I'm strolling through e*ay and this raw American Gold eagle catches my eye. I have never seen one with this awful a surface. This granular surface looks to have been cleaned, sandblasted, corroded...any ideas? Some of the lettering looks messed up - at first I thought it might be a fake. Any ideas?
I'm not too familiar with authenticity of gold eagles containing lettered dates, but the coin looks circulated and possibly cleaned. I may be totally wrong, though, as some circulated coins, especially AU-58s, can have incredible surfaces, at times qualifying for PL to DMPL. If you're looking to buy it, I would contact the seller to see if they can send a picture of it laser-testing as real gold (the date showing on the other end).
Definitely looks fake and there's a lot wrong with it! Look at her arm, give me a fricken break, glad you noticed something was wrong!
In my experience, pocket pieces tend to wear to a smooth surface, not barely worn details with rough surfaces.
I am so thankful to have a favorite coin shop that will show you the XRF result of any gold he is offered or is selling to you in person. I have seen lines outside the shop waiting. People waiting to sell to eat and people ready to load up on gold or silver. I wish all shops did.
