Counterfeit Martinelli Balboa Circulating in Panama
Counterfeit Martinelli Balboa coins are on the rise and circulating throughout Panama according to sources TVN and TeleMetro Panama.
According to these reports the ministry of economy and finance and also the national bank of Panama detected the circulation of fake Martinelli Balboa coins. So it might be a good idea to put into practice the following precautions on how to identify these fake Martinelli Balboa coins.
It is recommended to use an original balboa coin when trying to decipher whether or not you have a counterfeit Martinelli Balboa coin in your hands.
The first thing to notice will be imperfect edges and boarders around the coin, a real Balboa has smooth edges, boarders and are uniform.
Next you will notice that the brass coloring is much darker and that the detailing of the figure is of very low quality. The real Balboa has a lot of detail in the design of the helmet, face and body.
Most of these fake Martinelli Balboa coins will also have the year 2011 stamped on it.
On the tail side of the counterfeit Martinelli Balboa coin you will see that the word PANAMA has no tilde. The real Martinelli Balboa has a tilde on the last "Á" and should read as such PANAMÁ.
You should also look out for a misspelling of PANAMA. Some fake Martinelli Balboa coins have PANANA stamped instead.
Another thing to look out for with these counterfeit Martinelli Balboa coins is a darker silver tone.
These fake Martinelli Balboa coins are also lighter in weight which is why we recommend always comparing to a real Martinelli Balboa coin when in question and at least until you become familiar with the differences between both.
There are active investigations in process by the attorney general of the nation to impede the circulation of these counterfeit Martinelli Balboa coins. The situation still remains a constant and this worries many merchants in Panama.
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