1877-s Trade Dollar... Please tell me it's not a fake

For verification I'd go with ANACS it's cheaper and they are still very good at that , though for resale NGC or PCGS are the only way to go if you want the correct grade . Not that ANACS won't give the correct grade , but they are off more than the top 2 and their slabs trade for less on the market .

 

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Looks like ANACS is $19 + shipping for 1 coin (15-day turnaround), NGC is $30 (does it include shipping?), and I have to either join PCGS or go through a dealer.

Decisions, decisions...

 

I'd go with ANACS then you'll know for sure one way or the other . I'm sure you have to pay shipping to all of them . I think if ANACS slabs it as authentic , and not in a top grade it'll sell fine . Most people just want to know it's real .

 

A local dealer (registered with PCGS) offered to take it to a show in Florida in January, but he hasn't given me a price yet. Probably more than ANACS?

 

I'll probably never sell it unless I'm destitute. My kids can sell it when I'm dead ;-)

Does anyone know what other "tests" these places run on the coins to test for authenticity? I'm thinking it's just a nerd with a microscope.

(A nerd who knows a heck of a lot more about trade dollars than me)

 

Jeweler weighed it at 27.22g. Still not definitive, right?

Mainebill, the better photos didn't help?

 

Better , It has a good chance of being real . Mine weigh about 27.2 .

 

Don't rely on opinions on a message board, no matter how experienced the collectors are, as to genuineness of a Trade Dollar. Send it off to be graded--if you are not a member of one of the services, take it to your neighborhood dealer if they're a member of PCGS or NGC, and they will send it off for you for the usual fee. There are more problems and issues with Trade Dollars than any other coin, since it circulated in China for decades. Fakes are so good that they even fool many experienced collectors and dealers--don't let opinions and a scale make that decision for you--this is why I WOULD NOT get any uncertified Trade Dollar.

 

Local coin shop guys were split. One said he would buy it if it came into his shop (but didn't like something about the reeding or something along the edge of the coin) , the other wouldn't (but couldn't quite put his finger on "why").

They said to get it graded.

 

PCGS or NGC. Both are good. Depends on which one costs you less, as you're probably not a member of either, and need a third party to submit for you. Given that that date usually sells for $200-250 in that condition if genuine, the chances of it being genuine (especially if it is underweight) are unlikely.

 

Is ICG any good?

 

I would rate them one step above or below basement slab companies. If you have any feeling that the coin is genuine (I don't--for that price and possible grade if genuine, I would bet money it is fake) it is worth the money to go PCGS or NGC.

 

The other dealer 1/2 hour away going to Florida for a show in January said it would cost me $30 for PCGS submission. Does that sound about right?

 

Yes it sounds fine. DO IT.

Here is mine. It is certified (XF-45 NGC). I paid $300. So, your price point isn't looking good in terms of it being real, is it???

 

Even though I feel for authentication ANACS is fine , I'll bow to the others and say sent it to PCGS or NGC as they are the best and for the $15 you might save , you'll know the top tpgs verified it . Also I agree with MD that buying a unslabbed TD is at best a risky proposition .

 

Return shipping from ANACS is outrageous! $17 for one coin and $19 for return shipping?! I don't think so.

I will send it with that dealer to the show in January and save myself the shipping. It will still be at least $30, but it will be NGC or PCGS. Maybe ANACS will have a booth at the show, too.

 

On a separate note, I found another dealer in a nearby town who says he's been doing this for 31 years and will be able to tell me in 10 seconds if it is fake. I don't believe him, but I'm going tomorrow anyway. If he offers to buy it, I'm thinking of selling it if I can at least break even.

My local dealer is grading it at VF or borderline XF. He said Greysheet for VF was something like $130, but XF jumped up to $220. Is that right? (My free trial Greysheet still hasn't arrived...) he said my coin was easy worth $130 (he's obviously the one who thinks it's real).

 

I never said it was real or fake , just some concerns . But like I said nothing jumps out at me to say fake . As for VF I'd say $220 and for XF $300 retail .

 

He's full of crap. Nobody can tell a fake from a real one, if the counterfeit is good enough, and Trade Dollar fakes are THAT good in many cases.

 

So if I wanted to buy a slabbed trade dollar, those would be reasonable prices to pay, right?