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Are these Morgans fake? Opinions please

I recently bought a bunch of Morgans for a little over melt and these 2 came in the group. Both are really wierd looking. The 99 has no reeding (maybe worn off?) and the 88 looks almost like it was cast or something (Reeding looks odd but not bad, maybe wear) They are made of silver. Sorry for the big pics, just wanted you to have a clear look at them for an opinion.

The reverse of the 88 looks pretty good if it's a fake, maybe I found Ash Harrisons new holy grail 88-O VAM? lol

The 99 does look blury like that in person.

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Comments

  • commoncents05commoncents05 Posts: 10,077 ✭✭✭
    Yes.

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  • StaircoinsStaircoins Posts: 2,565 ✭✭✭
    I vote fake & fake.

  • CaptHenwayCaptHenway Posts: 31,499 ✭✭✭✭✭
    The 1899-S is probably genuine and the 1888-O is probably a contemporary non-silver counterfeit.
    Couldn't say for sure on either one without seeing them.
    TD
    Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.


  • << <i>The 1899-S is probably genuine and the 1888-O is probably a contemporary non-silver counterfeit.
    Couldn't say for sure on either one without seeing them.
    TD >>



    The 88-o is silver, I know that ring a mile away.image The only thing I question on the 88 is the reverse, sure seems good for a cast fake. Could it have been made from very old rusty dies?
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  • I would also question the amount of detail on the 88 eagle legs, would a cast coin show that much detail? I'm not saying their real, thats why I am questioning here for some input.
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  • savoyspecialsavoyspecial Posts: 7,267 ✭✭✭✭
    in my opinion, 99-s is real but very worn......the 88-o is a contemporary counterfeit (may be silver but i guarantee it's underweight)

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  • The 1899 looks fake. The 1888 looks like it could be acid etched.
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  • adamlaneusadamlaneus Posts: 6,969 ✭✭✭
    The 88 looks very fake to me. The obverse has a texture everywhere; the fields should be smoother than that. It is all mushy with some of the text fading out almost completely. I do not believe that is a rusted die. A rusted die adds a few raised bumps here and there, but doesn't cause all devices to look blurred, blotchy and faded with an overall consistent speckled texture. The reverse looks porous.

    The 99 looks highly abused to the point where it is difficult for me to tell. But it sure looks mushier than any worn morgan i've seen. No reeding? Yikes.
    It's a closer call, but I keep coming back to the fact that i've never seen a worn morgan that looks like this. The text and stars should remain relatively sharp even with wear. This one looks mashed.

    I vote that you have found a pair of fakes.

    [edit] Never really thought about acid etching. Is that what happens when you drop a coin into a jar of dip and forget about it?

  • lordmarcovanlordmarcovan Posts: 43,194 ✭✭✭✭✭
    The '88 screams "fake" to me.

    The '99 also looks fake, but I am less certain of it.

    Since you bought them for melt-ish, I say hey, maybe you did OK. I once bought a pretty good fake Peace dollar for a buck or two below melt, and ended up actually doing OK on it. If they can be proven to be contemporary fakes, then hey- cool!

    I dunno enough about Morgans. Those sure do look hinky, though.

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  • << <i>in my opinion, 99-s is real but very worn......the 88-o is a contemporary counterfeit (may be silver but i guarantee it's underweight) >>

    image
  • Thanks for the opinions thus far, I think they look "hinky"(whatever that is, lol) too. Thats why I posted them.

    They are in fact silver. The 99, just looks mushed as someone put it. The 88 I still not convinced it's a fake based on the reverse, I do accept the acid idea as a possible explination, thanks.

    As far as weight, I have a pile of coins here waiting for me to find out the weight on, I think it's finally time to get a scale.
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  • kevinstangkevinstang Posts: 1,517 ✭✭✭
    The 99 looks real to me and looks like it may have spent some time in the slots- of a Casino that is- has the look like alot of Kennedy halves do now days after spending years in the Vegas machines. I don't know about the other one- New Orleans made some crappy coins, but that one even looks bad for the big easy. To me the reverse lettering looks all wrong and the date just doesn't seem right either.
  • sumduncesumdunce Posts: 1,247 ✭✭✭✭
    I agree the 99 is an old casino coin.

    The 88 does look fake.



    S
  • UtahCoinUtahCoin Posts: 5,345 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>The '88 screams "fake" to me.

    The '99 also looks fake, but I am less certain of it.
    >>



    Ditto here
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  • RampageRampage Posts: 9,416 ✭✭✭✭
    My thought on the 99 is the same as the previous two. It looks like an old casino coin to me. I've seen many of them with that same look.

  • PerryHallPerryHall Posts: 45,301 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Magnet works great to see if its pot metal >>



    Pot metal which is mostly tin and lead is not magnetic.

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  • messydeskmessydesk Posts: 19,642 ✭✭✭✭✭
    88-O looks like a crappy fake, 99-S just looks like a crappy coin.
  • PerryHallPerryHall Posts: 45,301 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>88-O looks like a crappy fake, 99-S just looks like a crappy coin. >>

    image

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  • dorkkarldorkkarl Posts: 12,692 ✭✭✭
    damage, fake respectively

    K S
  • garsmithgarsmith Posts: 5,894 ✭✭
    The 88 is cast the 99 is a little harder to tell, but it looks like a cast as well.
  • 19Lyds19Lyds Posts: 26,470 ✭✭✭✭
    Post pictures of the edges.

    A cast fake would show casting marks between the reeding on the 88 where the molds cames together. There does appear to be reeding from the shots you've taken.
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  • dohdoh Posts: 6,457 ✭✭✭
    88 is definitely fake...the 99 I'm not so sure about
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  • 291fifth291fifth Posts: 23,898 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>The 1899-S is probably genuine and the 1888-O is probably a contemporary non-silver counterfeit.
    Couldn't say for sure on either one without seeing them.
    TD >>



    I agree on the 1899-S, but wonder if the 1888-O may be a genuine coin that was once dipped in acid (though there is a strong probability that it is a contemporary fake.)
    All glory is fleeting.
  • SmittysSmittys Posts: 9,876 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>in my opinion, 99-s is real but very worn......the 88-o is a contemporary counterfeit (may be silver but i guarantee it's underweight) >>

    image >>

    image
  • lkrarecoinslkrarecoins Posts: 2,137 ✭✭✭
    i vote real on the 1st, fake "reverse scarface" on the 2nd image
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  • robkoolrobkool Posts: 5,934 ✭✭✭✭✭
    The first OP coin (1899 s) is geniune, but appears messed with & abused "pocketpiece"...
    The second (1888 o) is a cast fake... The surfaces are rough & crude.
    You may want to check the the specific gravity & weight of these two pieces to make a final determination.

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