I have a good bullion buddy that came across a 1916 D last week in an estate collection. I'm trying to buy it from him but I'm just not sure if its real or fake. It looks good to me but like I said I am a novice in Mercury dimes. I know a local shop only offered him$450 which is a joke for sure even if it has been cleaned. Also, what do you think I could pay for it? Thanks guys I do appreciate all the help
I would not ever go back to the guy who offered $450.00 for this dime. If he was so willing to low ball you on this one coin I can only imagine what other low ball offers he would make on your other coins. Need clear close-up pictures of both sides and if possible a real close-up view of the mint mark area.
Agreed with everyone else here...really need better photos. I'm worried about an added mint mark as well as problem surfaces.
Perhaps this "shop", like the OP, is unsure of authenticity and made an offer based solely upon what they were willing to gamble If it isn't genuine, in the best-case scenario his $450 offer equates to many, many times the would-be actual value (assuming silver) and far from a "low ball" offer which he would (and should) be expected to eat. Please understand that I am not so much defending this shop owner as simply trying to point out that, at this time, it is unfair to make assumptions as to this gentleman's character.
On top of that...based on the photos I get the impression that the coin has been harshly cleaned. Even though it's hard to see, the surfaces don't look right. Problem coins can be really hard to sell and even harder to price. Perhaps they saw that and were willing to pay a price they knew they would make some profit on.
The pictures were sent to me second hand that is not me touching the coin. I def agree it has been cleaned but the guy that has it now I trust him so I believe he believes it's the real deal. He is leaning to sending it to pcgs himself but I would love to own it if it is real. We ll see I may offer him a trade for some junk 90% but right now he is thinking about it ;( I guess time will tell. Thanks for the help guys
I'm sure he does...but this coin has been faked for decades. There might be more fakes than real examples. If he could send better photos of the reverse especially...we can give you a little more feedback.
It is impossible to answer your questions with those photos. I am sure you are aware that this issue is plagued by alterations in the form of added mintmarks. Without a clear close up photograph of the mintmark, we are powerless to help you. Here is a photograph (courtesy Heritage) of a genuine 1916-D mintmark. A genuine mintmark will appear boxy, have squared off serifs, and the interior will have a triangular shape. In addition, genuine mintmarks are bold while the added mintmarks appear very thin usually. Does the coin in question display the characteristics of a genuine mintmark?
Not really sure if real or fake. However, it is a well known fact that this is one of the most counterfeited coins on Earth. That so called location of the D is nothing. Remember those were put on by hand back then. Added Mint marks, tampered with dates, completely remade coins, just to name a few of the fakes out there. And an offer of less than $10,000 for one in that grade is sort of a joke. From the photos presented that one appears to be a minimum of AU to MS. Whoever has this one should send it in for grading and authenticating by a TPGS.
