Fake Indian Coins and Currencies - Part 4 - Fake Error Coins

A e.Book [Fake Coins of Republic India] of all the items is available as PDF in download section.

This article is on Fake Indian Coins and Currencies is Organised into 5 parts.
Part 1 - Fake Commemorative Coins
Part 2 - Fake Definitive Coins
Part 3 - Fake Currencies
Part 4 - Fake Error Coins.
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The fake market is not just restricted to circulating coins & currencies, but also in the Error coins markets. The demand for error coins at times outstrips the supply. Further error coins are never cataloged and hence you can be creative in doing fakes errors and sell them for quite a sum. Unlike minting of fake coins that require access to a minting press plus investment into design etc, a fake error coins can be created just from ordinary circulating coin, use of lathe machine and of course a bit of creativity.

Although it’s difficult to document all fakes error coins, one may not even see, this section tries to list out some of the ways these fake error coins are made so that it becomes easier to identify.

Reader caution is advised in this section as I could have erred in calling some of the genuine error coins as fakes. The classification of these coins as Fake is based on the IMAGES I have come across and my knowledge on minting process that leads to error coins. At times there could be some unexplained error during minting that could have produced these coins, however this section should serve more as a caution to a collector and not get carried away in buying error coins assuming that these are genuine.

One Side Printed:

I came across this fake which said one side printing. Although I have not physically seen the coin, its easy to identify this. To me it looks like a regular coin that was taken and one side was doctored using a lathe machine. Notice the circular shape of the metal. A good planchet will not show such kind of circular marks. Plus the obverse looks like the fake Rs 1, 1985 Dabbu coin. Its possible that quite a few of these were minted and are not getting sold. Definitely try to be more creative to sell the stock J.

Stuck on Incorrect Flang:Typically in this error a planchet incorrect size makes its way into the strike chamber. However there are quite a few fakes where by a normal coin is taken and reduced in size.
Rs 2 Cupro-Nickel

I came across a Rs 2 Cupro-Nickel stuck on a 50 paise flang. Notice the date of 1999, the 50 paise in cupro-nickel was last minted in 1990. A planchet cannot find its way after 10 years. It is very unlikely that a cupro-nickel sheet was blanked using a 50 paise size. Also the edges are raised. This is very unlikely as the die would definitely flatten out the rim.

10 Paise on 5 Paise

A 10 paise is given the shape of 5 paise outside the mint. Notice the edges, it says al. Clever use of old coin to add authenticity.

Oval Shape:

I came across this error coin which shows the shape of the coin as Oval. There is no stage in minting process that can lead to this type of error. In the planchet making stage, there is no process error that would make the blank Oval instead of circular. If a coin is stuck on a smaller flang, it can expand, typically still being more or less circular, lets say by outside chance, it took on an oval shape, however then there are 2 issues with this theory, there was no blank in cupro-nickel smaller than the 25 paise blank. Secondly, the max diameter of the coin on the oval edges is still the size of 25 paise. Hence it looks like a perfectly round 25 paise coin is taken and then given a oval shape in the workshop.

Missing Part or Full Date:

This error typically happens during the die making process as the mint marks and dates are added later to the working die. At times they miss out putting the date. However forgers use this knowledge and using a lathe machine remove of the date portion. The image below, I had purchased a coin assuming it to be missing partial date. On close inspection with the 15x magnification lens, I could notice that the date was actually removed. The surface near the date was imperfect, indicating tampering. There is a remote chance that this still can be genuine, but I cannot figure out a process that would have lead to this kind of error.

Chipped Planchet:
It is quite easy to create this type of fake. Take a normal coin and cut out a straight edge or curved edge to create a chipped planchet. In a genuine error coin, there is always expansion near the chipped area, there is a strike weakness around the chipped area, and the edge is more rounded inside. In a fake error coin of this type, the strike does not show weakness, the edge is straighter. The easiest in these are the Aluminum coins that are easy to cut and work with.

In the below image shows a 10 paise that is possibly a fake.

Missing Inner Ring in Bi-Metallic:
In the Rs 10 Bi-metallic coins, there is a type of error where by the inner portion of the coin is missing. However this type of error is easy to create outside the mint. Heat the coin to a high temperaturre and press the center sharply to get it seperated.
I came across the below coin being sold by a reputed dealer on eBay. I think its fake;

1. The inner rim does not flatten which would have been the case if the coin was stuck without the inner portion. The rim its more weavy and bends both inwards and outwards.
2. The strike at the inner edges is not weak, it should be as when the coin gets stuck, the metal near inner edge would expand an the impression would be weak.

Only Center Piece:

The other portion of the Center piece is sold as separate error coin. See images below.

