7 Deadly Sins of Half Cent Collecting: How to Avoid Costly Counterfeit Coins

I’ve made these mistakes myself—and watched seasoned collectors get burned too. Here’s how to sidestep the traps that catch even the sharpest Half Cent hunters.

Mistake 1: Trusting the Slab Too Much (Third-Party Grading Isn’t Perfect)

That plastic slab from PCGS, NGC, or ANACS? It’s not a magic shield. I learned this the hard way after buying an “MS65” 1806 Half Cent that looked flawless—until a metallurgist spotted zinc in the alloy. Zinc. In an 1806 coin? Impossible. Yet there it was: a counterfeit that had been graded and sealed by a top-tier service.

Grading services do great work, but they’re not perfect. Counterfeiters have gotten really good at mimicking real coins. And once a fake gets slabbed, it can circulate for years before anyone notices.

Watch for These Red Flags

• Rare coin, shockingly high grade: If most 1806 Half Cents are VF, an MS65 on eBay for “bargain” prices? Too good to be true.
• No track record: Check the cert number. A coin slabbed last year with no prior history in the TPG database? Suspicious. Older slabs (10+ years) have more credibility.
• Population spikes: TPG population reports don’t lie. If three MS65 1806 Half Cents suddenly appear when only one existed before, ask questions.

What You Should Never Do

Don’t assume “slabbed = safe.” I’ve seen a guy drop $3,000 on an ANACS-graded 1806—only to find out later it was struck with modern dies on a plated planchet. The slab looked pristine. The coin was a fraud.

How to Fix It (If You’ve Been Duped)

Got a coin and you’re uneasy? Act fast:

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1. Check the cert number on the TPG website. Look at the grading date and any prior submissions.
2. Reach out to the grading service and say, “I suspect this coin matches known 1806 Half Cent counterfeits.” Mention zinc, die details, or anything off.
3. Request a re-grade if the holder allows it. For re-holdered coins, use the CrossRef tool to see if past submissions were flagged.
4. Get a second opinion from a trusted expert or lab. XRF testing can catch modern metals in seconds.

Mistake 2: Skipping the Die Detective Work

Here’s a secret: most high-end counterfeits aren’t cast. They’re overstruck on real coins or made with transfer dies pulled from genuine specimens. That means they look almost real—until you know what to look for.

I’ve held an 1806 Half Cent that passed a visual exam. But under a loupe? The eye of Liberty wasn’t sharp. It looked… blurry. Like a photocopy of a real coin. That’s a dead giveaway.

Red Flags in the Details

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• “Plastic” look in fine areas: The eye, hair, and wreath should have depth. Blurry or flat? Not right.
• No wear where there should be: Genuine Half Cents from 1806 show die cracks and polishing marks. A “perfect” die state on a rare date? Fishy.
• Wrong metal: The 1806 fakes contain zinc—something American mints didn’t use until the 20th century. You can’t see it, but XRF testing can.

What You Should Never Do

Don’t buy based on photos alone. I’ve seen eBay listings with “professional” shots that hide mushy details and fake toning. The coin looks great online. In hand? It feels “off.”

How to Spot the Fakes

• Use a 10x loupe and study the eye, hair, and date. Compare it to known genuine examples.
• Find die markers at HalfCents.com. Match the die cracks, lumps, and flaws.
• Ask for a high-resolution macro video from the seller. Watch for clarity, luster, and edge reeding.

Mistake 3: Assuming eBay Has Your Back

eBay’s “Buyer Protection” sounds great—until you’re stuck with a $2,000 counterfeit and a seller who vanished. Fake coins pop up daily. And if the seller’s using a fake name or overseas account, good luck getting your money back.

Signs of a Sketchy Listing

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• New seller, old coin: A 10-year-old eBay account with one rare Half Cent? Unlikely. A new account with five? Red flag.

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• Photos that hide the slab: If you can’t read the cert number or grading date, ask. If they refuse, run.
• Listing disappears fast: If it’s gone in 24 hours, eBay or collectors may have flagged it.

What You Should Never Do

Don’t let FOMO make you skip due diligence. I saw a collector buy an “1806 Half Cent” right after the listing was removed by eBay. The seller said, “I’ll verify it at a coin shop!” Real dealers don’t need to “verify” a slabbed coin. That’s the whole point of the slab.

How to Protect Yourself

• Hit “Report Item” if something feels off. Share the cert number and your concerns.
• Dig into the seller: What else have they sold? Do they specialize in coins, or is this a side gig?
• Meet in person or use escrow for coins over $1,000. Never wire money to a stranger.

Mistake 4: Ignoring the Slab Itself

The holder tells a story. PCGS, NGC, and ANACS have changed their slabs over the years. A coin in a 2020-style holder but “graded” in 2008? That’s a problem.

Slab Red Flags

• Wrong holder for the date: ANACS updated its slab in 2014. A 2008 coin in a 2020 slab? Nope.

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• Missing reholder sticker: If they resubmitted the coin, there should be a sticker. No sticker? Why not?

What You Should Never Do

Don’t assume a clean slab means a clean coin. I’ve seen counterfeits in slabs so perfect, even the TPG didn’t catch them. The holder was flawless. The coin was fake.

How to Read the Holder

• Study slab history at PCGS Holder Guide. Know the look, the font, the seal.
• Ask for a back photo showing the cert number, date, and reholder status.
• Compare it to the TPG’s image archive. Match the details.

Mistake 5: Staying Silent When You Find a Fake

I get it. You don’t want drama. But silence helps the bad guys. One counterfeit 1806 Half Cent has been slabbed under six different cert numbers—same die, same flaws, same scam.

Red Flags That It’s a Repeat Offender

• Same coin, new slab: Re-submitted under a new number. Classic laundering tactic.
• Same die markers: Blurry eye, wrong toning, die crack in the same spot. Seen it before.

What You Should Never Do

Don’t just walk away. I’ve heard collectors say, “I’ll avoid that seller.” But if you don’t report it, the next guy won’t know.

How to Be the Hero

1. Tell the TPG with photos, cert number, and your findings.
2. Post in trusted forums like the Half Cent Collectors Club. Share evidence—not drama.
3. Tag experts like @CaptHenway if they’re active. They’ve seen it all.
4. Keep a counterfeit log for your collection. Cert #, seller, red flags, outcome. It’s your early-warning system.

Bottom Line

Half Cent collecting is a passion—but it’s not for the careless. The 1806 fakes are proof: no slab is 100% safe, and no seller is above suspicion. To stay safe:

• Question the slab. Verify the cert, the holder, and the population.

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• Learn die diagnostics. The eye, the strike, the metal—they all tell a story.

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• Skip eBay unless you can verify the seller, the slab, and the history.
• Know your slabs. A 10-year-old coin in a modern holder? Walk away.
• Speak up. Report fakes. Share what you find. We’re all in this together.

The 1806 Half Cent fakes scared a lot of people. But they also taught us something: knowledge is the best defense. Stay sharp, stay curious, and build a collection you can trust.

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