1914 Year 3 China Fatman silver dollar real/should it be graded?

Hello,

I inherited some coins and this was in a sealed case. From my research it seems to be a 1914 year 3 china fatman silver dollar (the diameter is correct). I'm thinking about sending it in to pcgs/ngc, but would like for some experts on here to steer me in the right direction since there are many fakes out there and these have so many variations. Thanks!

 

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I'll chime in over here too
Did you check the weight and run a magnet over it? Those would be 2 quick things you can do as well as checking the diameter.
Besides that, I don't know much about these coins but I hope someone who does comes along

 

It's not magnetic and weight is spot on. Maybe a local coin dealer is the only real way to verify so I don't spend money grading a fake. Thanks again!

 

It wouldn't hurt but they may not have any more knowledge of the series than you or I. Lets see what some people here say first

 

Yeah you'd have to find a local dealer that specializes in these. Most local dealers specialize in US.

 

This post is not directed to you alone but to everyone who posts coins with questions about authenticity. Except in the case of very crude pieces that SHOULD NOT fool any coin collector with a little basic knowledge of what a coin's design should look like; THERE IS NO WAY even an expert on the posted coin or any other coin can make a credible opinion based on small images. Authentication seminars use stereo microscopes to view the surfaces of coins. A typical image of the OP's coin under suitable magnification would show about 1/2 of one of the Chinese characters on the reverse - and nowadays the authenticator STILL may not be able to be sure the coin is genuine!

 

Very understandable, my newbie bad! Assuming it is real it sounds like I should absolutely send it in. It's looking like NGC would be better for these? What would it cost, or does it depend on the value? Thanks!

 

I guess it comes down to what you want to do. If it is for resale purpose, sending it to TPG will be quite expensive and for the grade that you may be getting - it may not be very cost effective. It's at best 100 dollar coin and with grading fees around 30 dollars and then listing fees on ebay etc, you can see where I'm heading.

However if it's a keepsake from your grandparent - by all means do send it for grading.

My first impression looks like it has some uneven wear and may have been cleaned at one stage. Authenticity wise - no opinion as the photos are hard to tell.

 

I agree with Insider's comments about the impossibility of giving definitive answers on authenticity on the basis of pictures alone.
I would add that there are a great many good fakes of this coin around at the moment - I have two in my sin-bin already. I took one to a coin fair recently - clearly marked as a "replica". A young Chinese gentleman, with not much English, took a great interest in it and was dismayed to learn it was not right when this was explained through an interpreter. It is sad that the fakers, mostly in the Far East and Indian sub-continent, have done so much damage to the coin collecting market across the world - even for their compatriots.
For me, with these coins, two things identify concerns on authenticity:
1. Even-ness of strike. The poorer copies suffer from weakly struck areas and sometimes even variations in font and style of letters.
2. The "ding" test. With experience you will discover that Silver coins have a different ring to them than cupro-nickel. (The latter has a tinnier, harsher sound to them.)
With your coin I would be concerned with the flatness of the leaves, which could be wear but looks more like a poor/uneven strike to me.
I hope that helps!