Is this too good to be true.

I was hoping for a little input from you all as to what your views are on this nice Proof 1874 US Trade Dollar. The toning just looks a little to colourful to me. If the toning is artificial is the coin fake too? It is the right size and weighs the right amount.

 

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Is it magnetic?
Looks funny to me.

 

No not magnetic

 

The coin is fake. It's a pretty good one though.

@Jack D. Young, is there a known counterfeit die with a broken "L" in "DOLLAR"?

 

I'll defer to Mr. Numismatist on the authenticity of the coin itself - but the toning is absolutely artificial. That blue-purple-magenta-orange coloring immediately sets off red flags, along with a host of other problems.

 

The toning is either artificial or it's been photoshopped.

Here is a top graded. PR-66+, piece from "Coinfacts."



Here is a Proof I bought about a year ago. This is graded PR-64.

My photo




StacksBowers photo.

 

I can't tell whether this is a fake -- all proof Trade dollars look funny to me. But the broken "L" would surely have been noted by specialists in the issue. @KBBPLL, @Publius2, or anyone else from the Barber/Seated Liberty/John Reich Collectors Society want to weigh in?

If this is a fake, it's a scary one. It's leagues beyond the Trade fakes I'm used to seeing posted.

 

At a quick glance looks good a closer look the coloring is off, fake.

 

Oops! The photo of my coin is by Heritage.

 

I have since found out that this coin was sold at

I have since found this coin. It sold at a auction in Canada in 2024 but was graded by ICG so I'm still not convinced

 

If ICG graded it, thre is an excellent chance that it's genuine. You might say that the ICG is lose at times, but the graders there are good at spotting counterfeits.

 

If the coin is real, it could be a shock to many, including myself!

 

The photos from the Canada sale are low resolution, but I can't see the "broken" feature of the L in those images. How certain are you that it's the same coin?

 

Very strange; larger image from the Canadian site does not show the "broken L" the same but something is going on with it...




Is the OP coin still in the ICG holder? I didn't see that mentioned in the post.

 

I have not seen one...

BUT, the 1st 2 images of proof 1874 Trades on PCGS show a weird "L"...



And a 3rd:

 

I've seen this (not exact mentioned but generally speaking) particular coin so many times in terms of being faked, is the trade dollar one of the most, if not THE most fake US coin?

 

Not according to CoinWeek.....
Counterfeit Coin Detection - The Top 10 Most Common Counterfeit US Coins

 

Shocked to not see the '32-D or '32-S Washington Quarter on that list

 

I may be incorrect so correct me if you must, but I think the "scammers" add the letter to a PA minted quarter.

 

I've heard about that story alot, they'd solder the "S" mint mark onto them