Replica Coins, Reproduction Coins & Forgeries

Marking and Marketing of Modern Reproduction Coins.

The Great American Coin Company manufactures and sells replica coins. With the sale and manufacture of replica coins comes a significant responsibility in ensuring that the customer is not only aware that they are purchasing a reproduction coin, but that any unscrupulous reseller will not be able to alter the copy coin and sell it as genuine. The greatest defence against this (besides the risk of ending up in jail), is a requirement of the United States Hobby Protection Act or US HPA discussed below:

• An imitation numismatic item of incusable material shall be incused with the word "COPY" in sans-serif letters having a vertical dimension of not less than two millimeters (2.0 mm) or not less than one-sixth of the diameter of the reproduction,
• and a minimum depth of three-tenths of one millimeter (0.3 mm) or to one-half (1/2) the thickness of the reproduction, whichever is the lesser.
• The minimum total horizontal dimension of the word "COPY" shall be six millimeters (6.0 mm) or not less than one-half of the diameter of the reproduction.

Marking a imitation numismatic, copy coin, reproduction coin, or replica coin in this manner, not only ensures that the 99.9% of buyers will know a replica coin is not genuine, but that any reseller of that replica coin will not be able to dupe an unsuspecting buyer. In regards to the other .1% (one in a thousand), well, they will see a rare date coin for sale at a price that is too good to be true, and will purchase the reproduction coin in error no matter how clearly it is advertised. Unfortunately, regardless of how reckless these individuals are, they still need to be protected with a refund policy which ensures that any purchase of a replica coin or reproduction coin is only completed by a willing buyer. Caveat Emptor in Latin or Buyer Beware in English, though a valid concept, should not and does not apply to the sale of reproduction coins.