Counterfeit Morgan?
David_Mc
Posts: 4 ✭
New guy here but not new to collecting. Although I will say most of my coins were picked out of change in the 1960's. In the early 1970's I might have pedaled my bicycle to the corner coin/stamp store to fill some holes with money I made cutting yards. Recently I ventured back in as a way of saving. As teacher with three kids and a wife who doesn't work money sitting in a checking account doesn't last long.
That's neither here nor there.
A see a lot of threads mentioning counterfeits. Coins as well as slabs. I though I was somewhat informed having read the PCGS Coin Grading and Counterfeit Detection book 15 years ago. However I have delved into buying raw circulated Morgans on eBay and well you can probably guess where this is going.
I purchased this coin a few months ago and something doesn't look right. As many of you are experts, what are the visual clues? Opinions, real or not real?
Comments
I think that it is genuine, but it has been wiped. A layer of the original skin has been removed in the fields leaving with white surfaces surrounding the protected surfaces. .
Hello, @David_Mc and welcome to the Boards.
I agree with @FadeToBlack. I think the reason, it doesn't look right, is the cleaning.
Welcome to the Boards! I'll have to defer your question to the Morgan guys, as I am nowhere near an expert on them.
A cursory look at the coin makes me think it might have been cleaned in the past.
That's it for me.
Pete
Coin looks OK, needs to tone over.
Professionally groomed and toned and it will be just (extra) fine.
Messed with worth more than melt as it is a low mintage coin.
Thanks for the welcome. The weight was what was scaring me. On the first weigh in it was 26.9 grams. Specific gravity in the 9.8 - 9.9 range. I just went and purchased a finer scale and it weighed in at 26.80 grams. Still seems a little heavy. Specific gravity measurement jumped to 10.19 so it's likely OK?
I understand that most raw coins on eBay have problems, have been cleaned and otherwise dealer culls. No local stores nearby so avenues are limited.
0.900 fine silver density is 10.337 (nominal).
Looks genuine but has some seriously ugly skin, dead, lifeless.
@David_Mc... Welcome aboard.... Your coin looks genuine, but - as already mentioned - previously cleaned a bit. There is still a lot of crust in the recesses though and that will affect weight. Cheers, RickO