An occupational hazard of central London used to be the number of fake £1 coins in circulation. They are still around, but the number seems to be in decline. I wonder if it's just that they are making their way around the rest of the UK or whether everyone is really handing them in to the police like they are supposed to?
Most of us simply don't do cash in the same way nowadays, with so many more things from cups of coffee to transportation using electronic payments.
The royal mint helpfully gives guidance about how to spot forged coins, but it's totally impractical to shuffle through a handful of change doing the relevant tests.
I just picked three quid at random and took a quick look. They are all well travelled, yet one of them is a fake. Most people wouldn't notice, but the eagle-eyed could work out that the one on the right is a dud. Slightly thinner, a poor edge stamping and the pictures on each side don't line up. Hardly anyone would notice - just the parking machines.
Still, the new one looks like a threepenny-bit.
1 comment:
Hand them in? Not Pygmalion likely> I collect them for super market trolleys.
Mind you we are a little behind the times down here.
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