1876-S Trade Dollar- XF?

and WELCOME TO THE FORUM!

Beautiful coin! I love Trade dollars. I have been wanting to buy one but with so many fakes out in the wild I'm afraid. Maybe one day I'll break down and buy one.

I'll post my 1876S Trade dollar for a comparison. (I hope the OP's coin is NOT a counterfeit. BUT, the counterfeiting of Trade dollars is rampant though...)

A lot depends on the quality of the photograph & the condition of the coin.....having said that, all those tiny marks make me suspicious.

Good counterfeits (and if this is a counterfeit, it's a good one) will be very close to the mark of 38.1mm and 27.2gm.

Scans have an inherent advantage in that they tend to emphasize the mushiness of cast counterfeits. This coin shows no such mushiness. XF is definitely in play; it'd be a $200 coin in a PCGS slab as such and is, in my opinion, worth the cost of authentication and grading.

I will say, though, that I seem to see some lines/striations on the obverse, running southwest/northeast. This may be indicative of a brushing which would render it ungradable (although it can still be authenticated). If you can, have a look at it under a magnifying glass in direct sunlight. Vary the angle and rotation of the coin; if there are actually brushmarks, you will hit on an angle which reveals them clearly.

Dsmalouf - great coin. I agree with the EF designation and would think it might even make 45. Not much of an expert on counterfeits, but if it's been in your mom's stash for some time, there's a better chance perhaps of it being original. I would also suggest that you take SuperDave's suggestion and weigh it and check the specs. Good luck with the TPG. I see nothing in the coin that would bodybag it unless it is not original.