This link describes a common date 1881-S counterfeit Morgan. By most standards this is not the best quality fake. However, it should be clear to everyone at CT that every date & mint mark has the potential of being faked. Stay thirsty my friends. http://www.ngccoin.com/news/viewart...tm_medium=enews&utm_campaign=ngc_enews_5_2012
It is a pretty obvious fake. No problem spotting that. Question is, why would somebody bother counterfeiting an 1881s? One can have a gorgeous example of that easy date for less than $100 in top MS condition in a slab. This one I picked at random off of E-bay and was going for $90--looks nice to me, so why fake a cheap coin?
Some of the more prolific Chinese counterfeiters offer complete sets of Morgans, shipped in a counterfeit Dansco. All common dates are heavily faked.
Yeah, I guess the newbies and uninformed might pay $90 for a shiny fake, but honestly, if I were a crook, I'd go for a better, more profitable date.
China has billions of people. Millions out of work with nothing but time to figure out how to make a quick buck. If they can make any coin for a few cents, then the profits are huge for them regardless of the coins rarity. They probably charge the US buyers (distributors) the same for an 1881-s as a 1893-s. Maybe a few bucks per coin. Only the 1881-s would receive little or no scrutiny as to its authenticity. They make fake everything. Ive seen fake silver quarters and dimes. Common dates.
That's just it, IT IS a profitable date ! If you make 2 fakes, which one is more likely to be scrutinized or arouse suspicions - a coin that cost $90, or one that cost $2000 ? They can easily sell a 100 of those that cost $90. Whereas if they are lucky, they might sell 1 or 2 of those that cost $2000.
Common dates, like Doug mentioned, are far more profitable to counterfeiters than rare dates. They can sell hundreds of fake commons probably without much scrutiny from unsuspecting beginners, and if it costs then $2 and they sell at $100, thats a major profit. Guy
Yes, if you find 100 people who'd be fooled by a bad fake like that one, sure. It is just so bad a fake--oh well, guess P.T. Barnum and Abraham Lincoln were right.
It probably costs $2 to make, now mix them in with a bunch of real junk dollars and sell them as junk dollars for silver. Make 20+ dollars profit per coin. Since they are mixed in with a bunch of others in bulk they aren't likely to be noticed. If they come out a little better you sell them to novicesor non-collectors for $35. Heck they can get people to buy 1851 indian head dollars or dollar size 1865 Washington quarters. Selling them fake 1881-S Morgans should be a piece of cake.
Here's a sad fact. If a Chinese 1 yuan coin can be counterfeited, which is worth around 12 US cents, why do you think a Morgan is not profitable to be counterfeited??? I still have that coin somewhere.
Yeah, I am sure it is, and I have seen a few fake PCGS slabs in my days-- they are pretty obvious as well, but to a newbie-- I guess it looks passable. It is just that particular fake is such an obvious POS.
