I am just getting back into coin collecting again. Anyways, I was looking a 1875-S Trade Dollar that my Dad brought me( I was a kid) years ago and it turns out it is almost for sure a fake(It was from a friend of his you got it in South East Asia) I have attached pictures so other can see the issues and learn (also because picture are fun); 1) Liberty's head is wrong(weird ugly head( 2) it missing all the legends even though the details are fairly good 3)there is a star missing behind the wheat 4) the end of the wheat is wrong 5) the Olives are missing from the Olive branch its also hitting right around 25.5 grams. It interesting because the coin looks old . I am wondering what the right thing to do to keep this coin from going around a fooling anyone else.? Also is there anyway to determine if I have an old counterfeit from the 19th century(which is kind of cooL) or a modern fake?
modern fake....very common as many GI's came back with those from SE Asia. But it's still a nice gift from your Dad....a priceless treasure.
It would make a great pocket piece. I carry around an old walker that my dad bought for me when I was about 9 I'd also carry it if it was fake.
Vietnam, Egypt, South Africa, and many more have a vibrant market for fakes. The weight is usually the first indicator for me. The best ones I stick them in a flip, and mark them as counterfeit, and put them in my books. They tell an interesting story about as clearly as "real" coins. (But I have friends who when traveling try to help my collecting).
I purchased a really nice XF40 1909 S VDB from a dealer many years ago, he knew I was looking for one and he called me and told me he had a coins I needed to look at. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be the 09 SVDB. We kept going back and forth about the price and finally he told me he was needling me and he and his friend got a good laugh out of the look on my face. I ended up buying if from him for a dollar (that was in 1970) and I have had a ball with it, put it in a flip and have a good time having friends attempt to grade it etc. Best dollar I have ever spent for a coin. By the way - NOT ONE has ever recognized it as counterfeit. Semper Fi
