Consumers sometimes encounter difficulty distinguishing between replicas and genuine U.S. coins. We provide the below examples to help consumers distinguish between the two.
Information exists for:
- Genuine United States Mint 2001 American Buffalo Commemorative Proof Silver Dollar
- Genuine United States Mint One-Ounce American Eagle Silver Proof Coin
Tips on Identifying the Genuine United States Mint 2001 American Buffalo Commemorative Proof Silver Dollar
Source: The United States Mint
Source: National Collector’s Mint, Inc.
| Genuine Coin | Replica |
|---|---|
| Inscription “In God We Trust” appears near the upper portion of the coin. | Replica’s inscription reads: “.999 Fine Silver”. |
| Inscription “E Pluribus Unum” appears under the buffalo’s head. | Replica does not have an inscription under the buffalo’s head. |
| Official denomination of the coin – “One Dollar” appears below buffalo. | Replica’s inscription reads “Giant Buffalo Proof”. |
| Genuine coin shows the Philadelphia (P) mint mark below the denomination. | Replica does not display the Philadelphia (P) mintmark. |
| Genuine coin displays the mintage year “2001” on the obverse (Indian) side. | Replica displays mintage year “2001” below the buffalo. |
Tips on Identifying the Genuine United States Mint One-Ounce American Eagle Silver Proof Coin
Proof Coin (One Ounce)
Source: The United States Mint
Source: The Washington Mint, LLC
| Genuine Coin | Replica |
|---|---|
| Diameter is 1.598 inches [40.60 mm]. | Diameter is 3.5 inches [88.9 mm]. |
| Weighs 31.101 grams and contains one ounce of .999 silver. | Weighs 248.82 grams [one-half pound or 8 troy oz.] and contains .999 pure silver. |
| Inscription on the bottom of the genuine coin (reverse) reads “1 OZ. FINE SILVER – ONE DOLLAR”. | Inscription on the bottom of the replica (reverse) reads “ONE HALF POUND FINE SILVER .999.” |
| Genuine coin (reverse) shows the official United States Mint Mark (“P”, “S”, or “W” depending on year of manufacture) to the left of the eagle’s tail. | Replica (reverse) shows the Washington Mint’s private hallmark (WM) to the left of the eagle’s tail. |
| Genuine coin (reverse) shows the United States Mint designer’s initials (JM) to the right of the eagle’s tail. | The replica (reverse) does not show the United States Mint designer’s initials. |
| Replica Data Source: The Washington Mint, LLC Certificate of Authenticity |