Where Have All The Fakes Gone?

I know I've haven't posted for a long time on here but thats because I've not really had much to report.

Perhaps public knowledge of the fake £1 problem has caused this distinct reduction in the number of fakes I've seen lately. Only had a few of the normal Celtic Cross, 3 Lions and Egyptian Arch fakes, but none with any different date on to what I've already had in the past.

What about yourselves??

Coming Soon - Probably.....

Local shops are now heavily distributing the 2009 & 2010 Royal Standard pound coin, in its full shiny glory, but I have yet to see the 2010 London and Belfast pound coins in circulation, and the 2011 Cardiff & Edinburgh coins are due for release soon, according to Royal Mint.

How long will it be before we see these designs ''replicated''??

100 Spotter Points on offer!!!!

Its getting near Christmas and no-one has time to check their change!!

Since my last blog entry, things have started to rise again in the ''Fake Stakes'' as previously national publicity fades away until the next banner headline.

Anyway, to add to my list of personally seen fakes, I can now add;

2000 Welsh Dragon - very good one, took me ages to decide its validity...or lack of it!!

2001 Celtic Cross - one of the most common fakes

2006 Egyptian Arch


and it had to happen sooner or later,

2008 Royal Standard - am convinced this is a fake but am still pondering

Newest Fake is my Newest Fake

Having not blogged on this subject for a while as the recent fakes I've gathered have been ones that I've previously recorded on my own lists, this month I've got two I'd never personally had before but assume others have already seen and recorded.

First I got about 3 weeks ago, a 3 Lions pound coin with the year date of 1991

Then when collecting my football betting winnings at the ground after todays match, I got.........a Millenium Gateshead Bridge with the year date of 2008 (when this coin should actually be a 2007).

DN, have you got one of these?

NCP Don't Take but They Do Give!!

Most of the coin-operated machines at modern day car parks have machines that can detect fake coins, so even if you did try to pass off a fake, you couldn't.

However it doesn't stop them putting fakes in the change dispenser section of the machine!

Only this morning did I park at an NCP car park and return to the car with £3.10 to pay at the machine. As I only had a £20 note on me, I fed it into the machine and hey presto 16 one pound coins and the 90p, all in change.

One of the £1 coins was a 2003 Ornamental Arms fake...now how did it get into the change. Obviously it was put there on purpose by an NCP employee............how many more are in that machine waiting to be dispensed???

DOUBLE STANDARDS ME THINKS!!

Increase of Fakes in my change

After having a few 'lean' months I've noticed that May and June have been more busy on the fake front, with a couple of new types that I'd heard about before but never seen personally.

I suppose the longer the effects of the recession last, the more we will see in any event.

April 'Fakewatch' Part 2

Today (Monday 26th April) I got a handful of pound coins in my change and immediately my 'trained' eye was drawn to a particular coin.

Having inspected it, it turned out to be my first Royal Ornamental Arms dated 1996 (which should be Irish Celtic Cross). The edge lettering was as close to being perfect as probably can be achieved but the Llantrissant mark was slightly wrong and they've also included the dot that occurs on the Bridge series, (2004 till 2007), coins between the curved wavy lines.

Keep looking....