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1882 $3 Gold - Is it Real or Fake?
C0inCollect0r
Posts: 374 ✭✭
Hi everyone,
I've been trying to get better at recognizing the counterfeits on these $3 Gold Coins but some continue to stump me. What do you think of this 1882 - Real or Fake? (I am aware it has been cleaned - I am just concerned about Authenticity).
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The image makes it look counterfeit but it has a jewelry damaged surface so it is possibly genuine. I did put a counterfeit in a charm bracelet for my mother. She never knew until the day she told me a man wanted to buy it and I told her she should have sold it to him as it was a fake! Then she asked if any other gold coins I had added to her charm bracelet over the years were fake. Of course not I replied. Wink, wink.
LOL. Genuine coins belong in collections not in jewelry!
Well worn which is unusual for a late date business strike $3 and the little ticky make above the re-cut 2 on the CoinFacts images and auction result images seems to be missing, so..... I'm not sure. It might just be because of wear or might be the pictures.
it's crackers to slip a rozzer the dropsy in snide
My guess is that it’s an abused genuine example.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
wow... not my area at all, but it's an issue I'll likely have to revisit if/when I do the gold page for a type set. To my untrained eye it definitely looks cleaned/whizzed. There's too much detail missing to just be attributable to a poor strike. The one thing that disturbs me more are all the little micro hits in the fields... are any of them raised? I realize it's a difficult issue prompting many "Everyman" type collectors to look for a more circulated (re: affordable) piece... me included!
Thanks for sharing!
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What you are seeing (hits) is jewelry damage. The relief is rounded and "fatty" due to polishing and wear. That'sone reason it looks fake.
Although 1882 is a very common counterfeit date
for $3 golds, I believe, as posted by Mark, that it
is genuine, but buffed for jewelry.
The counterfeits have a 'flatter' date, denomination,
etc.
This one is good, imo, but obviously buffed
for PCGS. A 49+-Year PNG Member...A full numismatist since 1972, retired in 2022
I think it is fake personally. It doesn't have the lump above the 2 from the repunching of the date that all authentic 1882 business strikes bear.
The Omega Man counterfeit $3 is dated 1882. It had a tiny Greek letter omega inside the upper loop of the letter R in LIBERTY. Worth checking on this coin but you'll need good magnification.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
Voltaire: Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero.
After careful comparison, I too believe it's genuine, but the polished surfaces make it look terrible I'm afraid. I would wait for a problem free example.
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Yes, the pebbled surface on this coin is typical of jewelry wear, not circulation wear.
What does the edge look like? Any filed spots or solder?
Could not say for sure without seeing it in hand, and possibly not even then, but I lean towards counterfeit, ex-jewelry.
I gave my first wife a counterfeit $3 in a necklace. When she died I melted all of her jewelry except for a ring that I gave her niece.
I'm not convinced either way without seeing it in hand...I'm @ 60% fake vrs. 40% abused genuine.
Here’s a counterfeit 1882 $3 from the early 70’s. Look at the R on liberty.
Looks fake to me. Congrats!!
The whole worlds off its rocker, buy Gold™.
Why are you congratulating someone about a coin you think is “fake”?
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
$3 gold coins should always be bought already slabbed. My only purchase of one took place in the pre-slab era. I bought it from a well known local dealer who had an actual shop. I few years after that I brought the coin back to his shop and offered it for sale. He quickly declared it to be a counterfeit ... that is, until I told him that he was the one I had bought it from ... then it quickly became genuine again!
The coin, though used as jewelry, looks authentic.... In hand examination would be advised.... Cheers, RickO
What do you see on this coin that that makes you lean towards counterfeit.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
Voltaire: Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero.
Just gut feeling.
My gut feeling when I opened the discussion was fake also. It looks counterfeit! I talked myself out of it and am going with the genuine folks. Coins in this condition (jewelry) should always be seen in hand under a stereoscope.
LOL, I'm on a computer with better resolution and just for the fun of it, I enlarged the OP's image. I now agree with Tom, the piece is probably fake. The letters are too "fatty" and it is not from polishing.
PS There is something uncanny about "gut" impressions.
PS For those folks who have never had to put their reputation on the line with an opinion, there are many cases where we go back and forth on a coin - good, not good! Our only opinion that actually counts is when the coin leaves the office.
i think it's fake. the date doesn't look right...there's a lot about the coin that looks suspicious. definitely looks like a ex-jewelry piece.