Which one is real, and which one counterfeit?

With all the debate that has sometimes become acrimonious, let's address the issue of real versus counterfeit. One of these 1889CC coins is definitely real, and one is definitely a counterfeit, albeit a good one. Please identify and give reasons for your decision---the one on the left is "coin 1" and the one on the right is "coin 2."

 

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I am no expert, but the 'e' in e pluribus Unum are in different locations in regards to the eyeline. That's all I can see.

 

To me they appear stacked, not side by side.
White background coin 1?
Colored background coin 2?

 

top coin is fake, the hair above the ear should be fuller

edit: the denticles from 6-12 on the obverse of the top coin look too well-defined, too sharp

 

Now I don't know what to think after looking here ... what sticks out on the bottom coin is the orientation/location of the mintmark. Maybe this shifted mintmark location is a variety of the 1889-cc, but to me it just looks weird. So I guess I'm giving up .... lol

 

The coin on top is the fake. The font on the reverse is not even close.

Chris

 

DOLLAR stuck out to me when I first glanced at it. I guess I should have gone with the rule that it just doesn't look right, because that's what I thought about the top coin. I got my self confused by trying to do die diagnostics and imagining lines/die cracks/etc, when the font was what I should've been looking at. Also, I thought the stars were off on the top coin at first sight.

Watch the top coin be the real one after alll this lol

 

They both look fake to me.. lol.... in either case, ugly and uglier.. blech.. nice date or not.. pass.

 

I think it's the first coin that's fake. The "Liberty" on the headband is the first thing that sticks out to me, and the head of the eagle is also wrong.

What I mean by the Liberty being wrong is this: On the top coin, the letters are raised. On the second coin the letters are inset. That is the most obvious difference to me, and the one that I used to come to the conclusion that the top coin is not legitimate.

 

Gotta agree with you, they both look fake. On a second look the bottom one is definitely fake and I just don't know about the top.

 

One of the two is definitely genuine. In my posting, coin1 is on the left and coin 2 is on the right. If you see them vertical, coin one is the top and coin two the bottom.

 

coin 2 looks fake to me even though coin 1 looks like it has been around the block. coin 1 has that look of a cast coin to me

 

Coin 2 is fake. Coin 1 just looks harshly cleaned.

 

I have to say 2 is fake, eagles head looks wrong to me. Coin one has a terrible strike that is throwing me off though. I don't think I have even seen a CC with that bad of strike (I don't see 89cc every day though) so that also throws up red flags.
Would love to see them in hand and under a loupe/microscope.

 

Without question, coin number 2 is fake. Just by the MM it appears that Coin 1 is a VAM 4 and Coin 2 isn't a VAM anything. There are no VAM's with a MM like what appears on Coin 2.

If you need a bit more convincing, take a close look at the first 8 in the date. It is leaning so far over to the right, it appears drunk. Again, no 1889 CC VAM is even close to having an 8 like that.

Mike

 

Whatever you want to call the top coin ( 1 or 2) take a look at the font on the reverse. The "D" in DOLLAR is totally different from the "D" in UNITED. The "O's" are all wrong and look at the "G" in IGWT. It's sinking!

Chris

 

We should call it The Drunk 8 VAM. I am sure it will make Top 100

Joking aside, great VAM analysis.

 

Okay, David! Which is the slab and which is the sludge?

Chris

 

This is the real coin!!

Number one, stand up and take a bow. You hit it with the details and the particular characteristics of the strike, Chris. Also, the coin has regular "Minted" crispness. The other is a Chinese Fake I got for $20 and lots of experienced collectors are fooled. The real one cost me a lot more than $20, and is in my safety deposit box. You are an experienced Morgan collector, but you got fooled by the "position of the letters." I do believe that it is the photo.

 

Chris, I see exactly what you are seeing, they do look wrong, but the photos are blurry and might be mis leading. On the other hand, the worst photo in the world not tilt that 8 like that

Also, take a look at this one. The D and the O don't look good here either. Maybe not as bad as the coin in question, but they don't look normal to me

www.ebay.com/itm/1889-CC-Morgan-Silver-Dollar-PCGS-AU-Details-Looks-BU-Genuine-Key-Date-/180942086958?pt=Coins_US_Individual&hash=item2a20fd232e