Just bought this on eBay and received it today, looking for some opinions on it's authenticity. I just don't wanna waste time and money on grading if it's a fake. And now for the pictures... It appears to be silver and I know this coin has been cleaned. Thanks for any help guys.
I really can't see the D well enough to tell . But in the PCSG Grading and counterfeit Detection book it says , " The shape of the MM is crucial , on genuine pieces the MM is boxy and squared off . On the right side , the curve at the bottom and top is angled not rounded . The inside of the D looks like a triangle . Hope this helps .
o Mostly with glued or soldered MMs . If you have a strong enough loupe or scope , look to see if any part of the MM's bottom is not touching the coins field .
It just don't look right, especially the reverse. Why is the Fasces so badly worn and the rest of the dime isn't. The date and the area below her neck doesn't look right either. Hope you can send it back cause it looks fake to me as well. I can't see the "D" very well but what I can see, doesn't look right. The font on the reverse looks strange like it's just a hair too big or something. IDK, looks fake.
The mintmark doesn't look right to me. I used to have a link to the 4 different mintmarks but can't find it right now. Here we go. the 4 different mintmarks. Note the positions. Also the rev of the 16-d is rotated in several specific positions relative to the obv. This can be assessed when the coin is in a 2x2 or slab.
Thanks for all the input guys, I'm gonna send it into anacs and see what happens. I"ll post an update when I get it back.
Also now that I look at the scratches or gouges , it seems to be the same color on the inside as the fields . Not a good sign at all . Also I'd love to see a pic of the reeding .
The gouges, the reeding and the mintmark all scream fake to me. I'm no expert, but with all the scratches and gouges appearing the same color, it looks like a counterfeit that is trying to be disguised as an abused coin. The spacing on the reeding looks to far apart to me as well. I don't want to rain on the parade, but if I bought the coin, I'd send it back.
Thanks guys for your input I am going to try to return it with the money back guarantee on ebay. Should be able to since it is counterfiet and it was listed as a genuine 1916 d mercury dime. Also I think it might be pewter.
I'm with @Tom B on this one. Let's say it is genuine, which I think we all can agree it's not, the coin will never straight grade with those gashes/scratches. Before you buy another raw one, I would suggest you determine what exactly you want out of this key date coin. When I buy a key date coin in a series I collect, I don't look to be frugal. IMO, these are the dates you want to "reach" a little financially. I'm not suggesting you get in over your head, but I'd take your time, save a little extra and MAKE sure you get the coin in the condition you desire. I'd also be inclined to buy one that's already been graded.