Thanks to ILNA Member/Dealer Gerry Gerber for bring this coin to us and allowing us to photo the coin.
As I have said before, pay attention to the small details and you will save yourself big bucks. Let the big details take care of themselves.
The most common way to turn a 1909 V.D.B. into a 1909 S V.D.B. is to add an “S” mintmark to the coin.
Die struck counterfeits are harder to detect because of the fact that they are die struck. But most die struck counterfeits still do not show the fine detail of the original, genuine coin.
Only 484,000 1909 S V.D.B.’s were produced by the Mint, but 4 obverse dies are know for this coin. If you have the ability to learn all four positions of the mintmark, that is fine. I prefer to take the easy road to saving my money.
“Study the details that are the same on all four dies”. A lot less effort for my little brain to remember.
Two major points to identifying this key date are the same on all four dies. The style of the mintmark and the style of the V.D.B.
Let’s examine the mintmark of the genuine coin in detail.
First, let me mention that I rotated these mintmarks so that the angle of the mintmarks is the same.
The upper most NW corner of the genuine mintmark has a notch in the top of the serif. Also, notice the white arrow pointing to a die chip inside the upper curve of the mintmark. Now step back and notice that both the upper and lower serif of the mintmark are parallel. The upper serif is even with the width of the lower curve of the “S” mintmark.
There is no notch in the upper serif of the counterfeit and no die chip inside the upper curve of the mintmark. Also notice that the lower serif is angled inward, unlike the genuine mintmark. Step back and notice that the upper serif is set back from the width of the lower curve of the “S” mintmark.
Minor details of just the mintmark could save you hundreds. All four dies have the same style mintmark.
Now lets look at the reverse of the coin and examine the V.D.B. Little did Mr. Brenner know that his initials would become a point of identification on the genuine coin.
It is not recommend that the periods after the letters V.D.B. be used as an identification feature of the genuine coin. Weakly struck genuine coins are often missing some or all of the periods.
On all four dies, the V.D.B. is located slightly off-center to the left.
Notice the style of the letters used on the V.D.B. Look at the lower right angle bar of the letter “V”. Notice that it decreased in width from the top to the bottom. The left angle bar in the “V” is thicker at the bottom than the right angle bar. The lower curve of the “D” angles upward slightly and the middle bar inside the “B” is also angled upward. The lower curve of the “B” also angles upward slightly.
This part of the coin gave me the most trouble. Was the coin a die struck counterfeit or an altered coin. The depression around the “V” gives the impression that the coin was altered, but other areas of the coin give the impression it was die struck.
The counterfeiter makes an excellent effort to reproduce the angles below the “D & B”. Even the angle of the middle bar of the “B”. But notice the thickness of the letters and the style of the letters. Not even close to the genuine coin.
The letters on the counterfeit are much thicker and the style is not even close to the genuine coin. Again, the counterfeiter tries to copy the genuine coin, but the small details give them away.
Notice that the right angle bar of the “V” is thicker at the bottom than the top. Just the opposite of the genuine coin. The upper part of the left angle bar of the “V” is poorly made with little if any style. There is not sharp corner inside where the two bars form the “V”. Just a minor detail. Nothing important?????
The counterfeiter does a good job of copying the upward slant to the letter “D” at the bottom, but the style of the letter is completely wrong. The entire letter is thicker than found on the genuine coin. Just a minor detail !!!!!!!
On to the letter “B” in the V.D.B. An excellent job of reproducing the middle bar angle of the “B” and also the slight upward slant of the lower bar of the “B”. BUTTTT, the style of the letter is completely wrong. The counterfeit “B” is much thicker and bulky looking.
Learning the few points given in this article and you will spot 99% of the counterfeit 1909 S. V.D.B.s. To protect yourself from the other 1% of the counterfeits, have the coin authenticated by a third party grading company. It also helps to build a relationship with a dealer you trust.
I hope this article proves the value of paying attention to the small details on key or semi-key date coins. The article should give you a new meaning to “small details”. All your life you have heard, “don’t sweat the small things”. I am saying please, “sweat the small things” on ever coin.
Have a question, need an answer, drop me a line. Frank M. Zapushek PO Box 1993, Bloomington, IL. 61702. Or you can email me a frank@bakercoins.net. Your question could be the next article. No charge for authentication or questions. Hope to see you at an upcoming show!