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Struck Counterfeit Coin of the Week: 1796 “S-93” Large Cent + 1-Page Attribution Guide

Jack Young Counterfeit Coin 1796 S-93

By Jack D. Young, Early American Coppers (EAC) ……
This latest installment in the continuing summary of deceptive struck counterfeits documented to date centers around this 1796 “S-93” Large Cent; as in previous articles in this series, I have included a one-page attribution guide to aid in the identification of any that are still out there. Of the documented examples of this variety, one was certified by a TPG (the “discovery” example), another was caught in a submission to another TPG, and the genuine source by yet another…

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Source coin for 1796 S-93 Large Cent counterfeits. Images courtesy Jack D. Young

Well-documented source example. All images courtesy Jack D. Young unless otherwise noted

This “variety” was first known from a single example discovered on the internet by a fellow EAC member back in 2015 (Penny-Wise</strong> January 2016 article); from review of the on-line images, and aided by the discovery of another example submitted to a top TPG days later the two were called fakes.

Kevin's "Discovery" example # 4. Images courtesy Jack D. Young

Kevin’s “Discovery” example # 4

"Discovery" example # 4 TPG Submission example # 5 (Dec 2015, not certified). Images courtesy Jack D. Young

Obverse, “Discovery” example #4 (L); TPG Submission example #5 – December 2015, not certified (R)

"Discovery" example # 4 TPG Submission example # 5 (Dec 2015, not certified). Images courtesy Jack D. Young

Reverse, “Discovery” example #4 (L); TPG Submission example # 5 – December 2015, not certified (R)

An interesting point to note in this comparison is that the “discovery” coin carries the same main sister marks of the second example on the right, but there are unique features between the two such as scratches, pits and other surface marks to indicate they are different examples, and certainly different than the original “source” coin.

“Source” example # 1 TPG “Genuine”. Images courtesy Jack D. Young

“Source” example # 1 TPG “Genuine”

Comparison of source example 1 with example 5. Images courtesy Jack D. Young

Obverse, Example #5 (L); Example #1 (R)

reverse comparison, examples 5 and 1. Images courtesy Jack D. Young

Reverse, Example #5 (L); Example #1 (R)

As in previous investigations, a time-line proved helpful in organizing the examples.

Timeline for the 1796 “S-93” Large Cent:

  1. September 2013 – TPG Genuine certified example sold in an auction house listing
  2. May 3, 2014 – Raw example listed in EAC sale-/unsold- same as #1
  3. November 21, 2014 – Raw example sold on the internet- same as #1
  4. December 10, 2015 – Example in a TPG VF30 Details holder sold on the internet
  5. December 15, 2015 – Raw example submitted to a TPG and called counterfeit

Example 3 raw. Images courtesy Jack D. Young, NGC

Example #3 raw (same as example #1)

This example is pedigreed to the Mass Historical Society and purportedly photographed by Breen, and recorded in Noyes; we should be concerned about losing a significant pedigreed example to the “process”- hopefully someone out there has given it a good home! In regards to finding more examples out there I would like to again quote my friend and fellow Dark Side participant Nick T.: “There are many marks on this one that should make it easy to spot a copy – easy as long as someone is looking!”

1796 S-93 counterfeit large cent attribution page 1

1796 S-93 counterfeit large cent attribution page 2

1796 S-93 counterfeit large cent attribution page 3

As always, the research continues to be a collaborative effort with many Early American Coppers (EAC) members, “Dark Side” members (our focused Facebook group of counterfeit researchers) and friends participating.

Best Regards,

–Jack D. Young, EAC 5050
 

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.

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