Clues to 1931-S  Lincoln Cent Counterfeits

Despite the fact that the 1931-S Lincoln Cent is more often seen in the lower circulated grades than UNC (Breen, page 230), the relatively high price of this issue has lured alterations and counterfeits. 

There are two areas that bear close scrutiny:

1. The 3 in the Date:  Coins with a disproportionately long-tailed 3 (nearly touching the 9) are not genuine.  Compare to a 1931 or 1931 D.
2. Upper Left Obverse Field:  Scattered raised granules in the upper left field of the obverse are fakes.  Most likely, these raised granules are the result of spark erosion dies.

Candidly, I suggest that you only purchase specimens that have been certified genuine by one of the major coin grading services. 

Sidebar:  If  your genuine, red 1931 S specimen is weak, it is likely that it was part of the Scharlack hoard that contained over 200,000 specimens.

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