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 Replies: 14 / Views: 1,342 |
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New Member
United States
5 Posts |
Hi, I recently bought a 1879-O Morgan dollar on ebay. I am very new to coin collecting, and going through the tips usually posted for detecting fakes is not bringing me to a conclusion. Made some measurements - Weight - 0.06lb (on the scale which could not measure in gms) ~ 27.2gms Diameter - 38mm / 1.5inches Thickness - 2.5mm The images for the coin - Any help is appreciated. Image Insert: Image Insert: |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1882 Posts |
Welcome to the forum.
That is a common date coin...probably not a fake. But maybe someone will see something obvious on your pictures.
Your scale is not suitable for the task; it is not accurate enough to convert to grams.
The best way to learn to sniff out fakes is to have enough experience holding real ones in your hands.
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Pillar of the Community
Egypt
3470 Posts |
 to CCF |
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New Member
 United States
5 Posts |
Thanks for the welcome notes, I wanted to bring one feature in the pics to notice which is the slight dent (hole?) to the left of the lips on the obverse side.
Reading up online, it was mentioned that this could be due to the bursting of a bubble as the coin is cast? I am not sure how that relates to the age of the coin. I agree on the part of using a better scale. But that is the best I have for now. I did repeated measurements with all ending at 0.06lb (If the scale uses a rounding mechanism, this suggests that the weight is at least >= 0.055lb which is >25gms).
I checked for slippery surfaces but I am not really sure, how slippery are we looking for. On the plane surfaces of the coin, it is a bit smooth, rest of the coin is not.
Thanks in advance for any comments.
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Valued Member
United States
75 Posts |
Hi Misfitng.
I'm hardly an expert, but from what you posted, I don't think you have anything to worry about.
First of all, the coin looks genuine to me (probably whizzed).
The small dent in front of the lips is not surprising and wouldn't worry me.
The diameter is just about right. Should be: 38.1mm.
And the discrepancy in the weight is probably due to the tolerances of your scale.
If the coin weighed .05 pounds (22.67 grams) then I'd say you have a problem.
But at .06 pounds, it's more of a rounding issue.
If you're really, really concerned you can take it to a coin shop for a second opinion, but good manners might suggest you also patronize the coin shop to show your appreciation for their willingness to give out free advice.
Good luck to you, but I'm sure it's good news.
:)
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New Member
United States
5 Posts |
Thanks zero-zero, the coin does not appear to have much lustre (which is usually considered as a tell-tale sign of whizzing). I might be wrong with this since I am still a beginner and will be glad with any feedback.
Also if the coin does look genuine, can anyone comment on the grade? Thanks a lot.
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Valued Member
United States
75 Posts |
I'd give it a AU50 in bad light.
Maybe XF45 in really good light.
:)
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New Member
United States
5 Posts |
Thanks for the response zerozero. Any other opinions?
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
This one's been brushed. The vertical striations are more visible on the obverse than the reverse, but the shiny spot to the (viewer's) left of the eagle is a dead giveaway when you consider it against the entire rest of that face.
EF45 details, but cleaned.
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Rest in Peace
United States
5375 Posts |
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Valued Member
United States
114 Posts |
Does whizzing mean cleaned?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1882 Posts |
Whizzing is a form of cleaning. The coin is buffed using a (usually, I suppose) soft material and some sort of rotary tool.
But coins can also be cleaned by using chemicals.
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Valued Member
United States
114 Posts |
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New Member
United States
5 Posts |
Does whizzing significantly reduce the value of the coin?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1882 Posts |
Quote:
Does whizzing significantly reduce the value of the coin? Misfitnj, It can reduce it significantly, but how much it reduces it is going vary from coin to coin. One way to get a feel for it is to look at sales history on coins at Heritage (ha.com). You can see the sales history for a specific coin/grade, and you'll notice that often times there will be ANACS graded coins that went for a lot less than other ANACS graded coins (at the same grade). You can click on those auctions to see the slabs, and see that the label will usually indicate "Cleaned", or "Improperly Cleaned", or "Damaged". You probably wouldn't find examples of this on an AU details 1879-O Morgan, because the coin would not generally be put in a slab because of its relatively low value ($20-$30). The sales history at Heritage (and the high quality photos that go along with coins sold since Jan, 2007) is an incredible resource. I wonder how many folks around here utilize it. |
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Replies: 14 / Views: 1,342 |
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Posted 03/10/2009 2:21 pm
