Hmm...is it fake?

[Master Jmd 89]

I have just recieved my pocket money, and i noticed that one of the £1 coins stood out from the others...firstly, it has the welsh dragon on it (which is wrong for its year), secondly, if i look at it closely i can see an incuse outline of the queens head on the reverse and an incuse outline of the dragon on the obverse...the DECUS ET TUTAMEN is correct exept that the top of the letters are towards the obverse not the reverse as are other 1991 £ coins...the ONE POUND below the dragon is somewhat double-struck (appears bolder than usual)...

Is this confirmed as a fake, or is it just the mints mistake (very unlikely)?

[mint_mark 9]

Whether the obverse or reverse is "up" when you read the edge is random for genuine pound coins, so not an indication of forgery.

However, the edge lettering can give other clues... I have seen fakes with the wrong edge inscription for the design, with very weak or crude letters, and with the cross delimiter not midway between the two ends of the inscription.

[Sylvester 15]

I have just recieved my pocket money, and i noticed that one of the £1 coins stood out from the others...firstly, it has the welsh dragon on it (which is wrong for its year), secondly, if i look at it closely i can see an incuse outline of the queens head on the reverse and an incuse outline of the dragon on the obverse...the DECUS ET TUTAMEN is correct exept that the top of the letters are towards the obverse not the reverse as are other 1991 £ coins...the ONE POUND below the dragon is somewhat double-struck (appears bolder than usual)...

Is this confirmed as a fake, or is it just the mints mistake (very unlikely)?

It's fake.

Welsh dragon on wrong year, has wrong edge inscription should be PLEIDOL WYF IM GWLAD if it's a Welsh one.

Totally fake, i bet it has a waxy feel to it too?

Kind looks leadish painted with brass paint.

[Half Penny Jon 0]

Working in a shop, you generally see a lot of fake coins especially £1's and 10p's. The fake £1's have a slightly darker colour compared to the genuine ones, also, if you take a 20p coin and scratch in the observe field, you will see that it is made of lead. They also wear more easily.

You would be surprised how many fake coins there are in circulation..........last night I counted 10 fake £1's out of 110 £1's out of the shop's takings. It's even worse for the 10p's..........around 40% of the 10p's in circulation are fake. The only indication that they are fake is the fact that they have a slightly thin and rounded edge. Compare a few of them and you will see what I mean.

We cannot pay them into the bamk so we are either forced to declare them and lose quite a lot of money, or just return them into circulation through giving change. Our rule is that we just give them as change.

[Master Jmd 89]

Welsh dragon on wrong year, has wrong edge inscription should be PLEIDOL WYF IM GWLAD if it's a Welsh one.

Totally fake, i bet it has a waxy feel to it too?

Kind looks leadish painted with brass paint.

Firstly: all 1991 £ coins have Decus Et Tutamen...it is the dragon that is wrong with this coin, it shouldn't be there, it should be the scotish thistle...

No, it feels just like a normal £ coin.

and looks exactly like a normal £ coin!

Working in a shop, you generally see a lot of fake coins especially £1's and 10p's. The fake £1's have a slightly darker colour compared to the genuine ones, also, if you take a 20p coin and scratch in the observe field, you will see that it is made of lead. They also wear more easily.

Exactly the same colour, and i have tried scratching it and it doesn't!

I dont get it...it is exactly like a real £ coin but with the wrong reverse!

[Sylvester 15]

You would be surprised how many fake coins there are in circulation..........last night I counted 10 fake £1's out of 110 £1's out of the shop's takings. It's even worse for the 10p's..........around 40% of the 10p's in circulation are fake. The only indication that they are fake is the fact that they have a slightly thin and rounded edge. Compare a few of them and you will see what I mean.

We cannot pay them into the bamk so we are either forced to declare them and lose quite a lot of money, or just return them into circulation through giving change. Our rule is that we just give them as change.

Hang on a minute are most of those 'fake' 10 pences dated 1992?

You do know that the majority of 1992 ten pences do have rounded edges don't you? (wired edges).

The later 1992 ten pences and all subsequent dates have flat edges. I handle alot of 10 pences and i haven't noticed anything suspicous.

[Sylvester 15]

Firstly: all 1991 £ coins have Decus Et Tutamen...it is the dragon that is wrong with this coin, it shouldn't be there, it should be the scottish thistle...

Firstly i could sometimes hit you on the head with Pinky Punky...

Secondly it just shows how little you know about £1 coins.

The 1991 pound should have a flax plant on the reverse and it should be Irish, meaning that yes DECUS ET TUTAMEN is right for that year.

The dragon concept wasn't even thought up till 1994 onwards and was first used in 1995. So how can it be an error if in 1991 the Dragon reverse did not exist?

If it was Scottish the edge inscription would be NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT.

It's fake end of.

[Half Penny Jon 0]

You would be surprised how many fake coins there are in circulation..........last night I counted 10 fake £1's out of 110 £1's out of the shop's takings. It's even worse for the 10p's..........around 40% of the 10p's in circulation are fake. The only indication that they are fake is the fact that they have a slightly thin and rounded edge. Compare a few of them and you will see what I mean.

We cannot pay them into the bamk so we are either forced to declare them and lose quite a lot of money, or just return them into circulation through giving change. Our rule is that we just give them as change.

Hang on a minute are most of those 'fake' 10 pences dated 1992?

You do know that the majority of 1992 ten pences do have rounded edges don't you? (wired edges).

The later 1992 ten pences and all subsequent dates have flat edges. I handle alot of 10 pences and i haven't noticed anything suspicous.

I know.......... but about 10 years ago, millions and millions of fake 10p's went into circulation and were never recovered. As I said they are struck on a slightly thinner flan. They are very hard to detect. They are the same colour and appear to be the same weight.

Edited October 3, 2004 by Half Penny Jon

[Sylvester 15]

I know.......... but about 10 years ago, millions and millions of fake 10p's went into circulation and were never recovered. As I said they are struck on a slightly thinner flan. They are very hard to detect. They are the same colour and appear to be the same weight.

I have noticed some '92s with weak dots and some slightly off centre. A few do have really thin rims. I wonder if these are the ones you mean.

I just figured it was down to wear and tear of the die. The vending machines take them so i suppose i shouldn't be too bothered!

[Emperor Oli 0]

A few of my friends were in a restaurant this afternoon and I was telling them about the very same things - the fake Welsh £1s.

[Sylvester 15]

I've seen fake Irish ones too, and i feel i've seen fake Scottish ones. Mind you i don't see many of the real post 1994 design Scot £1 coins!