1882 Morgan, Fake Or New VAM?

@Las_Vegas_Larry - I'd bet that this is a cast fake, either made out of pure copper and silver plated, or made of coin silver.

The the graininess does not occur in struck coins without exposure to acid and significant metal loss (yours is within weight parameters), and the "mushiness" on the reverse text is indicative of a casting process.

Could you post a picture of its edge so that we may inspect the reeding?

@slowaltima - When counterfeiters fake common date coins out of silver, they're banking on selling them for a premium (essentially selling silver for much more than it's worth) and since it's a common date fewer people will take the time to stop and look. Done in volume, it makes a tidy profit.

I'm guessing it is a cast fake based on the raised markings. The 2 in the date also looks suspicious to me, though there may be other indications that it is fake.

Hmm ,

I need to show someone my 1882 o/s .. similar look to it .. ahh , now I'm worried about that one ... I gota go bust it out and get some photos ..

Thanks all for your responses.

tatt2ed13 feel free to post your photos here if you like.

Any one else having similar looking coins you are more than welcome to post here.

SteveCaruso adding it to The Black Cabinet sounds like a good idea.

What's next.

At the turn of the nineteenth century silver was down to fifty cents an oz. A little later it dropped all the way down to 25 cents an oz. At that rate even if a counterfeiter used silver at the proper weight and fineness there was still only 20 cents worth of silver in it and it represented a profit of 80 cents per coin at a time when a dollar was a significant portion of a days pay. A counterfeiter could take his weeks pay, buy silver and cast enough dollars for 30 days pay. Exchange that for real money, buy more silver and cast five months pay. Repeat one more time and you have over two years pay. One more time and if you keep to your working mans lifestyle you won't have to work again for ten years. The advantage of using the real silver is it would make it easier to pass your coins since they would weigh right and look close. If you had access to some kind of coining press you could make even better pieces that would easily pass (think the micro O counterfeits), they would even ring like the real thing.

And here's its entry on The Black Cabinet:

http://fakes.numismetrica.com/2012/...1-1882-0001/

Larry was kind enough to send it in for attribution, and it is now CF-S$1-1882-0001. :-)

I must say, it is one heck of a nice fake.