1943 Florin - Fake


at 400 dots / inch

 


Irish Coinage

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Detail Image

© 2004 - Copyright
John
_ Stafford-Langan
Version 1.12
15th August, 2004

 

This is a fake 1943 florin.

This is the most common type of fake of this coin. It has been made by filing the 1 from a 1941 florin and soldering on a 3 cut from a 1939 florin. The field around the 3 looks uneven under a glass and in good light the shadow of the 1 is just visible. I have seen 3 different examples of this type of fake in the past few years.

After the work was done on this coin it was darkened - typically with a sulphur compound - and subsequent burnished to soften the detail and brighten up the raised surfaces again.

A few points worth noting:

- The burnishing was less intense in the area of the 3 leaving a larger darker area around it - this was done because the forger did not want to expose the irregularity in the field around the 3 by burnishing it excessively.

- The darkening process was very unnatural and reached into all the small nicks on the coin - after the burnishing these nicks are left unusually black such as all the black specks on the salmon. Darkening such as from ground burial does not normally work into the tiny crevices so thoroughly.

- The placement of the 3 is slightly too far from the 4 and is very slightly tilted (clockwise) compared to a real coin.

- The digit 3 has a couple of bumps around its edge (see inside the curve) where a tiny sliver of the original coin or a tiny bubble of solder was left by the forger.

In general people buy fakes when they are offered cheaply - I'm sure someone could get lucky, but most people who own 1943 florins have bought them from reputable dealers or in a public auction or from a collector they know and have paid a fair price for them. Most people who end up with fakes have usually bought them too quickly from someone they don't know (and may not be able to trace) because the price was low and they thought they were 'making a killing'.

'If it looks to good to be true - then it probably is too good to be true'.

You have been warned.

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