1771 Pillar Dollar, Real Or Fake?

ywan - Got your note and took a look at the coin. I am not quite sure of what you see as "wrong". The only problem I see here is the "hollow" area on the bottom of the left column. That kind of a feature could point to either a forgery or an original struck on a planchet with a depression (a planchet error). If it was a planchet error caused by a thin point in the metal - there should be a corresponding weakness on the opposite side of the coin. But if the depression exists only on one side - it should be examined closely. I have ruled out simple damage because it does not look like a dent.

The balance of the coin looks pretty good. The dentils run to the edge and they are not disturbed by the edging process. In 1771 the planchets were edged BEFORE the strike. The crowns on the pillars are correct. The fonts seem OK and I don't see any odd die surface marks.

Overall the coin really looks good to me and the weight is correct.

Look very closely at the die surfaces to see if they were properly finished. Real dies will not produce a dimpled surface (normally) and there should not be too many raised lines on the surface. The features taht are punched into dies (letters for example) should have SHARP transitions - rounded transitions should be examined closely. Look at all raised fine details - you are looking for missing elements that get lost in a transfer process. Tiny die features will be on original coins - not often on copies.

You also should examine the reputation of the seller in this case. Is he reputable and does he know this series?

Could you possibly post a picture of the edge of the coin that is in focus?