Several months ago NGC received this counterfeit 1882 three dollar.

This is the so-called Omega fake three dollar, named for the Greek letter Ω (omega) that the counterfeiter used to mark his handiwork. The Omega counterfeiter is best known for the high quality 1907 High Relief $20 fakes, but several other series were targeted including the 1882 three dollar.

On the Omega three dollar coins, the counterfeit's Ω signature can be seen within the loop of the R in LIBERTY. While this piece has been altered to the point where the Ω is very faint, on other counterfeits it can be quite prominent. A few other forgeries were made by the Omega counterfeiter, and all can be linked by the presence of this Greek letter. The Omega High Relief twenties are far more deceptive, but this is still an above average counterfeit.

To read the complete article, see:COUNTERFEIT DETECTION: 1882 THREE DOLLAR GOLD PIECE(www.ngccoin.com/news/viewarticle.aspx?IDArticle=3033
&Counterfeit-1882-three-dollar)