• If only center piece finds its way to striking chamber, its highly unlikely that it will stay exactly in center for the strike. 
• Lets for a minute assume that by some miracle the coin indeed rests exactly in the center; the strike should have expanded the coin as there is no ring to contain the metal flow. Further there should be weakness of the strike at the edges.
• Well one might say that the coin was struck with both the inner and outer ring, and after strike they got separate. Well the strike at that pressure generates intense heat and it would fuse the pieces and they would be inseparable.

Uneven Metal Surface:

There is no known process [at least to me] that can produce this kind of error coin. It looks very obvious to me that a normal coin was taken, and using a round punch pressure was exerted resulting in this uneven shape. Something done outside the mint and not in mint.

Indira Gandhi 50 Paise Coin:
I don’t know what the forger had in mind when he created this master piece. Maybe wanted to pass this off as Off-strike [must have heard somewhere that only partial image should be visible] or maybe wanted to create struck on wrong flang; only the forger can tell for sure

2002 Rs 10 Veer Durga Das

The Rs 10 Veer Durga Das coin that was available only in UNC Set’s was creating a round where it looked like due to some kind of double strike error there was both the images on the coin. This was debated as to how this error could have happened, and it was concluded that such kind of error happening in the mint was not a possibility.

For this to have occurred in mint, there should have been brockage on both the dies [highly unlikely], plus the brockage on one side should have had a 180 deg rotation. And then another coin struck normally and then struck with brockage on both the dies … huge impossibility and even one would not be able to sequence the events.

The coins are real in terms of all parameters like weight, composition, design etc.

Outside the mint its easy to get this one, heat 3 coins to a temperature … stack them together and then apply pressure.

This coin was listed by a major auction house was then removed with experts pointed out this is a fake.

Fake Indian Coins and Currencies - Part 3 - Fake Currencies

For All Articles use Index

A e.Book [Fake Coins of Republic India] of all the items is available as PDF in download section.

This article is on Fake Indian Coins and Currencies is Organised into 5 parts.
Part 1 - Fake Commemorative Coins
Part 2 - Fake Definitive Coins
Part 3 - Fake Currencies
Part 4 - Fake Error Coins.
Private Package UNC Set
Use the Index or older / newer post to navigate

Like the fake coins, there are quite a few fake currency notes as well in circulation. There are quite a few fakes that are put into circulation by Unfriendly countries with the intention to destabilize our economy. These are difficult to detect as the design is same as that of the actual currencies. This section does not list such currencies, but rather lists the currencies that were printed to deceive the collectors.

1962 Rs 1 I J Patel Fake Note
There was no currency note printed in the year 1962. So the forgers came up with the brillint idea of printing one. They used a genuine note by I J Patel signed in the years 1968 to 1972 and reprinted the date to make it look like 1962. Saw this around Jan 2016.

1964 Rs 1 S Bhoothalingam Fake Note

Amongst the most expensive Rs 1 note. A bundle can cost a fortune. Saw this fake in 2015, where by a 1965 Bhoothalingam note is taken and the date reprinted to make it look like 1964.

Another type of fake that is printed using a standard printer

1982 Rs 1 Fake Note
There are quite a few Rs 1 note where the date is changed to an year when the note was not printed to make it scarce / rare. The Popular ones being 1982, 1995, 1996, 1997.

1995 Rs 1 Fake Note
The last Rs 1 note was printed in the year 1994 after which this was discontinued. However the 1995 Fake makes quite a few rounds in the market. The price it commands is quite high than some of the other genuine currencies. There are 1996 and 1997 as well.

CD Deshmukh Rs 5 Fake Note
These are quite popular with collectors. At times these go for as much as Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000/-. CD Deshmukh was the RBI governor before Independence and continued as the first governor of RBI after Independence. Before Independence he has signed quite a few notes of denominations Rs 2, Rs 5, Rs 10 and Rs 100. After Independence the first note was of Rs 10. This was the only note signed by CD Deshmukh post Independence.

Type 2: 5 Deer’s

Type 3: 7 Deer’s
Images Comming Soon



CD Deshmukh Rs 10 Fake Note
As the original Rs 10 note was and is still quite expensive, there are quite a few of the replicas created to dupe the collectors. The most popular being 3 peacock and 1 peacock notes

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CD Deshmukh Rs 100 Fake Note
A Rs 100 denomination was never issued by CD Deshmukh. The only note signed by CD Deshmukh was the Rs 10. The first Rs 100 note was by second governor, “Benegal Rama Rau”. This fancy note goes with the description of Snake & Eagle. Another fancy note goes with the description of Snake & Eagle. Notice that it says East India Company. As to why CD Deshumkh would sign a note with East India Company when the Reserve Bank of India was already established is hard to imagine. But the unsuspecting collectors seldom have knowledge of things

Rs 2 Fake Note - Manmohan Singh
Another of printing technique, the RBI Logo have been reprinted on an Original Rs 2 Note signed by Manmohan Singh. The front side logo is reprinted on the back and the back side reprinted on front.

