Counterfeit Detection: 1894-O Morgan Dollar

NGC - In places, the strike actually appears too strong on this fake, which may have been struck using laser-created dies.

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The common saying "If it looks too good to be true, it probably is" can definitely be applied to numismatics. Certainly, there are exceptional survivors of rare vintage issues that somehow escaped mishandling since their striking, but the buyer must always beware. NGC graders recently spotted this counterfeit 1894-O Morgan with a much-better-than-average strike, especially for an O-Mint Morgan dollar.


Counterfeit 1894-O Morgan Dollar

At first glance, this coin appears to be an extremely expensive high-grade 1894-O Morgan Dollar—a coin that the NGC Price Guide values at $50,000 in MS 65. However, just a slightly closer look reveals some odd issues. The surfaces do not look like a genuine Morgan dollar, and the 9 in the date stands out from the other digits. Lastly, the obverse strike of the coin is much better than expected on a New Orleans minted Morgan dollar.


Genuine 1894-O Morgan Dollar

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