does this morgan look fake?

[chad]

i bought it today out of the "junk crap bucket" at my local dealer, paid $26 for it. it looks weird to me. it's not all shiny like my other morgans are, it's off color/frosty.

http://i51.tinypic.com/34hz1fn.jpg

http://i54.tinypic.com/214whow.jpg

[madfranks]

It doesn't look fake to me just from looking at it. Have you weighed it? How about the physical dimensions of the coin (diameter, thickness)? If the only thing that concerns you is how it looks, based on the photos it looks fine to me.

[ximmy]

Looks good to me too... is it magnetic?

[chad]

not magnetic. i'd weigh it, but i lost my scale when i moved (it's around here somewhere in a box).

guess i better start looking for the scale.

[mamboni]

It's very difficult to determine from a photo, but I suspect that the coin is a Chinese fake. I see only six tail feathers - there should be seven. The eagle's right wing tip is too far from the edge. The scroll work along the perimeter edge seems overly coarse and tight. The facial features and eagle's body seem flat and lacking in subtle details.

Only way to find out is try to sell it to a seasoned collector - he'll know right away if it's genuine.

1921 Morgan in AU condition (common date) for spot silver content - sweet! Maybe too sweet.

Good luck.

[cedarchopper]

I think the Chinese fakes are rare date Morgans because they make them with 90% silver. There is a video around somewhere showing a coin making operation in China making the fake rare date Morgan's...I looked, but didn't find it.

[ximmy]

It's very difficult to determine from a photo, but I suspect that the coin is a Chinese fake. I see only six tail feathers - there should be seven. The eagle's right wing tip is too far from the edge. The scroll work along the perimeter edge seems overly coarse and tight. The facial features and eagle's body seem flat and lacking in subtle details.

Only way to find out is try to sell it to a seasoned collector - he'll know right away if it's genuine.

1921 Morgan in AU condition (common date) for spot silver content - sweet! Maybe too sweet.

Good luck.


I see seven feathers and I have some with identical space from wing tips to edges... It looks good...

[Neuro]

Polish it with toothpaste, if it doesn't become shiny, but stays the same, it is probably fake...

Further test it's sound. Does it ping? If it does it is silver.

[madfranks]

It's very difficult to determine from a photo, but I suspect that the coin is a Chinese fake. I see only six tail feathers - there should be seven. The eagle's right wing tip is too far from the edge. The scroll work along the perimeter edge seems overly coarse and tight. The facial features and eagle's body seem flat and lacking in subtle details.

Only way to find out is try to sell it to a seasoned collector - he'll know right away if it's genuine.

1921 Morgan in AU condition (common date) for spot silver content - sweet! Maybe too sweet.

Good luck.


Keen observations, but die varieties explain all those differences you point out. The stock photo you reference is a Philadelphia Morgan, and it looks like the chad's coin is from the San Francisco mint. The dies used to create the coins could be subtly different which account for the handful of Morgan die varieties in existence. For instance, some of the first Morgans have 8 feathers, while others have 7. As far as the Eagle's body and facial features, those are the very first things to wear down when a coin circulates, so it's not surprising those details would be worn down. Morgans with full detail in the eagle's breast feathers are mint state coins.

Google "Morgan Dollar Die Varieties" if you want to learn more.

[chad]

found my scale. it weighs exactly 26.73 grams. i also tested it with my kids' bucky magnets and they all fall of it. pings like a mofo. maybe i got lucky.

i just found it odd that it's all milky looking, not shiny like every other one i've ever bought.

[BeefJerky]

Someone cleaned it with a wax cleaner.

Clean it with Quicksilver. That will get rid of the frosty look

[BrewTech]

found my scale. it weighs exactly 26.73 grams. i also tested it with my kids' bucky magnets and they all fall of it. pings like a mofo. maybe i got lucky.

i just found it odd that it's all milky looking, not shiny like every other one i've ever bought.


The one in question sounds legit.

Now, about all the shiny ones you have... ;)

[buyingsilvers]

probably cleaned. I have a bunch of morgans that weigh right, non magnetic, and pass ring test that look like that.