Is this Barber a fake?

ebay item #161456680212
seller troutmanbruno
1908-S quarter

 

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questionable

 

The 9 in the date and the extra row of denticles on the obverse bottom both look funny.

 

exactly

and a scarce date in high grade

 

Looks like a definite fake to me. The date is weird (specifically the 9). The surfaces them self appear like a cast copy. If you look at areas such as the shield and eagle's wings on the reverse, they are grainy. Also, the wreath on the obverse is too "flat". Fake all day.

 

Yup. Looks an awful lot like the fake 1896-P I got a few months ago. Note how the low points of the eagle on the back seem to disappear into the field. Look how sloppy the date is. Look at the weird denticles that @Victor called out.

I guess eBay's plan for growth is working out well -- their selection of fakes is expanding every day.

 

Side by side w/ real ones from Heritage

Distance between top of 9 and bottom of neck seems way off.

 

I never even got that far. Look at the variation in stroke thickness in the digits -- look how the horizontal strokes are much thinner than the vertical strokes on the real examples. Now look how uniform the stroke thickness is on the fake. To me, it looks like the fake's date was drawn with a crayon.

Looking now, I agree that the distance between the 9 and the truncation is off, but I think it's because all four digits are oversized. Note also how the 1 points to the right of the monogram on the neck in the real examples, but directly at the monogram on the fake.

I guess I must be learning, because it took me a while to recognize my own Barber quarter as a fake, but this one (and a few others that have been posted recently) really jumps out at me.

 

Just the denticles alone are evidence of a fake. They have nothing in common with a real coin. I looked at the auction and compared them to a PCGS slabbed coin I have. Completely wrong. The (probably Chinese) engraver used a different coin as a source design for the denticles.

 

What bothers me is the seller is widely known here in Connecticut. He has sold crap for years.
I returned one overgraded coin from his local auction because he only showed the obverse pic and no reverse photo.
When I got it the reverse was junk of course. He has also sent me obscene insulting e-mails.

 

But he has 100% positive feedback! We must all be wrong.

 

He used up his customers here and now ebay is ripe for pickins.

 

Definite modern Chinese counterfeit.

 

That's why we educate ourselves to junk like that , some people don't and that's why they have fakes that most newbies can tell still in their collections . If something doesn't look right at 1st glance it should ring a bell and make you look further .

 

Look at the mushy L in Liberty too.
Thanks to all that replied.

 

What's the proper response to something like this? Report on eBay? Even I can see the issues.

 

The dealer who alerted me to this fake as well as I have not reported it. Ebay does not seem to care because they make money. The seller can tell who I am by my ebay name and he goes to the same shows I do.
But yes, it should be reported even though I don't think ebay will do anything. Another tactic I have seen is someone bids $99,000 on the fake. Then files a claim and seller's account is tied up for a while.

 

In that case, I shall report it because deceitful sellers make me unhappy.

 

FYI, I reported it and it gave me this feedback before I submitted: "The listing has items being sold without the owner's authorization." Also, the item has ended, at least no one got conned out of money.

 

I think there was enough flack kicking around that the seller knew he better pull the auction. He already has a negative reputation in Connecticut.