Numismatic Forgery by Charles M. Larson (a Mark Hoffman Cookbook)

[WoodenJefferson]

Numismatic Forgery linkafied

 

This 86 page book review has some fascinating information that even a seasoned numismatist wouldn’t even think of looking for when attempting to identify a possible counterfeit coin. I especially enjoyed reading about how to emboss a raised mint mark with a specialized tool from the INSIDE of a coin!

 

Unfortunately the review ended right about the time the author was going to hub some dies with a 10 gauge shotgun!

 

Have fun…to be used as an educational tool, under no circumstances should any of this be attempted at home.

 

[Oldtrader3]

Hoffman was a lunatic. He got caught because he nearly killed himself wiring a mail package bomb that blew up in his own car. The bomb was intended to kill one of his critics who was in the process of blowing the whistle on Hoffman's forged documents which he had sold to the Morman church (re: The Salamander Letter, et al). Unfortunately one the people that Hoffman killed was an innocent person who had the misfortune of picking up the mail for their spouses. The state of Utah should have let Hoffman rot in jail for 70 years instead of executing him.

[braddick]

Didn't he create the 1959 Wheatback cent that even had experts, such as the Secret Service fooled?

His confessions of his hijinks to a prison guard was telling.

[WoodenJefferson]

Didn't he create the 1959 Wheatback cent that even had experts, such as the Secret Service fooled?

His confessions of his hijinks to a prison guard was telling.

The introduction goes into specifics about the 1959-Wheat eared mule. Mark Hoffman got in way over his head with his forgeries and quickly escalated a white collar crime into murder.

[Conder101]

Yes Hoffman was a lunatic, but don't let his crimes keep you from learning from this book. (It has never made sense to me to deliberately choose to remain ignorant rather than gain knowledge that happens to have come from a criminal, for example Breen, Hoffman, Dr Mengele etc.)

 

And Utah didn't execute Hoffman, he's still serving a life sentence.

[just-john]

liked the part about explosives for making dies never thought of that but have seen how it would work.I have blasted a few thing back in the day and seen how things will imprint metal that you wouldn't think could

[Arizonadesertrat]

Larson also gave an excellent ANA lecture on this topic, in which he described how he got access to some of Hofmann's coin-forging equipment and recreated Hoffmann's protocols for counterfeit production. With permission of the feds, he gave a home-made, counterfeit sample coin to the ANA for its collection.

 

This lecture is available on DVD as ANA04-29 ("Numismatic Forgery: Mark Hofmann and Me" with Charles M. Larson). Ca. 51 minutes, and it's worth getting.

[stinkycheese1]

I have this book, and it is worth a read.

 

My favorite part was the introduction of the book, where they explain about counterfeit gold coins. He explains that counterfeiters melt down real $20 gold pieces to make, smaller, more numismatic dollar coins. He explains they do this for 2 reasons. Because since they used the gold from a real gold coin it has the right gold content and fineness, because you can make 20 gold dollars with 1 $20 gold piece, and because of their high numismatic value you can make quite a bit of profit. Then the counterfeiter goes into a pawn shop, explains that they are "from an estate", and pawns them off. The book goes into great detail of this in the intro, which in my opinion was the most fasinating.

 

I didn't understand alot of book, mainly because I some reading comprehension problems and It was a bit technical. But I enjoyed alot of it anyway.

 

[Conder101]

Keven, as you get a little older and have more experience under your belt if you go back and reread it you will find that you understand more each time. Sometimes when you read something you just just don't have the knowledge "framework" to hang the ne information on and you just can't get it. But over time, with more reading and experience, your background knowledge builds up and moe pieces start fitting into place.

 

I'm not saying read it and then immediately re-read it, but come back to it a year or two later and read it again. You will most likely understand it more, and those parts you still don't get you can either mark for a later round of rereading and come ask specific questions about. Either here or by PM. I'm sure you will find people glad to answer your questions.