1922 Peace Dollar - Real or Fake?

I bought a 1922 Peace dollar that seems to be in good shape, but I'm unsure if it's real or not. In particular, for the price I received for it, it seems to be in remarkable shape (I'm not sure what grade you would call it), but the letters and date look a little too bold (unless that's normal?).

Can anyone tell from this? It's locked in a plastic case within a thick piece of paper as a commemoration, so I can't check the weight of it without damaging the paper. It's not magnetic. Thanks in advance, and I appreciate any help!

 

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Looks real ro me.
The condition is not very good,
maybe it's a cleaned coin.
But it's hard to say from these pics.

 

I can't tell for sure from these photos whether it's showing wear, but it definitely looks cleaned/polished, and it's got some big scrapes/gouges. It would still sell above melt, but it's not a gradeable coin, I think.

 

Thanks for your replies, I added a third photo with a top view. The reddish copper color is just the lighting. It's hard to take a photo from the top without blocking any light, and my camera automatically adjusts for that by adding a red hue.

 

It's fine, but as had already been said, it appears to be a problem coin, so as long as the price paid was in line with this, you've nothing to worry about.

 

I don't see anything that screams "fake" to me, but I'm not an expert. It does look like it's seen wear.

 

To me, the coin looks great because of the shine. But, I'm no expert. If it is indeed cleaned, which it may be given its age, I think I overpaid. :sigh: Thanks for the replies.

 

Real but heavily cleaned.

 

Yes, there's "good shine" (luster) and "bad shine" (cleaned/polished). Most non-collectors and new collectors don't notice the difference, but it's not hard to learn. The important thing is to go to a good shop or a show where you can see examples of both.

The really baffling part is that some collectors will pay enormous premiums for uncleaned coins with particular kinds of tarnish -- much more than they'd pay for untarnished, silver-white coins. They call it "toning", and they treasure it, but only if they feel it wasn't done to the coin intentionally. Follow discussions here for a while, and you'll start to get the idea.

 

So I take it that the amount of wear on the coin is inconsistent with an uncirculated, "shiny" coin. Therefore, it is likely cleaned.

I'll read up on some of the other threads on luster vs. cleaned. Thanks!

 

Not exactly. The amount of wear on the coin you posted means it's been circulated. There are lines on the coin surfaces that lead one to believe it's been cleaned. If you took a freshly minted coin and rubbed a cloth across it, you'd disturb the surfaces leaving telltale lines. There are coins in uncirculated or mint state condition that don't have any luster. The surfaces of those coins have been tarnished in some way shape or form. Strong luster (shiny) doesn't always mean the coin is uncirculated, nor does a lusterless (dull) coin always mean it's been circulated.

 

To my eye the wear just looks like a normal circulated coin, probably dipped before it was encased in the "collectible" display. Not unusual to see circulated coins repackaged this way and sold to the unsuspecting.

 

No great way to tell by these picks. What I believe others are keying on is the shininess without any luster. Only way to get shiny without luster is to clean it/whiz it. Dipping it will make it white, not necessarily "shiny".

 

real, lots of bag marks, cleaned

 

Hi everyone, I need some advice. But first, a little more detail... this coin was a part of the Reader's Digest commemoration (two thick papers and a clear plastic coin case, nothing fancy like a box or anything like that).

I went with what was suggested here (value of coin a little above melt and cleaned coin condition). So, I went back to message the seller and asked for what I thought was a fair price over a month ago. Today, however, I got a series of messages from the seller complaining to me that it wasn't fair what I did, which I don't understand. Could you all let me know if I did the right thing by asking for a partial refund on this cleaned coin (again, not advertised as such)? I bought this coin because it looked nice and shiny, and I thought it was uncirculated, as it was encased as part of a commemoration. After the $5 partial refund, the total amount paid was a little above melt value at $15 from the original ($20). The listing also came with a cracked plastic case, and worst of all, the Reader's Digest COA and commemoration papers that came with it do not belong to the coin! The seller admitted this point to me, too. I believe that the seller wanted the paper and case part back to sell a different Peace Dollar in to someone else.

Am I being delusional to ask what I thought was fair? Is this unfair? I understand that it's a hassle for everyone, but I even left the seller a positive feedback today (which somehow prompted the seller's messages). Thanks in advance.

 

The coin was clearly cleaned. If it had decent images then I think a partial refund is uncalled for; you either return the coin for refund or keep it at your purchase price.

 

Let's see... you bought first fully understanding that you didn't know what you were doing, and only after did you ask for the opinions of others. Did the seller twist your arm and somehow deny you the option of asking for help before buying? I'm guessing not, so who's fault do you really think it is that the coin is not all that you were hoping? Did the seller force you to pay the price you originally agreed to, or did you offer to pay it? The point here is that a little self reflection and personal responsibily is in order. You made a choice then expected the seller to bail you out because of it. Regardless of ebay's coddling buyer policies, this

 

The pictures in the first post are pictures that I took with my camera after I received it, not the seller's pictures. Also, the seller told me after the sale that the coin is not original to the certificate (sort of like getting a coin graded with a COA that doesn't match), and the seller stated that it was listed incorrectly after I received it. Instead of paying to ship it back, I thought what I proposed was fair.

Furthermore, this is part of the seller's description:

"Also, please keep in mind that if there is a problem with an item contact me. I willresolve it to your liking. I have a 100% Satisfaction policy I intend on keeping strong "


I didn't ask for an exorbitant refund amount, at least I don't think $5 was. With that said, I can see how it may be a hassle for the seller to give a partial refund, but what's done is done. I'll try not to get too excited about buying coins next time, and send messages asking clarifications of whether or not coins are cleaned and other questions beforehand, even if the listing is about to end. Last time I asked a seller whether coins were cleaned, they blew up in my (virtual) face and exclaimed that they weren't even though it wasn't described as if it was common sense, but that hopefully is a one-off experience.

 

That coin for $15 is fine. Did you leave negative feedback or something that would upset the seller?

If you can't get a feel for the grade (condition) from the photos I suggest avoiding raw coins on eBay.

 

Think of it this way, $5 is a 25% refund.

Anyway, the seller was disingenuous in the listing, but you were also naive to what you were buying. In the big scheme of things, it's not a lot of money for either buyer or seller, but an important lesson to know what you are buying.