Godot

I found a couple more fake quids in my change over the last fortnight. Counterfeit 2001 £1 coin obverse + reverse / edges Counterfeit 2003 £1 coin obverse + reverse / edges (Click 'action' pulldown for full resolution pics on all the above)

That's very much the view I'm coming too. I also agree that the coin in my original post is almost certainly genuine now I've learned a bit about fake quids. Speaking of which, I've managed to get a few more photos done. All are available at high resolution so you can have a close look. 2 x fake 2005 £1 coins : obverse + reverse (coin in the middle is genuine circulated one for comparison) edge fake 1993 £1 coin : obverse + reverse, (fake is on the right, genuine circulated one on the left) edge (fake is on top, genuine circulated bottom) I'd also be interested in anyone's thoughts on this 2003 pound coin : obverse + reverse (suspected fake on right, genuine uncirculated on left) edge (suspected fake on top, genuine uncirculated on bottom) The weight, diameter, width and die alignment are all good and there's nothing on the reverse + obverse that would give you reason to think it fake, but it looks to me like there are significant enough differences in the character and spacing of the edge inscription (esp. between the N of TUTAMEN, the cross and the D of DECUS) that this must be counterfeit? If it is fake then it's one of the most convincing I've seen. You need to look at the full resolution image to really see what I'm talking about.

Ah, I didn't realize the die alignment was out. Surprising they can do a reasonable job of it but still mess up something that fundamental. Here's a 2001 quid which I've no doubts is a fake. The coin is underweight (9.40g), overlarge (diam : 22.62mm), and the design is obviously soft and lacking detail compared to the genuine circulated item. What clinches it is the die alignment being out and the abysmal quality of the inscription. Also note the parallel cracks on the surface of the reverse. Reverse (fake is on the right, genuine coin to the left) : Obverse (fake is on the left, genuine coin on the right) : Portion of edge : I've uploaded them in maximum resolution and enabled downloading so anyone as obsessed with fake quids as me can grab them! Click 'action' > 'all sizes' to get the big versions.

Apologies for the late reply and threadbump. I had PC problems and had forgotten all about this by the time I was back online properly. Most of those are pretty shocking, though I'd like to hear why you thought this one was fake : http://i1141.photobucket.com/albums/n589/Cerbera100/FakePounds031.jpg http://s1141.photobucket.com/albums/n589/Cerbera100/?action=view&current=FakePounds030.jpg http://i1141.photobucket.com/albums/n589/Cerbera100/FakePounds033.jpg Is it because the dot on the rim should be exactly equidistant from each end of the 'railings'? I've got a couple of suspect 2005 pound coins which have the same anomalies on the edge design, ie. the railings are misaligned, the dot isn't equidistant and the railings on one side are much thicker than the other. The number of obvious fakes in my change seems to have decreased quite markedly over the last year, though I am finding some coins that I think are really convincing fakes. I'll try to post some links to photographs and weights/measurements later.

Yes, that makes a lot of sense now you mention it. Probably more a localized absence of 'frosting' than a discolouration. Interestingly I found that the rim of my 2007 proof pound coin also had a slight error when photographing it for comparison : As you can see, part of the 'chain' is missing altogether. I don't think I'll ever lose my obsession with trying to find fake pound coins. My family and friends think I've gone a bit daft when I offer them a genuine pound coin in return for any particularly interesting fakes or possible fakes I find in their change!

Apologies, the second link should have been this -

Thanks very much for the informtive replies. The alignment of the patterns round the edge of the bridge coins is something I've been wondering about for a while and thought I'd ask here as I couldn't find any definitive answer on the 'net, not even in Robert Matthew's pages on counterfeit pounds. The photos of that other 2005 pound (1 / 2) have now been updated to reflect what the Dark Numismatist said above. With regards to why someone would bother counterfeiting proof coins, my original thought was that it would be less risk and greater profit, but now it seems unlikely now I think about it. For anyone who hasn't seen the photos mentioned above, here are the only three pound coins I've found so far that I'm 100% certain are fake : 1 : 2: and 3: (bottom left!)

A little while ago I decided to start a little collection of proof £1 coins from Ebay, mostly for fun but also to have something to reference when trying to spot fake pound coins in my change. Ironically I'm now wondering if one of the proof coins is a fake. The colour isn't quite right, there is a noticeable chip in the rim towards the obverse and there are areas on the lettering which are a different colour than the rest of the coin. Today I decided to remove the coin from it's capsule so I could examine the edge design and take a few photos, and here's what I saw : Am I right in thinking that the two ends of the design should align on both ends of the coin and the dot always in the centre? If so, does this prove this is a counterfeit? Here are some photos of the obverse and reverse in full and two closeups of the chip in the rim and the colour differences on the lettering. One of the other reasons I've been collecting them is because I want to take some nice closeup photos, although I didn't think I'd be doing it for this reason..!

Ha, I didn't notice that disclaimer first time I looked! Can anyone tell me why there are listings on Ebay for common pound coins in no better condition than most pocket change? I'm relatively new to all this so maybe I'm missing something.

Here's something I just saw on Ebay : http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Five-pound-coin-Horatio-Nelson-2005-legal-Tender-/120676350084?pt=UK_Coins_BritishDecimal_RL&hash=item1c18def884 I'm used to seeing poor quality photos of coins on Ebay, but this one is beyond belief. I'm not even sure it's a coin.