Identifying A Counterfeit 1862 New Brunswick Coin
June 22, 2026
Not all counterfeit coins are made to deceive collectors. Some are contemporary alterations made in an effort to pass the coin off in circulation as a piece with a higher-value denomination. This was the curious case for a mid-19th-century Canadian provincial coin recently submitted to PCGS for authentication and grading.
The circulated coin hailed from New Brunswick, a province of Canada that issued its own circulating coinage from 1861 through 1864. Among these coins was a 20 cent piece struck in 1862 and 1864, each with a mintage of 150,000. Canada struck circulating coinage in 1858 and then starting again in 1870, producing coins consistently since the latter date. Canada emitted its first 25 cent coins in 1870 and effectively replaced the 20 cent coin that was struck in 1858.
From PCGS