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 Replies: 24 / Views: 5,111 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2212 Posts |
I've found that the best way to detect a fake is simply by having looked at many real coins over a period of time. Once you get a feel for what the real ones look like, a fake will jump out at you like a sore thumb.
For me, it's usually the shade of the metal that tips me off. Yours is a perfect example. No matter what condition a Morgan is in, it never looks grey like that.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
8715 Posts |
Quote:
I've found that the best way to detect a fake is simply by having looked at many real coins over a period of time. Once you get a feel for what the real ones look like, a fake will jump out at you like a sore thumb.
For me, it's usually the shade of the metal that tips me off. Yours is a perfect example. No matter what condition a Morgan is in, it never looks grey like that. Correct. Another thing to look for are any errors such as die clashes (present on your Morgan dollar) and check them against a list of known VAMs for that date and mint mark. Often, fakes like yours will have some features of the design incorrect. In the case of your fake Morgan, the date looks like it doesn't have the proper space between each number. Of course, if you ever have any questions about a coin for sale, just post it here on CCF before you buy it.  |
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Rest in Peace
United States
10625 Posts |
All very solid advice given so far and most of all, stick around and learn from all the good folks here on the forum. There is quite a wealth of knowledge on CCF and appraisals are free.. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4469 Posts |
If you do a weight, magnet, and thickness test, it will catch the cheep fakes. If you are going to spend over $200 for a coin get one graded by a TPG, you will be money ahead long term unless you have expert grading skills. There are about 40 common date Morgan's that you can buy inexpensive in the grade of MS 64. For the same money, You will have a hard time collecting the same 40 common dates raw buying on ebay in equal grades without problems like the coin being cleaned or low luster. If you are into VAM Morgan's, you can post in the VAM Morgan section before you buy and the forum members will give you an opinion of the possible VAM. Edited by Slider23
03/01/2018 12:10 pm
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Valued Member
240 Posts |
Yikes! As soon as the image loaded ... my alarm went off.
Sorry that happened to you. It seems that they are looking for any and all angles these days. Clashed dies...
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2519 Posts |
Exactly the same as mine, but a different date. I don't feel like searching up a 4-year old thread right now, so here's the picture of it:  |
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Valued Member
United States
314 Posts |
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Easiest way is to buy a few coins from a reputable high-feedback seller, just average circulated common-date Morgans, and then handle them. You will soon get a feel for how the coins should look, feel, and gain familiarity with the design in general. Once you have a couple of real Morgans in-hand the fakes become much easier to spot. Great advice, but won't usually help if buying from ebay. In that case, I would seriously consider buying "Slabbed Coins" only. I'm doing this for a Peace dollar set, and you can find LOTS that are still very, very affordable. Many people "slab" coins initially expecting higher grades, but when they don't get the "desired grade", they sell them... often at not much more then the cost of the slab plus the bullion. Deals can definitely be found! |
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Valued Member
240 Posts |
Also, if you would consider buying better dates you will be much happier in the long run. For example, the Carson City coins are always strong. You might have to buy half the number of coins, but I think it is a safer move. You can look at the GSA coins on ebay. The 1882, 1883 & 1884 CC Morgans are in the $175-$250 range ... unless you push the grade to MS65 and above. However, at this time you can get good deals on nice MS65 and MS66 common date Morgans graded by PCGS and NGC. That will allow you to buy higher grade pieces. Edited by jmwilson
03/12/2018 11:58 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
992 Posts |
Good advice about the Carson City dollars. Buy them now, they'll just get more expensive.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1963 Posts |
You can tell that tour coin if fake, because the color and lettering is so far off. Another good tip is to buy the old rattler holders at the smallest premium you can. I've had a 40% upgrade rate on those.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1963 Posts |
And if they don't upgrade, you can always find someone who will pay a premium.
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Valued Member
United States
314 Posts |
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old rattler holders .. what is this? An old PCGS Holder? |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
8715 Posts |
A rattler is the old 1980s style PCGS holder.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2212 Posts |
One thing to keep in mind is that the fakers will rarely fake common-date coins. So you can feel free to stock up on those with little concern for chicanery.
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Valued Member
United States
314 Posts |
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A rattler is the old 1980s style PCGS holder. Thanks.. what I thought! |
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Replies: 24 / Views: 5,111 |
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Posted 03/01/2018 09:57 am
