Hi, we were cleaning out an old mans house and came across some old coins....this one caught our eye....he says he's had it for years.... How can we tell if its fake or real??? see pic
I don't like the font on the reverse, look at the "O" "D", etc. and compare to this real one. You may have to register to see the enlarged photos. http://coins.ha.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=1125&Lot_No=1444&src=pr You could weigh it and see if it weighs 14.25 grams ( 219.9 grains). If it heavier, it is a fake for sure, if it is lighter, it may be a fake or a restrike ( Judd ). If it is the same weight, then a careful checking, although it would be worth sending to a TPG if not obvious to you. Judd quotes that one reason it was rejected was that there was no way to tell one from one missing the gold as it looked like, and toned like a regular silver dollar. If the photo is accurate, the color is questionable. Since real one would be worth maybe a couple of thousand, handle it carefully until decided, don't try to clean or improve its appearance as that would reduce value. I have never handled one, but my gut feeling is that it is not real due to the lettering. But I would have it checked. And Welcome to the Forum!! Jim
If it's a copy it's a nice one , I'd listen to DesertGems advice , definetly don't clean it in any way , even a wipe with a soft rag will scratch it . Even if it's a copy it could have some worth ,. rzage
If real, this is either a J-1563 (struck in goloid, low r6) or a J-1564 (struck in silver, low r7). Yes, I know it says goloid on the coin, but the same dies were used to strike patterns in silver as well.
I can't say for certain whether it's real or fake. If real, it is quite a find, that's for sure. Overall, it looks pretty good on first glance. I'm doubtful, but I would take it to a trusted dealer or submit it for authentication. EDIT : It's supposed to have a reeded edge. Does it ?
Sorry, it's a replica. Why? That's one ugly Liberty! And they never had this design, it's just a token.
That's not so. It's not a token; it's a pattern. This was a trial design, as were so many in this time period. So were the $4 gold coins. They were not regular issue; they were all patterns.
I agree! My thoughts are that it is a fake because of the look of the Obverse and the Stars on the Reverse are inconsistent (some are close together and others widely spaced apart). However, the OP needs to have the coin checked out by a Coin Professional that they can trust or take it to a Coin Show and get an opinion of a Grading Service Company. It is too hard to determine from pictures as to whether the coin is genuine or fake and if real, it is too valuable to trust to an unknown person! Below is a link to a genuine 1878 Goloid Dollar sold by Bowers & Merena, if you want to check it out. http://bowersmerena.com/auctions/lo...sessionno=1&catno=100&searchstring=&lotno=390 Frank
Jim, You are right! However, I responded to this one and won't copy and paste my reply to the other, like I have done in the past. It gets a little frustrating when you respond (Post) to one Thread and everyone is reading and responding to the other! There needs to be a feature on Cointalk that will pop-up a Red Banner when the same Poster uses the same Title in two different forums during a specific time period (say two or three days or a week). Frank
Personally, I doubt it's legit. The reverse luster looks funky. Take it to a dealer and/or send it in to a major TPG.
It's an alloy of gold and silver about 1 part gold to 20 parts silver , not sure as to the 20 parts silver but it's close . rzage
Without having the coin in hand it's impossible to tell , best advice is take it to a dealer you trust and have them look at it , or have it slabbed by PCGS , NGC , or ANACS for verification ANACS is the cheaper way to go , unless you belong to the ANA . rzage
