Hello all, I picked up this 1921 Mercury Dime at auction, and now that I have the coin in hand, its surfaces seem a little bit off. With that said, I would appreciate it if you all could help me determine if this is a genuine dime that has just been polished, or if it is, indeed, a fake. Thank you so much!
I don’t see any evidence of polishing, but I don’t like the dot between the E&T of WE TRUST. …calling all Winged Liberty experts to chime in…Spark
The details of the obverse device appear soft. The font of the 9 doesn’t match known genuine examples.
I don’t think that it is genuine. As others have said, the “9” in the date is open at the bottom of the circle in the genuine pieces. This one is closed. There is a missing dot between “IN” and “GOD” in the motto. Given the grade, EF, post mint damage could not have changes those features. The surfaces also have a grainy, not satiny, finish.
Here are some pictures I took from the PCGS Coinfacts site. A close-up of the date shows quite a difference.
Here are cropped images of the piece. Yes, I think that it is a cast counterfeit. If you can, return it.
Yep. My bad…those dots are supposed to be there. So one is missing, the 9 is wrong, the 2 is wrong and it looks like a cast fake. You definitely need to send it back…Spark
I agree, now you pointed it out I can see a faint outline of the left side of the four. And, as a consequence, the 1 is too far away from the two.
I'm not sure that the OP coin came from the U.S. Mint. There are sill issues with the "9" in the date. These photos are from Coinfacts.
If it was an altered 1924 there's no reason to destroy the 9. I agree with Dynoking. Not thrilled with the 2 as well.
Definitely cast. It took me approximately 3.2 seconds to determine this is a fake. "In Cod We Trust" I mean, I'm a huge seafood lover, but I don't put my faith in the fish.