1876 trade dollar

Picked this coin up for junk silver today. Not sure what happened to the coin to make it this color but the details are pretty decent. Dou think its worth more than melt?

 

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real trade dollars are worth much more than melt.

 

yes I thought so too. This coin does not stick to a magnet and weight seems right also.

 

I hope it's real.

 

what else can I do to find out?

 

The magnet test only separates out the really dogs (like the one I have), the next thing would be to weigh it. A real trade dollar should weigh 27.22 grams. If you don't have a scale that could do this, you could take it to a jewlery shop, a college chemistry department or possibly even a high school chemistry lab. Oh and of course to a dealer. They will have an opinion of it's authenticity also.

 

I don't like the color of that coin at all. It reminds me too much of a lead-tin alloy.

 

it weighed 27 grams. Took it to a jewelry store. Since it was so butt ugly they asked me if they could use a polish cloth on it. I know thats a big no-no but I paid 18.50 for the coin for bullion so I said sure. Here are some new pics.

 

Lead-tin alloy, hmmm...how does it sound if dropped on a hard surface, or balanced on a fingertip struck (gently) with a metal object like a spoon. Silver should ring nicely, not sure about other alloys.

 

Where did you buy it ?

 

I bought it from a guy I have got junk silver from before. Seems like a straight up honest guy. If the coin is fake I am not sure he would have known.

 

it does have that nice silver ring to it with the spoon tap.

 

Some alloys ring, others don't. Lead-tin probably wouldn't ring. At any rate, even when cleaned up, the coin looks mushy and some details are off. For example, compare its reverse with this trade dollar:

 

I guess I will have to take it to my LCS. The owner there used to be a grader for PCGS so I will get his opinion.

 

I will bet that your local dealer will say it's fake-- it looks like a cast copy. Mushy fields are usually a sign of casting.

 

I will let you know tomorrow. If it is fake I am pretty sure the guy I bought it from will make it right.

 

If the guy you bought it from sold you a genuine trade dollar for less than a $20 bill, I don't know how much trust I would put into him to "make it right". And then you let a random jewelry shop polish it.

The coin to me looks fake. More so the reverse than the obverse. The fake coloring was the first giveaway. Although trade's are not a part of my expertise, it just doesn't look right.

 

after seeing what it looked like in the first pics what harm could a little polish do to this coin? The guy is honest and if it is fake I bet he did not know it. I would refund the whopping 18.50 for an honest mistake. Wouldn't you?

 

One of the cardinal rules of coin buying is-- NEVER polish a coin you bought from someone and then expect them to give you a full refund for it.

 

if its not silver I am pretty sure he would not want it back. This was a bullion purchase. The coin was not intended to have much numismatic value. If it turns out to be real I doubt the value of the coin was greatly diminished by the cleaning. If its not real than it would be like putting a 1980 hald dollar in a batch of 90% silver by mistake. If you sold a lot of coins to someone for silver content thinking they were authentic and real silver and it turned out 1 coin was not than the buyer should be compensated for the near worthless coin. I contacted the seller and he said if its fake to send it back to him for a full refund.