This post is the first part in a series of challenges designed to improve the knowledge and awareness of fake Japanese coins (both cast and struck) among collectors. The objective is to determine which coins are fake and which coins are real. Post your response in the comments (each coin is marked with a letter in the upper-left corner) and why you think each coin is either real or fake. After some people have responded, I will post the correct answers in the comments. Some of the coins may have problems, which could make them seem fake!

This time we will be looking at a series of "silver" (most of the fakes of Japanese 1 Yen are not actually made of silver) Japanese 1 Yen crown-sized coins. These coins are exceedingly popular with both Asian and Western collectors, which makes them a common target for counterfeiters! Some key distinguishing points between real and fake 1 yen are:

1. Weight; often, these fakes are not even made of silver, so their weight is not correct
2. Diameter; the fakes are not as accurately done as the real coins
3. Denticles; there is often a noticeable "falling off" of denticles into the field (or incomplete, too large or too small denticles)]
4. Mushy characters or characters that "fall" into the field
5. Chunky/crude characters; the characters look too thick or not the same style as the official coins (look at genuine coins to see what the characters should look like)
6. Overly sharp or overly weak details (or both on different parts); if it looks like an iceberg, with some sides very sharp and other sinking below the surface, then its fake

Find better quality pictures at www.eikyutsuho.tk/blog/real-or-fake-1.