Let's pick on this fugly coin.

IMO, no need to send it in. It's fake, and I could tell in seconds by the MM.

There are two known RPM's for this coin, the FS-501 and the FS-502. This has something going on with the MM alright, but it looks to me like the casting didn't get the S right, and they monkeyed with it.

Here are some RPM pics for you to compare (Pics #1 & 2 are my coins (FS-501), #3 from PCGS (FS-502), and #4 is the OP's coin (a mess)) -

 

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Yeah I didn’t look close my first look. Every time I look more it screams cast fake more

 

Looks dipped in acid...what is the weight? Strange looking MM.

 

I'll have to agree with you. It doesn't look anything like the Pan Pac I used to own, but it has been quite a few years since I sold it.

Chris

 

This is the story.
I bought this 30 something years ago as a cast copy/counterfeit. I took it to Fun for imaging and to share with friends.
Some thought the coin was actually a die struck copy. Please give me your thoughts.

 

Whizzed and over-dipped.

 

Interesting it’s not a modern Chinese fake. I still think it’s a cast copy. It’s probably real silver though

 

Do you guys see anything that makes you think it's a die struck counterfeit?

 

The Chinese have excellent die making abilities...thousands of 1950-D nickels were counterfeited and imported decades ago. They die makers used a genuine nickel for the master hub and made new dies from it. The fakes were then struck in mass volume and imported to the U S. They were so well made that they were indistinguishable from the genuine coins. The only difference was a softer strike with fewer steps than originals. These coins are now graded and in thousands of collections without being detected. If the Chinese used this process on softer metals, it could explain the softness of strike in the subject coin. Also, the new dies would probably require some retooling and polishing which may explain the oddness in detail of the subject coin. I don't doubt that this process has been used on many reproductions and have gone undetected.

 

Failed underarm deodorant...

 

I thought this was a great question.
A little research points to the very squared off rims as possible evidence of this being die struck.
I'm not sure I can identify "tooling" but that was another detail I read to look for.
What did the experts say?

 

Genuine, corroded, heavily cleaned.

 

Have the benefit of just now seeing the thread (along with all replies) but this seems like a decent counterfeit. Agreed that something is going on with the mint mark and a hole behind the left arm. I am guessing this coin looks a bit more impressive to hold without high zoom imagery? A couple obvious clues nonetheless. Great post OP and great reply Beefer.

 

Looks like a counterfeit. A few defects in the die here and there, including a raised bump between the rays below the left hand, roughness between the handfuls of popcorn, mint mark a hot mess, general lack of detail. There are some pretty good counterfeit classic commemoratives. PCGS recently posted a video on counterfeit detection where they pointed out some very specific things on a fake Antietam.

 

The coin just sreamed “WRONG” to me. It could be whizzed, but it could also be fake. It does not look right at all. I am leaning more towards fake

So what does it weigh?

 

We all agree on several items...Looks cleaned, grainy, weird MM, poor strike, etc., and ugly. A description in the Professional Edition Red Book explains...The Half dollar does not have the typical deep mint frost associated with earlier silver issues. Most are satiny in appearance with the high parts in particular having a microscopically grainy finish. Many pieces have an inner line around the perimeter near the rim, a die characteristic. On the reverse of all known coins, the eagle's breast feathers are indistinct, which sometimes gives MS coins the appearance of having light wear. This subject coin displays all of these features along with a few others afore mentioned. I am having my doubts if the coin is a fake, but simply a typical strike with very poor eye appeal. What does it weigh?