I took my gold type set to a very reputable coin dealer recently to have him examine each one. I told him my grandfather assembled the set in the 1970's. He louped each one and believes the three listed below are counterfeit. Are there any markers that can be seen from my pics that would justify this? He didn't explain what he saw. He said they were real gold though. If there are any other pics needed, let me know.
would need better close up pictures to tell if they really are fake. he could tell you they are fake and buy them for gold scrap then sell for numismatic value to make a few grand. Take close up pictures and let us help before you sell them
He wasn't interested in buying them and I am NOT interested in selling them. I wish I would have asked for his diagnostics on these when he told me they were fake. Is there any particular parts of the coin that I need to get a close up of that would help?
The $20 looks suspicious. Slightly mushy devices... lacking the really cracking luster... Not 100% it's bad... but probably 90% I get a better feeling from the $1. The coin has honest wear and I like the luster clinging to the letters... but it could be bad as well... better pics are needed. What's going on on the obverse rim neat STATES? Pic? The Indian is impossible to tell without an in hand inspection.
get yourself a gram scale and weigh each coin. if needed get a calipher to measure diameter and see if it meets the official specs.
I have seen a book out about diagnosing counterfeit gold. Thought about getting it to help out. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
well it is not particularly hard to find counterfeit gold its harder to find counterfeit gold coins. Most counterfeits today are made of gold. The chinese got really good at this. Buy a gold test kit. it is an acid that you put a few drops on. that will tell you if it is gold or not. as for an authentic coin. you have to know the proper weight and what to look for.
take lostduchman's words to heart. He knows what he is doing he has been doing this longer than I have. I do agree with him that the $1 may be real. Again the problem with is the pictures in order for me or dutchman or anyone else to tell you why they are fake or if they are really fake take close ups of each coins obverse and reverse with as little glare as possible
These coins are all in a Capital Plastics holder, and I don't have a scanner. Trying to get the best pics I can without any glare. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Sometimes a fake can be determined by looking at a picture, but only when certain known diagnostics are present. Other times a fake can only be determined by an in hand expert inspection. And to be honest with you, there really aren't many dealers who are experts. They get fooled all the time.
The dealer I took it to is a contributor to the Red Book, but his contributions is in Morgan dollars. That doesn't mean he knows gold, but I hope it means he might have known what to look for. I don't know.
Here's a weird spot on the reverse of the $20. And there are a lot of lines all over the coin. Don't know if they are tooling marks or die polishing marks.
These are the best pics I can do. If more is needed, I will have to take it back to the dealer for more info.