1932 D Quarter. Authentic mintmark?

Does the mintmark look authentic? BTW it's been cleaned. The bottom if the D looks funny. It also looks a bit off center, leaning towards the left. Any input is appreciated.

BTW sorry I'm horrible with computers.

 

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I agree on the funny and the left. I think its an added mintmark.

 

There are several things that bother me about that coin. The mintmark looks too good. (The rule-of-thumb for 1932 Washington Quarter mintmarks is - - - If the mintmark looks good, it is bad. If the mintmark looks bad, it is good.) In fact, the whole coin looks a bit too good. So I am not sure if it a genuine 1932 Washington Quarter with an added mintmark or if the entire coin is fake. It would be nice to see the obverse but something does not look right to me.

 

This. The mintmark looks like a much later D than what they struck on the 32. I have a few of these in various shape, and none of my mintmarks are either in that position or look like that mintmark. I would search photos of slabbed 32d's and compare the mintmarks. I have doubts about the coin.

 

ok... apart from the pictures giving me seizures because they're sideways...

first impression - the mintmark looks like it's sitting in a depression in the coin. That's good in the case of the 32-D Washington because all genuine mint marks exhibit this feature

The next thing I look at is the mint mark itself. This is where it's hard to say. I can't tell from the pics because I couldn't rotate the image. The shape of the mint mark is crucial in detecting an added mint mark coin. The shape of the inside of the D should be somewhat triangular and the serifs on the D should not be pointed. I can't tell from these pictures.

The coin looks like it could be genuine but harshly cleaned. I just can't tell from these pictures. If it's real I'd like it regardless of the cleaning. It's a nice coin.

 

Mike I was looking for the depression but didn't see it. I was looking mainly at pic 2. So you are seeing the depression in his other pics?

Dang I hate doing this from pics of shiny coins.....

 

Here is the obverse.

 

Is it just me or does something doesn't look right about the 9?

 

Sorry for hurting your necks, heres another pic. Every time I try to rotate the original pics 90 degrees it always does a full 180.

 

I'm just going by how the MM looks laying on the field , it doesn't look like it's part of the coin . If you look at it with a 10X or stronger loupe , does it look like its part of the coin and joined at the field like the rest of the devices or raised .

 

it' still not clear enough to tell. If you look at google images of genuine mint marks for a 16-D Mercury dime or a 21-D walking liberty half(which should be easy to find) a genuine mint mark is the same shape

yes, medora, I saw the impression in the first photo. the clue I look for first is the seemingly dirty area around the mint mark

 

When I shine an LED light at the coin, and stare at it so that the edge of the coin is right about 6 inches from my nose, the mintmark seems to reflect a good amount more light than the rest of the coin.

Sorry rzage, I don't have a 10x loupe. Only a 5x magnifying glass.

 

Then I would do what Mike just recommended , look on Heratige at a authentic MM . Here's a link to compare . http://coins.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=1171&lotNo=3726#Photo

 

Maybe this will help .

 

In my opinion, the MM on DirtyD's coin looks a little too clean. I hope that it is real, for his sake but just doesn't quite look correct.

 

Also, for what it is worth...when it comes to key date coins I follow one simple set of rules:

1) Only buy it graded, from a reputable grader. OR

2) If you decide to buy raw, buy from someone you trust. I have a guy a buy from from time to time who I know I can trust and I got my 32-D from him. I would not buy a raw 32-D from eBay.

 

The problem with trying to examine the shape of the mintmark is that it appears the bottom of the mintmark has been hit by something and flattened

 

the mint mark appears as if the top serif is pointed and that's a bad sign.

I'd have it authenticated by someone in hand. The pics just don't show me the mint mark clearly enough to definitively say one way or the other

 

Yes, the bottom of the mintmark does look like it has been hit and flattened. The top serif looks roundish when I look at with with my 5x glass.

 

you forgot a couple of steps...

3) - have the dealer show you why the raw coin he's selling you is genuine. Have the dealer teach you what to look for on both genuine and counterfeit examples. Learn it so that as you look at more 32-Ds, you can start to judge for yourself.

4) - repeat with as many coins as possible