The 25 most counterfeit coins in the world

This article provides a list of the world's most counterfeit coins by NGC, one of the world's largest coin valuation companies. This article is a translation from their official website, where you can find more detailed information on each of the coins in this rating.

1.Russia - 15 rubles AT 1897

Even with a circulation of about 12 million pieces, 15 rubles in 1897 are considered very valuable for numismatists. Unfortunately, as was the case with many US gold coins of that era, the high cost led to the existence of a huge number of counterfeit coins.

2.Korea - 5 Yang KK501 1892

During 1892 alone, about 20,000 coins were issued. Due to their uniqueness and small circulation, they are always in demand among collectors both in Asia and abroad, which leads to higher prices, and this, in turn, motivates counterfeiters to create fakes.

3. French Indo-Chinese coins L & M-433, 435, 436 Tael 1943-1944

Both because of the simple design and the satisfactory quality of real coins, creating a counterfeit is as easy as shelling pears. On the other hand, this state of affairs has created a strange situation where the original sometimes looks worse than a fake.

4.Great Britain - 1775 halfpenny

During the Revolutionary War, the United States experienced a severe shortage of cash. Because of this, many fakes were freely in circulation. The most famous are secretly manufactured by Thomas Machin in the USA. These forgeries are unique to the history of numismatics and are at the same time the only forgeries allowed for evaluation by the NGC.

Counterfeit 1775 halfpennies were also created by other people, and often come to NGC with the hope that their coins were created by Machin, but if they were not produced in this famous secret minting enterprise, they cannot be evaluated by NGC. This places the 1775 British halfpennies fourth on this list.

5.Vietnam - 20 XU 1945

This coin is especially popular among collectors. Its historical value is due to the fact that it is the first emission coin issued in Vietnam with the coming to power of the communists. Unfortunately, due to the poor quality of real coins, it is easy to counterfeit them, but high-quality and beautiful copies will not be difficult to sell for hundreds of dollars.

6.Saudi Arabia - 1950 Guinea AH1370

This coin was produced in 1950 and 1957. She was seen as the Saudi version of the then hugely popular British sovereign. In 1950, the circulation of the guinea was 2,000,000, so it is still in demand today.

7.Korea - won KK502 1893

The 1893 Korean won was produced for only one year, making it a desirable item for many collectors. Most genuine coins are either heavily worn out or have trader-supplied tags, so identifying a fake will require close scrutiny by NGC experts.

8.Iran - 5 pahlavi SH139 1960

After the 1926 denomination, the first 5 pahlavi coins issued in 1960. The rarity of this coin by any estimate is due to a circulation of only 2,225 pieces. On the other hand, occasional specimens are sold with moderate added value.

9. Great Britain - "Gothic" crown of 1847

At the beginning of Queen Victoria's reign, only 8,000 Gothic crowns were minted. Many of them are kept as lucky coins, so high-quality specimens are extremely rare today. In most cases, such coins cost thousands of dollars, which leads to a large number of counterfeits.

10.United Kingdom - Sovereign 1917

The early 20th century British gold sovereign is an extremely popular coin. Collectors buy them greedily, which usually brings a moderate added value to the coin. The popularity of the 1917 sovereign made it attractive to counterfeiters, which is why NGC experts often come across counterfeits.

11.Eritrea - 5 lira 1891

5 lire, also known as thalers, were produced only in 1891 and 1896. These coins are of very high quality due to the fact that they were minted when Eritrea was under Italian rule. Due to the large number of collectors of Italian coins, the demand for these 5 lire is quite high, which also gives rise to the existence of a huge number of counterfeits.

12.Italy - 20 lire R XIV 1936

To commemorate the capture of Ethiopia in 1936, about 10,000 coins were issued in Italy. They are extremely popular with collectors praising their beauty and classic designs. On the other hand, due to the high demand for 20 liras from collectors, both their price and the interest of counterfeiters are increasing.

