1877-s Trade Dollar... Please tell me it's not a fake

eBay. $100. Please help me determine if it is real or not.

It is underweight which is not a good sign...







"All that is gold does not glitter" ~ Tolkien

 

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Oh, and if you flip it, the reverse *is* oriented correctly (top is up if flipping it along the x-axis)... Good sign...

"All that is gold does not glitter" ~ Tolkien

 

Is a little scary at a firstvglance it looked good but harshly cleaned then upon looking close I don't see any signs of actual wear upon comparing it to my trades her left arm and the ribbon with liberty seem too wide combine that with being underweight and their usually precise plus it seems far too cheap and I'm gonna say its a fake and a exceptionally good one

 

ZTrades were for foreign commerce so it wouldn't do for them to be underweight their a coin I particular like I got a few

 

Go to YouTube and look up silver slide test.

 

The scale you are using is only accurate to 0.1 gram whereas tolerances are to 3 places. These inexpensive scales also have a rounding function on the last digit, so before I worried about weight, I would find a better scale to weigh it. Maybe a jeweler or a local chem teacher could check it better.

 

I keep comparing it and comparing it to my trades and it looks very close if the weight problem is in the scale then it's got a chance is one of those if I could hold it In hand I'd know in a minute as I've owned quite a few there's a couple scary things on it I just can't call from the pics the lack of normal wear bothers me but could be explained by having been whizzed pr polished which would make the detail seem fuzzy like I'm seeing

 

I'll try to find a more accurate scale soon.

Found the silver slide test. Where to find small, weak magnets?

"All that is gold does not glitter" ~ Tolkien

 

Mine weigh 27.2 , at least the 2 I have at home and not slabbed are . Like DG said I wouldn't worry about the weight too much with the cheap scale.

 

The dentils are usually well formed on most Trade dollars . On some of the better Chinese fakes the eagles eyes are more of an incused round circle , and looks almost like it was drilled in , where as the mints are more complex and look almost like a comma .S ure wish we had better pics . If it is a fake it's a darn good . How does the 3rd side (edge ) look ? Is the reeding well formed ?

 

Your command is my wish ;-)

How are these photos?

(BTW, FWIW, the last photo is a picture of the container in which I received the coin. Maybe it will give some clues?)

 

$100 on Ebay for that? Probably fake, based on price. I would NOT buy any trade dollar unslabbed and not from a reputable dealer.

 

As a beginner, I wasn't going to either, but he "guaranteed" it was authentic and I figured I could rely on my local coin shop and you folks to help me determine whether or not it's real.

I was just hoping that he took bad pictures, underestimated the grade, etc.

I can return it if it's fake...

Not if it has been cleaned, though...

"All that is gold does not glitter" ~ Tolkien

 

This is a tough one the eagles eye looks good , reeding looks ok though I really can't see it that well . I thinks this coin falls in the category of it would need more tests that a tpg could do . I have one that I bought raw from a person on this forum . I took it in to Tom DeLorey to look at . After a good 15 minutes comparing it he said though nothing jumps out at him that says fake , he thinks it is a fake . Telling me he couldn't be sure without further testing . Now Toms one of the most respected numismatists in the US and if he couldn't tell . Suffice to say there are some darn good TD fakes out there .

 

Will he let you send it to a tpg ?

 

Definitely great advice , you get what you pay for 99 out of a hundred times .

 

Kind of how I feel on this one I have about 10 trades and have been collecting coins for 30 years I can't put my finger on it but something seems wrong if it is fake its a really good one I think the thing that bothers me the most is the lack of wear in the expected patterns the whole surface seems polished etc nothing jumps out but it feels wrong the only 2 raw trades I have I bought rrom local estate sales and was able to examine in hand and am convinced their right

 

I dunno. Haven't asked. I received the coin yesterday.

It would cost me, what, $30+ to send it to a TPG?

 

W

Would be a well spent $30 even if it was a details would still be proven right or wrong would add immensely to it resale value too

 

Who should I send it to? I guess people here have a split opinion?