Note the smooth surface and “artful” design on the obverse of the genuine coin at left and the rough, horizontally furrowed surface on the counterfeit at right. (All images courtesy ICG.)
Numismatic News contributor F. Michael Fazzari reported June 16 that Independent Coin Graders (ICG) received two counterfeit proof 2020-W “V75” silver American Eagle coins. Fazzari writes:
“The fakes have fully proof services with deep cameo devices. Collectors who are unfamiliar with the series will be easily fooled by the fakes. This fact is confirmed by the individuals who were shown the coins as soon as they were detected. However, a side-by-side comparison with a genuine specimen reveals the edge reeding and design detail is not correct on the fakes. One defect found on the counterfeit is the presence of tiny holes at the eagle’s feather tips. When I notified the collector, he said the coins were purchased on Facebook.”
