Morgan. To be or not to be? - Fake? Why?

I was told that this coin was not genuine, but I can't recall being told why. I am sure that if it is so, it is something simple.
Can anyone help please?


(EDIT.)
I think that I just found it.
Dia. is right at 38.1 mm but it is (more than) a little 'light' at 16.4 gm.

 

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Not to mention a general mushy cast appearance.

 

Check to see if it is magnetic, if so it isn't silver. To me the rims look too wide and even for the poor detail of the devices and fields. I agree that the features look too soft and it is probably a Chinese knockoff.

 

In hand it doesn't look cast. The photography brings that out. I am worried about the size of the rim, and the weight (or lack thereof) of course.
Oh, yes. It is not magnetic, either.
I am happy to go with 'reproduction'.
Thank-you for your comments.

 

Yep it's a cast fake.

 

It's sometimes hard to say what's wrong in words. You just know by the general look that it's not right.

 

Chinese junk and I'm not talking about a boat.

 

The rims are huge.

 

The rims are what stick out like a sore thumb to me

 

Rims are first clue. Then overall it is very mushy in details.

Sent from my ZTE B2017G using Tapatalk

 

Cast junk...

 

Cast fake. Poor one at that.

 

Topcat,
Do you have a genuine Morgan (with similar or better details) to do a side-by-side comparison? If not, I highly recommend that you borrow one. Comparing the two side-by-side should also help you in identifying the differences described here.
As Toughcoins similarly indicated above, the details are not as crisp as you'd expect to see on a minted coin. It has an overall blurry look to it, which is characteristic of a cast 'replica'. Another tell-tale sign of a casting are small air bubbles that remain stuck to the mold during the casting process, which show up on the cast item as pits. You can see a few of them on the obverse, surrounding the 'B' in PLURIBUS. I'm guessing there are probably more that we can't see.
And as just about everyone mentioned, the rims appear to be too disproportionate to be genuine.
Another method to help identify a non-genuine coin is "ring". This isn't a perfect test, so it shouldn't be relied upon exclusively. If you're comfortable doing it, drop your known original from a couple inches above a countertop or other similar surface. Then repeat with your item pictured. Can you hear the difference? 90% silver coins have a pleasant ring to them (especially the larger halves & dollars), whereas most other non-precious metals will have more of a dull thud. (Works on pennies, too - drop a 95% copper pre-1981 penny next to a newer penny. Hear the 'ring' and 'thud'?)

Hope these tips help with this "coin" - and also to help you identify other cast counterfeits you may encounter in the future.

Best of luck!

 

Number one who told you that it was fake. Number two trust your gut, check everything, size, weight, metal content and texture. if it is off in any of these areas it is probably a fake.

 

Why fake common dates.. Do the Chinese not have Redbook's ...

 

I use to collect fakes (good ones) just donated them to local coin club. If you had one you could compare them to one another.

 

I also bought one intentionally as a demonstration piece. The seller tried to convince me that it was alright to sell fake Morgans because the Mint wasn't making them any more. I hope he got arrested in the Secret Service sting late last year.

http://www.1881o.com/fakes.html

 

Your question is the very reason why.

 

common date will not stir things up to much like testing the waters before the flood.