1853 Gold Dollar on Ebay - Is it fake?

Discussion in 'Coin Chat' started by Omegaraptor, Jun 28, 2016.

  1. Omegaraptor

    Omegaraptor Gobrecht/Longacre Enthusiast

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    I saw this 1853 Gold Dollar on Ebay (decided not to drag the seller's name into this just yet) and I'm pretty sure it's fake. Let me give you the reasons:

    1. Seam around the edge. Almost sure sign of a fake.
    2. Line under the date. Genuine examples do not have this line.
    3. The overall bubbly appearance of the coin.
     
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  3. green18

    green18 Unknown member Sweet on Commemorative Coins

    I'd shy away simply because I know nothing of these, and buying one (blindfolded) is a fools errand.........
     
  4. Santinidollar

    Santinidollar Supporter! Supporter

    Safest course for old gold: slabbed unless it comes from a dealer that you know knows his stuff. Unless, of course, you have obtained the needed expertise yourself.
     
  5. Insider

    Insider Talent on loan from...

    Seam is the killer. Line under the date? The top of the bow is all I see.
     
    C-B-D and micbraun like this.
  6. Mainebill

    Mainebill Bethany Danielle

    Low quality cast fake. Bubbles all over it. The seam mushy details I could go on and on.
     
    Omegaraptor likes this.
  7. jwitten

    jwitten Well-Known Member

    Is it possible to have a die crack or something like that on the rim?
     
  8. Omegaraptor

    Omegaraptor Gobrecht/Longacre Enthusiast

    Probably not.

    I can give the URL if anyone wants to report.
     
  9. micbraun

    micbraun coindiccted

    Are you a gold expert now? Please clarify question #2...? Which "line"?
     
  10. Omegaraptor

    Omegaraptor Gobrecht/Longacre Enthusiast

    Ok, that's the top of the ribbon.
     
    micbraun likes this.
  11. Conder101

    Conder101 Numismatist

    If the collar did develop a die crack like that, when the coin was struck the metal would be forced into the crack. Then what happens to that "fin" of metal when the coin is pushed up out of the collar? It gets sheared off, and the reeds on the collar scrape down the side of the coin and removing most any trace of it.
     
  12. coloradobryan

    coloradobryan Well-Known Member

    I'd bet the farm it's 100% fake. No doubt. I don't know the series but it has fatal flaws that condemn it as fake with just one glance. Hope no one buys this.
     
  13. Collecting Nut

    Collecting Nut Borderline Hoarder

    It doesn't look anything like the one I have but I'm not an expert on these either.
     
  14. Treashunt

    Treashunt The Other Frank

    \
    not a gold expert, but looks very bad to me
     
  15. ldhair

    ldhair Clean Supporter

    I would buy it if I knew it was actually gold and it could be bought for just the gold value. They would be fun to collect.
     
  16. Insider

    Insider Talent on loan from...

    Yes. However, I've never seen one more than 90 degrees. And as said above, they are not as raised.
     
  17. Santinidollar

    Santinidollar Supporter! Supporter

    I know this is real scientific, but that coin makes me go BLEAH just to look at it.
     
  18. jwitten

    jwitten Well-Known Member

    The crack does not appear to really be raised above the highest part of the reed. It also does not go all the way around the coin, and is not centered in the reed the whole way. I think this coin has a shot at being real, and just cleaned/damaged, which is what the odd surface is about.
     
  19. jwitten

    jwitten Well-Known Member

    One of your main points is that genuine examples do not have this line (which is the ribbon). This is obviously not true. The surface might just be polished/cleaned. The line might be a crack.. it does not go all the way around, and is not centered the whole way. I say this coin has a shot at being a rough genuine example.
     
  20. Insider

    Insider Talent on loan from...

    You have proved in the past to be much better than this...Please look again so no one here gets confused by what they are seeing. :angelic:
     
  21. Insider

    Insider Talent on loan from...

    When I looked at the OP's first and second photo, I believed the coin was a genuine ex-jewelry piece ALSO. Once I saw the edge, 100% C/F. Not ANY CHANCE of being genuine.

    The OP is not well acquainted with the series so he thought the top of the bow (already corrected in his mind before your post) was a raised line.

    I have posted several times that w/o extremely sharp photos of parts of a coin's
    surface rather than the entire coin - this type of post is a crap-shoot. So w/o the edge photo, and with my close to average (?) authentication skills, I would have guessed an abused genuine coin. :facepalm::bucktooth::blackeye:
     
    Last edited: Jun 29, 2016
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