Liberty nickel, real or fake?
logger7
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logger7
Posts: 9,281 ✭✭✭✭✭
logger7
Posts: 9,281 ✭✭✭✭✭
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Leaning towards real, with environmental damage.
For an asking price of $750. and with those bubbly fields on the reverse, I'd humbly pass.
I’ll put it this way, if it was offered to me, I would turn it down.
Just look at all the bumps on the fields, this isn’t natural plus
doing a side by side, there are a couple of details that I don’t like.
IDK... I'm leaning counterfeit due to the raised bumps in the reverse field and the hit on the "5" in the date. I know it's the key to the series but I'd be looking for a different coin... IMHO...
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Cast counterfeit. Those pimples on the coin are from the trapped air bubbles on the mold made from a genuine specimen.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
It dont look right to me either. Environmental damage to start ....
No go for me
That's what I was thinking but I did an ai search:
The "bubbling" on the back (reverse) of your 1885 Liberty Head nickel is likely corrosion or environmental damage, not a mint error. This damage significantly reduces the coin's value, as the 1885 date is a key rarity to the series only when in good, original condition.
Explanation of the Bubbling
Corrosion/Environmental Damage: The most common cause for bubbling on older coins like the 1885 nickel is corrosion. The coin's alloy is 75% copper and 25% nickel. While this isn't a modern zinc coin (which has well-known "zinc rot" issues), exposure to acidic soil, harsh chemicals, or moisture over a long period can cause the metal to corrode unevenly, leading to a grainy appearance or raised blisters.
Not a Mint Error: Plating blisters or bubbling are generally considered a quality control issue rather than a collectible mint error. They do not add numismatic value. Instead, they are classified as damage by professional grading services. Coins with such issues are often designated as "details" coins (e.g., "Fine Details - Corroded") and sell at a substantial discount compared to undamaged examples.
I think the details are too sharp for a cast counterfeit, and perhaps even for one made by spark erosion. At least based on small images shot through plastic that I’m looking at on my iPhone. Perhaps the technology for making fakes is better now. Is there any way to examine the edge of the coin?
And I agree with everyone that it’s a no-go, I just can’t pin down the proof that it’s fake.
I feel fake, but even if genuine at that price I would skip it with a smile, as its no benefit if no one likes its look.
JMO
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
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My first thought but not sure on second thought.
The bubbling seems to be away from the center in the black layer that might be foreign matter/debris.
The fields nearer the center seem to have some pitting.
But I'm not an expert in corrosion on US nickels, so I am not sure.
Usually the squiggly handwriting is a 'tell' that shenanigans are afoot.
Or it's an older guy whose hands aren't as steady as they used to be.
Weigh it
You realize the 1886 shown is a counterfeit?
You realize I was talking about the handwriting, not the coin?
Holy Smokes, that's a lot of bubbles on that coin!
I'd pass for sure.
"“Those who sacrifice liberty for security/safety deserve neither.“(Benjamin Franklin)
"I only golf on days that end in 'Y'" (DE59)
I sent to grading, will update. It was from a well established MA shop with staff that has real numismatists, but I've gotten fakes from them before that slipped by. The edge and the overall look was not suspcious except for the bubbling. I'll know in a week or two and will update.
Pretty sharp details. I think genuine with environmental damage.
Half the coins in town used to have squiggly handwriting. The owner of the biggest coin shop had Parkinson's
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
By looking at the pics it looks to be a counterfeit coin. Looks like gritty field and possibly rusted.
It looks like possibly fire damage, but I would pass and not get caught up in the real or fake question (unless it came with a big group deal so not much into it).
If I was offered that coin by itself, how low would it have to be before I bought it? not sure
What will you value it at if it comes back VF details - damage compared to your acquisition cost?
why even take the chance ?