How can you tell if a coin is a reprint?

Answer 1

To clear things up, coins aren't "printed", they're said to be struck or minted. The term printing is normally reserved for paper and ink, like bills.

Second, there are multiple ways a coin may not be an original, so an in-person inspection is often required.

• Many companies sell "replica" coins. These are legitimate copies of genuine coins and are usually taken from very rare and/or famous pieces. By law, all replica coins made since the 1970s must carry the word COPY or REPLICA in somewhere. Usually it's worked into the design in some inconspicuous place.

Replica coins are often made out of inexpensive metals and plated with silver or gold, so they don't have a lot of intrinsic value but they let a person see what the real thing must look like. It's a bit like a lithographed copy of The Mona Lisa. You could never hang the real thing in your living room but you can display a nice reproduction.

• There are millions of outright fakes. These can often be hard to detect and normally require an expert examination. Sometimes a counterfeit will have a dull ring if gently tapped on a hard surface, or the design may be indistinct or uneven. Occasionally the fakery is so bad it's hard to miss, like the 1865 "Washington quarters" that caused such a stir a few years back.

• There are also coins that are authorized restrikes, in many cases made by the same mint that struck the originals. That's not a common practice today but in the 19th century the US Mint regularly dug out old dies to make new versions of old coins for special presentation sets or to complete a "year set" that would otherwise be missing a denomination. The most famous of these coins is the fabled 1804 dollar that was actually struck in the 1830s, originally as a gift to the King of Siam. Identifying a restrike is again a job best left to trained experts who have studied the coins' histories and can identify tiny variations in the images and the techniques used to strike the coins.

• Sometimes a design is shared or licensed for re-use. The design of the 1780 Maria Teresa thaler coin has been shared among various countries ever since that time, and is still struck today as a silver bullion collectible. Here again specialized knowledge is needed; when you find "1780" thaler you have to have done some homework in advance to know that the coin is almost certainly a modern clone.

Answer 2

To determine if a coin is a reprint, check for signs of wear and tear consistent with its age, as a newly minted coin would not show these signs. Look for any discrepancies in the design or markings compared to authentic coins of the same type. Additionally, consider consulting with a professional coin dealer or appraiser for a more thorough evaluation.