genuine on many online selling venues. Hopefully this article’s information can help reduce the opportunity for collectors to be stung by these fake coins.

Best,

–Jack


MORE Articles on Counterfeit Coins by Jack D. Young

 

Jack D. Young
Jack D. Young
An engineer by training, Jack D. Young is a researcher and author on the subject of the recent wave of deceptive struck counterfeits. He is the founder of the "Dark Side" Counterfeits and Fakes Facebook watch group, a participating member of Early American Coppers (EAC) since 2002, the Liberty Seated Collectors Club (LSCC), C4, the NLG, the ANA, and the ANS. Jack has consulted on the subject of counterfeits and their effect on the Hobby with staffers of the United States Senate Finance Committee, a senior member of the U.S. Secret Service (both with the ACTF as an Expert Network volunteer), and agents of both CBP and the Department of the Treasury. His work has appeared in various club journals, including The Numismatist, and he was acknowledged for his research by Q. David Bowers in the latter's The Copper Coins of Vermont (2018). The ACTF awarded Jack Young the Alan Kreuzer Award in 2019 and the PNG presented him with the Sol Kaplan Award in 2022. He started collecting as a youth, filling a Lincoln penny board with his grandmother, and continues to collect low-grade early large cents by date and some varieties.

Related Articles

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Park Avenue Numismatics Gold and Silver Bullion

L and C COIN Specials

Professional Coin Grading Service