I imagine this topic has came across coin talk before but here's my story. Back 5 or 6 years ago when I got back to collecting coins, I thought I would start off with a seated dollar. Got on ebay, found my dollar and it looked quite real to me. Several people were bidding on it and I ended up getting it for $122. Soon after it arrived I came across alearts on ebay for fake dollars. Yes, I'd been had! They make'm pretty darn good! Here are some of the "fake" pointers I've found on this piece. Pourous/grainey surfaces machine doubling like step that appears to have been made in the cast ( it is on all the devices) Strange/uneven denticals Slightly seperated rim on the reverse left side And the best is for last, 26.73 gram vs. my coin at 20.51 grams I still have the dollar, I keep it as a reminder Chuck
I'd have sent it back and demanded a refund myself. But at least you got a good education out of it. (Still, I would have liked the education and a refund...) On the reverse towards the bottom you can clearly see some of the denticles don't quite manage to reach the rim. That's a big red flag too.
He skipped on ebay. In for the kill and out the back door. No longer a registered user Funny thing was, he had a perfect feedback record of 73 transactions. So I figured he had bought a few of these dollars and figured they were fake , so he sold them quick to cover his a**
Been there. Done that. We all learn from our mistakes. The lessons I learn the best are the ones that cost me the most.
Had a friend who went to China and there is a very popular spot where there is a huge flea market. He picked me up several different types of fake dollars including a fake IKE dollar of all things ....... all for ONE dollar each. When he sent them to me I engraved them with "COPY" or "FAKE". I took some heat from a couple of counterfeit collectors if you can believe that.
In my opinion that defaces the pieces and reduces their value as collectible items. But they are yours to do with as you please. You can paint them pink for all I care.
I think you blundered, but that's your choice. Anyway, this is a good thread and will help me identify counterfeits in the future. Thanks for sharing some good photos and information.
I collect fakes, as well. Two categories: A) contemporary counterfeits and modern ones that are WAY TOO GOOD. B) all the others, usually Chinese, kept for examples of what to beware and samples for comparison.
