Why did this coin go so high?

Correct.

What it means is the over all look that results from the era, the minting processes and materials used at the time.

If one has much experience with a certain issue, say, early large cents, one learns what the real ones look like from anything made anyplace else at any time.

It is difficult to define.

 

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Well...let me chime in. I have been collecting coins for over 40 years and the one thing that has changed is...the passion and determination to get what you want...no matter the price. Nowadays, collectors will pay retail or more just to get THAT coin which they want...NOW. They are not collecting for profit or equity or love, on the contrary, they collect and buy to get the prize. They can...I don't.

 

There are some who will pay over market and some who won't, but everything we buy is something we prize, at least for a moment.

 

You've pretty much nailed it.

I can tell pretty quick that something isn't quite right when I see an early date Large Cent which isn't authentic, even though there are about 300 authentic varieties. It takes me a little longer to figure out exactly what is wrong.

 

That is why I take the approach of proving something isn't, instead of proving something is.

You are looking at a scan. It can significantly distort the appearance of a coin.

 

Very true of scans.

True of ALL forms of image reproduction.

That is why the best way to look at coins is in-hand.

This is why coin shops like my own will always retain at least some popularity.

 

Five or six years ago, I saw a Morgan on EBay. At first glance, it was extremely shiny, like a mirror, and really caught thee eye. But if you clicked it up, and looked at it under the provided magnification, the swirly curved scratches from whizzing were very clearly. The thing ended going for something like two grand. I just simply couldn't believe people could be so easily fooled.

 

Not sure if fabrique is French or Belgian. The gunmaker FN stands for Fabrique Nationale. Fabrique as in fabrication. The French word for fake is faux.