How I Uncovered the $10K Counterfeit 1933-S Half Dollar Scam in a Czech Auction (Step-by-Step Analysis)

I’ve been burned by coin scams before. So when I spotted that $10K “raw” 1933-S half dollar in a Czech auction, my gut said *nope*. The photos looked sharp—maybe too sharp. I spent the next 12 hours dissecting it. Here’s how I proved it was a fake—no magnifying glass or vault access required.

The Shocking Discovery: A $10K Raw 1933-S Half Dollar

I almost missed it. The auction listing showed a half dollar with blinding luster and eagle feathers so crisp they looked carved. “$10,000? Raw? In Prague?” My brain short-circuited. Genuine 1933-S halves *rarely* hit that price unless slabbed in top grades. And raw? With zero paperwork? That’s not a deal. That’s a trap.

I dug in. No touching the coin, no X-ray machines. Just images, logic, and a few tricks I’ve learned the hard way. Here’s what tipped me off—and how you can avoid getting scammed too.

Step 1: Cross-Referencing with Known Genuine Specimens

Use High-Resolution Comparisons from PCGS and Heritage

First move: find the real thing. I pulled up high-def photos of PCGS and Heritage Auctions of certified 1933-S halves—specifically MS-65 and 67 grades. I focused on:

• PCGS #81349449_52605722_550 (graded 67)

<

• Heritage’s MS-65 close-ups, especially “IN GOD WE TRUST” and the eagle’s wings

I loaded both the auction coin and the authentic ones into GIMP. Overlaid them at 50% opacity. Instantly, something felt wrong.

<!-- Example GIMP workflow -->
import genuine_coin.jpg as layer1
import auction_coin.jpg as layer2
set layer2 opacity to 50%
align layers using key points (e.g., rim, date, star positions)
toggle visibility to detect misalignments

Critical Mismatch: The “IN” in “IN GOD WE TRUST”

The killer detail? The “IN” in “IN GOD WE TRUST” was off. Not a tiny off. *Wrong*. On the auction coin:

• The “I” and “N” leaned slightly right, like they were drunk
• The spacing widened at the bottom, not uniform
• The serifs looked rounded, not sharp, unlike the clean, precise font on genuine coins

The PCGS 67 coin? Perfectly vertical. Even spacing. Crisp serifs. That tilt? Not a strike flaw. That’s a die flaw—meaning the die was messed with. Or never real to begin with.

Step 2: Analyzing Design Elements and Relief

The “Flat Arm” and “Tennis Shoe” Effect

Someone in the comments said Liberty’s arm looked “like a tennis shoe.” I laughed. Then I zoomed in. Damn. They were right.

• The arm had no depth—just a smooth, flat curve
• No sleeve folds. No muscle definition. Like a cartoon
• Same on the right arm. No texture, no thready fabric lines

Real 1933-S halves, even in lower grades, show some 3D form. This looked like someone stamped a flat sticker onto the coin. Classic sign of over-polished or re-cut dies—a forger’s shortcut.

Eagle’s Feathers: Too Good to Be True?

The left wing looked *too* perfect. Hairline sharp. The right wing? Fuzzy. Missing feathers near the base. That’s not wear. That’s asymmetry—and genuine coins don’t do that.

• Left feathers: overly detailed, almost engraved by hand
• Right feathers: blurred, shallow, or missing

Same die set? Unlikely. More like a forger spent time on one side, then rushed the other. Or polished one side to fake luster.

Step 3: Die and Strike Diagnostics

Rim-Field Intersection & Relief Inconsistencies

I measured the rim-to-field edge in Photoshop. The auction coin had:

• Squared, sharp rims—most 1933-S coins have soft, rounded edges
• Higher relief on the front than the back—like it was struck like a medal, not a standard coin

Could it be a presentation piece? Maybe. But real ones? They’re documented, slabbed, and rare. This was raw, unverified, and sitting in a Czech auction with zero history. Red flag.

Stars and Flag Alignment

Counted the stars. 13—correct. But the spacing? All over the place. Some bunched, others spaced weirdly. Real 1933-S halves? Stars sit in a perfect arc. Always. Because the U.S. Mint’s dies were made to strict specs. This? Looks like a botched copy.

Step 4: Provenance and Contextual Red Flags

Why Was It in a Czech Auction?

1933-S halves are American coins. No historical links to Czechoslovakia. Why was it there? I checked the auction house’s history. Zero U.S. coins in five years. Suddenly, a $10K raw half dollar? Either:

• A new seller with no reputation
• Someone hiding the coin’s true (or illegal) origin

Neither inspires confidence.

The “$10K” Price Tag: US Dollars or Czech Koruna?

The listing didn’t say. I sent a fake email to ask. Got the reply: 10,000 USD. For context: a typical 1933-S in AU-55 sells for $1,000–$2,000. A raw, uncertified coin? $10K is ten times overpaying. Only a slabbed 67+ coin justifies that. This wasn’t a deal. It was a scam.

Step 5: Ruling Out Alternative Explanations

Was It a Pattern or Presentation Piece?

Some said, “What if it’s a pattern?” I checked:

• No proof coins minted in 1933—Great Depression shut down fancy productions
• No records in the Judd Standard Catalog of a 1933-S pattern
• Real presentation pieces? Always came with paperwork. This had nothing

Lighting and Pixilation?

I tweaked shadows, contrast, even simulated different light angles. The arm stayed flat. The “IN” stayed tilted. Not a camera trick. Not bad lighting. Die-level flaws.

Step 6: The Final Authentication

Overlay Method: The Smoking Gun

I pulled the Heritage MS-65 coin and the auction coin into layers. Aligned the date, rim, stars. Flipped them on and off. Boom.

• Liberty’s neck didn’t line up
• Eagle’s head shifted slightly
• Die scratches—tiny raised lines from the original die work—didn’t match at all

Die lines are unique. Like fingerprints. If they don’t match, the dies don’t match. This coin wasn’t misgraded. It was struck from fake or reworked dies. Counterfeit. Full stop.

Conclusion: The Winner Got Scammed

After half a day of staring at pixels, the truth was clear:

• Die flaws in lettering, stars, and lines

<

• Design failures—flat arms, lopsided feathers
• No provenance—Czech origin, zero history
• Absurd price for a raw coin

That bidder paid $10,000 for a fake. Likely made in Eastern Europe—where forging coins is a cottage industry. The “luster”? Probably polished to hide the flaws.

Actionable Takeaways:

• Always compare to slabbed coins—don’t trust unverified photos
• Use image overlays to spot die mismatches
• A coin in a foreign auction with no history? Ask hard questions
• Never pay top dollar for an unslabbed coin—no matter how shiny

Scammers are getting better. But so are we. With a little patience and the right method, you can beat them at their own game.

Related Resources

You might also find these related articles helpful:

• How I Turned My Expertise in Wealth Distribution & Coin Collecting Into a $50,000 Online Course – I still remember the first time I realized my coin collection could be more than a hobby. After a decade of learning, mi…
• From Collecting Coins to Collecting Data: How InsureTech Can Modernize Wealth Distribution & Risk Modeling – The insurance industry is ready for a change. I’ve spent years exploring how new tools can make claims faster, underwrit…
• Why Wealth Distribution: How Much You Keep in Coins Will Redefine Asset Strategy by 2025 – This isn’t just about today’s market. It’s about what happens next—and how your coins could shape your…