20 pence coin blank, real or fake?

[Guest hannahr4391]

hi everyone,

I'm just wondering if anyone can tell me how to tell the difference between a real and a fake coin???

I have a 20 pence shaped coin that does not have any print or markings on it at all. I know that some people make these to fool vending machines but it might be one the machines missed!!

If anyone under stands my jibber jabber please can you let me know what to look for.

Thanks

Hannah

[Rob]

hi everyone,

I'm just wondering if anyone can tell me how to tell the difference between a real and a fake coin???

I have a 20 pence shaped coin that does not have any print or markings on it at all. I know that some people make these to fool vending machines but it might be one the machines missed!!

If anyone under stands my jibber jabber please can you let me know what to look for.

Thanks

Hannah

If it has the same profile, thickness and weight as a 20p, then it is a blank that got through. It should be flat on both sides as the relief is made by the dies. They usually sell for a few pounds at most, so there isn't a fortune to be made, but it's still a nice thing to have.

[Peckris]

hi everyone,

I'm just wondering if anyone can tell me how to tell the difference between a real and a fake coin???

I have a 20 pence shaped coin that does not have any print or markings on it at all. I know that some people make these to fool vending machines but it might be one the machines missed!!

If anyone under stands my jibber jabber please can you let me know what to look for.

Thanks

Hannah

If it has the same profile, thickness and weight as a 20p, then it is a blank that got through. It should be flat on both sides as the relief is made by the dies. They usually sell for a few pounds at most, so there isn't a fortune to be made, but it's still a nice thing to have.

Basically Hannah, you can group 'weird coins' into groups :

• misstrikes and errors (which Rob has identified yours as) - these are collected by some, but even if you don't sell it for a modest sum, it is worth keeping aside as a curio

• counterfeits - these might be created to fool slot machines, or like so many current £1 coins, to pass off as a genuine coin; some are historic : a lot of early 19th Century silver was counterfeited in copper and given a thin wash of silver, and these are now quite collectable in their own right.

• forgeries - these are valuable coins which have been faked to fool collectors, and which are our biggest headache

• tokens - produced to meet a shortage of small change (e.g. late 18th Century), or gambling chips, or even for political reasons

• coins that have been 'tooled' or defaced after being taken from circulation - engraved love tokens in the 19th Century, or just worn on a necklace; some are interesting and collectable without being particularly valuable, others are near worthless, e.g. modern coins with initials engraved

• coins that have acquired a patina or other unnatural tone - e.g. green from being buried in the ground, or turned into wafers from being immersed in acid

I'm sure there's other groupings I've missed - it's worth a whole study in itself!

[Hello17]

hi everyone,

I'm just wondering if anyone can tell me how to tell the difference between a real and a fake coin???

I have a 20 pence shaped coin that does not have any print or markings on it at all. I know that some people make these to fool vending machines but it might be one the machines missed!!

If anyone under stands my jibber jabber please can you let me know what to look for.

Thanks

Hannah

If it has the same profile, thickness and weight as a 20p, then it is a blank that got through. It should be flat on both sides as the relief is made by the dies. They usually sell for a few pounds at most, so there isn't a fortune to be made, but it's still a nice thing to have.

Basically Hannah, you can group 'weird coins' into groups :

• misstrikes and errors (which Rob has identified yours as) - these are collected by some, but even if you don't sell it for a modest sum, it is worth keeping aside as a curio

• counterfeits - these might be created to fool slot machines, or like so many current £1 coins, to pass off as a genuine coin; some are historic : a lot of early 19th Century silver was counterfeited in copper and given a thin wash of silver, and these are now quite collectable in their own right.

• forgeries - these are valuable coins which have been faked to fool collectors, and which are our biggest headache

• tokens - produced to meet a shortage of small change (e.g. late 18th Century), or gambling chips, or even for political reasons

• coins that have been 'tooled' or defaced after being taken from circulation - engraved love tokens in the 19th Century, or just worn on a necklace; some are interesting and collectable without being particularly valuable, others are near worthless, e.g. modern coins with initials engraved

• coins that have acquired a patina or other unnatural tone - e.g. green from being buried in the ground, or turned into wafers from being immersed in acidI'm sure there's other groupings I've missed - it's worth a whole study in itself!

I have a love token i thiink, says MV in very nice lettering, worth its silver at least

Acid? What a nasty thing to place a little coin in!!!! Hummph >

[Peckris]

hi everyone,

I'm just wondering if anyone can tell me how to tell the difference between a real and a fake coin???

I have a 20 pence shaped coin that does not have any print or markings on it at all. I know that some people make these to fool vending machines but it might be one the machines missed!!

If anyone under stands my jibber jabber please can you let me know what to look for.

Thanks

Hannah

If it has the same profile, thickness and weight as a 20p, then it is a blank that got through. It should be flat on both sides as the relief is made by the dies. They usually sell for a few pounds at most, so there isn't a fortune to be made, but it's still a nice thing to have.

Basically Hannah, you can group 'weird coins' into groups :

• misstrikes and errors (which Rob has identified yours as) - these are collected by some, but even if you don't sell it for a modest sum, it is worth keeping aside as a curio

• counterfeits - these might be created to fool slot machines, or like so many current £1 coins, to pass off as a genuine coin; some are historic : a lot of early 19th Century silver was counterfeited in copper and given a thin wash of silver, and these are now quite collectable in their own right.

• forgeries - these are valuable coins which have been faked to fool collectors, and which are our biggest headache

• tokens - produced to meet a shortage of small change (e.g. late 18th Century), or gambling chips, or even for political reasons

• coins that have been 'tooled' or defaced after being taken from circulation - engraved love tokens in the 19th Century, or just worn on a necklace; some are interesting and collectable without being particularly valuable, others are near worthless, e.g. modern coins with initials engraved

• coins that have acquired a patina or other unnatural tone - e.g. green from being buried in the ground, or turned into wafers from being immersed in acidI'm sure there's other groupings I've missed - it's worth a whole study in itself!

I have a love token i thiink, says MV in very nice lettering, worth its silver at least

Acid? What a nasty thing to place a little coin in!!!! Hummph >

A picture of the "love token" might be worth a look?

As for acid baths, I have the ghost of a 1929 shilling! I can only hope it was no better than VF when it was bathed, as it would have been such a waste. As it is, I have an interesting curio

[Guest hannahr4391]

Thanks for all your help. I am a little confused though as this coin is the shape of a 20p including the raised edge on both sides. Does this still mean it's just one that slipped through??

[Cerbera100]

Possibly... as Rob said, the main give-away will be the weight and thickness.

If you want a definitive answer, contact the Royal Mint and say you've got an odd coin that you would like verified, and they'll give you a name and address to post it off to. Will take about a month, but they'll give you a nice letter to say yes or no! Best bit is that the only cost to you is the initial postage!