Rs 5 Fake Note – S Jagannathan - 5 Deers 
Seen in 2015, one of the deer's is reprinted to make the original design of 4 deer's look like 5 deer's.

Rs 10 Fake Note – 3 Peacock and 1 Peacock Varieties

The Original Peacock notes were issued beginning from around 1970 to around 1990 before the design was discontinued and the Shalimar Garden design was adopted. The Original Peacock notes have 2 Peacocks at the back [along with other animals] and were signed by S Jagannathan, K R Puri, M Narasimhan, I G Patel, Manmohan Singh and RN Malothra.

The Trick: Unlike the CD Deshmukh notes, the forgers this time followed a simple trick. They got hold of a genuine Note by these governors and reprinted a portion of the note. This is easy to do with a good quality scanner, a color printer and an image editing software. All one needs to do is scan the image of the note, edit such that one only copies the peacock. Put the note back in the printer and print off the 3rd peacock. After a few trial and errors, one would get an exact position. The colors themselves blend with the background and are difficult to identify as re-printed.

Authentic Tag: Now if one looks for tell tale signs like design details, the Watermark, the security thread, the feel of paper or other such feature’s they would all pass this test with flying colors, because the note is genuine. There were quite a few stories going about these notes as to they are actually errors or oddities and hence these are not catalogued.

To add some twist to the tale, the forgers at times took slightly used notes for reprinting so that it gives the note a more authentic look.
Some even challenged that show it to any banker and he would certify that these are original Notes.

They even post pictures of the note clearly showing the watermark and other details [see images below for one such instance]. Even when one is buying face to face, and see’s the note he is convinced that it’s a original note.

The Obvious: If you see enough samples of these notes, you would notice that the third peacock is not exactly at the same position; there is a difference at times in few millimetres. This is because individual notes are taken and printed, often leading to alignment mismatch.

The Original Note

S Jagannathan
Here the peacock from left upper hand is taken, scanned, cut and then reprinted on the bottom space to show it as a third peacock.

K R Puri
Here the Second peacock [upper right hand] is taken, scanned, cut and then reprinted on the bottom portion to give an impression of third peacock.

M Narasimhan
Similar to the KR Puri Note, the upper left hand peacock is used to create the third one.

RN Malothra
One Peacock:

One peacock is created by copying the tree feature from the bottom, notice closely the tree trunk; were the peacock should be present and you would see the additional tree portion. This is more easily identifiable.

Three peacock: Type A

This is similar to the S Jagannathan note were the peacock in the upper left side is used to create the 3rd peacock.

Three peacock: Type B

This is similar to the KR Pure note were the peacock in the upper left side is used to create the 3rd peacock. Notice in this the placement is more overlapping with the upper peacock, not sure it this is by error or on purpose.

Manmohan Singh

Also available in 3 peacock version with Manmohan Singh's signature.

More from Printing Techniques
There are quite a few variations of the printing techniques.
Recently [in Feb 2015] came across a bunch of Rs 10 notes that have one peacock in black and white or 3 peacocks in black and white. There is also a 2 boat variety incase anyone is interested.It is amazing as to how innovative people get.

IJ Patel
The I J Patel Rs 10 notes reprinted to get a two boats.

Fake Rs 20 - Bimal Jalan - Full Konark Wheel
Saw this one in 2015, advertised as full Konark Wheel. The standard design of Rs 20 Konark Wheel is the bottom portion is truncated by the design strip. However this fake has the full wheel reconstructed. Very innovative I would say

Fake Rs 20 - Small Full Konark Wheel
Another variation to the Konark wheel. This is better done and the Konark wheel is shrunk and reprinted.

Other Printing Techniques:
A simple paper and a black and white printer with some creativity and lots of naive collectors and then we have notes of Rs 5000, Rs 10000 and Rs 1000 easily available. And to lend authenticity to them, stamp some numbers etc on the back and or scribble something in the watermark window and presto you have a rare fake note ready for naive collectors.

Gulf Haj Notes Fakes of Rs 100

Fake Error Notes:
A new type of Error notes being circulated in the market. There are genuine Number errors where the number on the note does not get printed at its correct location, however in this the correct numbers notes are taken, additional number is printed to make it look like error with double numbers.

Rs 1 Signed by S Venkatirmanan

Rs 5 HV Iyengar

Rs 10 HV Iyengar

Rs 100 S Jagannathan

Rupees Two Annas Eight
One of the most sought after note of British India is the Rupees Two Annas Eight note. It’s an odd denomination but was quite common. The Original note is quite rare and expensive. This makes this note very popular with the collectors. However taking advantage of this, there are quite a few fakes of this note. Some are quite good and that even experts need a close look to determine it as fake.