Coin and Paper Money Collecting/1914 5 lire coin

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Expert: - 8/10/2011


Question
I have this coin that was brought from Italy it measures 37cm, the coin is in fine to excellent condition with no darkening of the coin, how can i tell if this coin is a counterfeit?

Answer
Hi Tommy,
This coin is very commonly counterfeited, as only a few dozen of this coin are known to exist that are genuine. Originally 273,000 coins were minted, but almost all of them were melted before going into circulation.
The genuine coin will be no more than 25 grams, and if there is some wear it will be a couple tenths of a gram lighter.
The few counterfeit examples of this coin I have examined weighed anywhere from 22.8 to 24.6 grams and had no signs of wear.
I can also tell from a clear picture if the coin is genuine or not.
Thanks for he question! =)

Coin and Paper Money Collecting

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Dmitry Livshits

Expertise

My specialty is world coins from the 18th to 20th centuries, primarily non-US foreign coins and related areas such as errors and exonumia (tokens, medals, etc.). I can answer questions relating to identification, grading, selling, preservation and evaluation of such items. In addition to catalog value, I can give you the practical market value and trends for specific types of coins. I will also take questions regarding counterfeits (both modern and antique) and on how to identify them. I am NOT knowledgeable in paper money/banknotes, ancient or "shipwreck" coins. Thank you.

Experience

Collector of world coins since early childhood. Access to a variety of auction records and reference material. You can also find me on Facebook.

Education/Credentials
A.S. in Psychology (2006), B.A. in Forensic Psychology (2008), M.A. in Forensic Psychology (2011).

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