Curious forgery of a George III shilling

Mike Ruczynski unearthed this queer looking find a few days back. It was located with the aid of a brand new Deus2 detector, which was a present from Mike’s brother, John. It was Mike’s first time out for several months as he had been very ill. However, he told me that his condition is now stable, which must have been wonderful news when he first heard it. The gift from John will help Mike to get back into the habit of regular detecting sessions.

Mike’s find is a forgery of a George III 1816-20 period shilling. I’ve seen lots of these as detecting finds and over the years I have unearthed several. Most were made in Birmingham by button makers who were skilled at making dies. Mike said this is the third he has found with the obverse split from the reverse. His latest example is the first I have seen of this type of forgery and I’ve no idea how it came to be as it is.

The coin would be of minimal commercial value but it is nonetheless and interesting find and a reminder of the ingenuity of forgers in the early19th century.