Changes in Counterfeit Coins
Almost as soon as the first coins were created over 2,600 years ago, counterfeit coins appeared. The earliest fakes were often created in adjoining territories and copied popular pieces that were readily accepted in trade. They were not made to profit from passing off base metal pieces as the more valuable precious metals coins.
The first time I encountered a counterfeit or altered coin was in the late 1960s. I found what looked to be a 1943 Lincoln cent struck in copper, but I judged that it had been altered from a 1948-dated coin. Those who checked the coin for me concurred with
