Re-engraved dates turn common dates into key dates. The work is tiny; the price gap is enormous. Here is how to spot it.
The diagnostics
- Tool marks around the digits — disturbed metal where the engraver worked.
- Uneven depth and ragged profiles under magnification — hand cutting cannot match a mint punch.
- Wrong digit anatomy for the era — compare the shapes against genuine examples; fakers get the curves wrong.
- Hand-placed spacing and alignment — the mint places digits with mechanical precision. Crooked or unevenly spaced digits are a red flag.
The rule
Same economics as added mint marks: a tiny change, an enormous price gap — and the same absolute rule. Never buy an altered-date candidate raw.
A photograph can inform a decision, but it cannot authenticate or certify a coin.