13.Great Britain - 5 Sovereigns of 1887

5 sovereigns of 1887 were issued in one year, and the number of coins is at least 54,000. Due to the small circulation and natural wear and tear of such an old gold coin, any copy is highly valued. This state of affairs made it possible for counterfeiters to "help" collectors to get this coin into their collection.

14.Japan - 1875 M8 Trade Dollar

Between 1875 and 1877, over 3 million trade dollars were minted. They contained slightly more silver than the yen in circulation at the time. These coins were intended for use not only in Japan, but also in Taiwan, Korea, and also outside these countries. Due to their dispersal across the region and wide circulation, today it is difficult to find a copy in good quality, which greatly raises its value. This state of affairs leads to an increasing number of fakes tracked by NGC.

15.Turkey - kurush AN1327 / 4 500

Despite the fact that 41,863,500 coins were issued in 1912 alone, due to the low value of the alloy of metals, kurushi can still be found easily in them. At the same time, a large number of counterfeits have been created in order to confuse collectors looking for this coin for their collection.

16.Japan - 1877 M10 Trade Dollar

This is the second trading dollar on this list. In 1877, about 1.125 million of them were produced in Japan. These trading dollars entered circulation throughout Asia, leading to their rapid deterioration. And this, in turn, leads today to an increase in the price of this coin and to an increase in the number of counterfeits in recent years.

17.Canada - $ 5 1913

Issuing gold five-dollar coins for the second year in a row, the Royal Canadian Mint minted another 98,832 coins in 1913. At the same time, the Bank of Canada launched about 30,000 five-dollar and ten-dollar coins on the numismatist market, copies of which can still be found today. Fakes on the market have been encountered for many years in a row.

18.Russia - 7.5 rubles 1897 (AG)

This 1897 ruble is the second Russian gold coin on our list. Just like the 15 rubles of 1897, which are in the first place on the list, 7.5 rubles were issued in a huge circulation of about 17 million coins. Collectors have been looking for a copy of this coin for a long time, since most of them were melted down, and at the moment the demand for them exceeds the supply. Counterfeiters entered the market to try to cash in on such a rarity.

19.Italy - 5 lire 1914 (R)

5 lire was issued in one year in the amount of 273,000 coins. Their small circulation and high demand made them extremely valuable regardless of condition. Due to the high price, counterfeit coins are also common.

20.Japan - Yen M3 1870

More than 3.6 million Japanese yen were issued in 1870. Most of them entered circulation in Japan and surrounding regions. Many coins were marked by merchants or worn out, so a genuine 1870 yen of any quality is very rare today. The collector should be very wary of fakes, because they are presented in abundance.

21.Saudi Arabia - 1947 Pound

These coins have a very interesting history. They are not technically coins, and were minted in the United States at the Philadelphia Mint in order to pay off the debts of the Arabian Oil Company (ARAMCO). The produced copies weighed the same weight as the British gold sovereign, which was very popular at the time. This interesting story, together with its relatively simple design and high value, made this payment method popular for counterfeiting.

22.Russia - ruble in honor of the victory over Napoleon 1912 (EB)

This ruble is the only Russian silver coin on our list. With a mintage of 46,000, this coin is extremely rare. The small number of coins resulted in high values, which in turn attracted counterfeiters.

23 Japan - 1876 M9 Trade Dollar

This is the third Japanese trading dollar on our list. In total, over 1.5 million were produced in Japan in 1876. Due to the long circulation, these coins are difficult to obtain today, which greatly increases their price and leads to an increase in the number of counterfeits in recent years.

24 Great Britain - 5 Sovereigns of 1893

In 1893, only 20,000 coins of regular quality and 773 of solid gold were issued. Because of such a small circulation, 5 sovereigns in any condition cost thousands of dollars. And, of course, a large number of counterfeit coins appear with a high value, and specialists from NGC find a proportional number of them.

25 Great Britain - Half a crown 1818

About 3 million of these coins were issued in 1818, despite this they are in great demand to this day, increasing the surplus value. This has led to a large number of counterfeits.