Counterfeit Detection
To help collectors and dealers identify counterfeit coins, NGC has prepared lists of the most commonly counterfeited US, Chinese and world coins with diagnostic information and images from NGC’s extensive database, as well as commentary from the NGC coin grading team.
44. 1904 Liberty $20
Most Common Types of Counterfeits:
Summary:
- Outright counterfeit
The 1904 Liberty Head Double Eagle had the highest mintage of the entire series. As is the case with the other double eagles earlier in this list, these fakes were struck before the end of the gold ban in the United States. By claiming them as genuine U.S. Mint coins, they could be imported into and sold within the United States.
Diagnostic Tips:
- Look for unusually weak details.
- Counterfeits often have luster that is dissimilar to genuine examples. Study the luster on genuine examples to get a sense of what the luster should look like.
- Repeating depressions
- Triangular depression below arrow heads on reverse
