Is My 1893 CC Morgan Dollar A Fake?

No need to buy a caliper. Just grab a small stack of authentic Morgans and throw the suspect coins in the middle. They tend to be obviously wider. If you look at a lot of Morgans, you can tell just by looking at the thickness with the naked eye and no comparison needed. This may not be true in all cases, but certainly has been with all counterfeits I have seen.

Here it is compared to one I know is fake. A friend gave me this when I was sick in the hospital. She purchased it from a flea market. The weight of the counterfeit is 24.9 grams.

@twodsonegf I would agree with you if this was a newly purchased coin. But when you own a collectible for thirty years or more, I think it's fair to say that most would want to find out the 100% truth.

@dave700x, any other thoughts when viewing the comparisons I posted?

@cascade, ditto?

This coin is with 99.9% certainty a counterfeit. There are only 2 reverse die's known to have ever been used, and your coin is so far off of any of the 2 in mint mark placement its not even close.

Here is a enlarged photo of your coins mint mark and then the known mint marks, I have placed your coin up twice so you can have a comparison right next to each of them.

MikeF, the Chinese have been frighteningly good at forgeries for a long time. That's what they do. Most are obvious, but some very good forgeries fool the experts. I'm not an expert or even close and often wonder about many of my coins. The magnetic test, the ring test, mass and dimension tolerances, macro-micro marker observations, then less-tangible experience and gut feelings are the tools we have. TPGs presumably have analytical resources to bear and if you really want the best evaluation available (and are willing to pay for it) send it in. Because of the provenance of your coin I'd want to know.

That said, I wanted to make a few observations of my own. According to PCGS CoinFacts on the 1893-CC, there are 5 VAMs known with 4 distinct obverses and 3 reverses. http://www.PCGScoinfacts.com/Coin/Detail/7222. If genuine, your coin would seem to fit VAM-4. http://www.vamworld.com/1893-CC+VAM-4. Here's one from my collection, weighing 26.15 g. Please compare and check your coin for the markers. If mine is a forgery then yours and mine probably come from the same place, which ain't the Carson City mint.

Great news MikeF! I'm glad you're seeking expert opinion. Having the coin in hand is key to authentication. Pictures obviously can be deceiving. Please keep us informed... which TPG are you considering?

Send it in to ANACS. They are the least expensive and John Roberts is a VAM oracle.