GOBRECHT dollar... real or fake?

Like others have said, fake. The artificial patina actually guarantees it for me without having to look at authentic copies. I have seen thousands of Chinese fakes, and they all look alike to me. Heaven help any authentic coin having that pot metal toning, as it will take a TON of convincing me there could possibly be an authentic coin with that patina.

 

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Very granular look.

 

But they are from different sets of counterfeit dies. The second set was likely made with computers, while the first set is probably a die transfer from a Gallery Mint replica

 

To continue the cycle, this is a Restrike, probably from the 1850s of an 1836 Gobrecht. The dies are rotated so that the eagle is flying level when you rotate the coin the horizonal plane. I bought this raw in the early 1980s, had it graded by NGC in the late 1990s and sold it when I was dealer.

 

Not the first one, it's a name below base and the fake is a name on base. And not the second because the fingers of the pole hand are very different.

But those restrikes were made in the mint, using mint dies.

 

Taking what I learned from this thread years ago, I always look at the denticles when present, and these look like what you'd expect from a fake. I'm out of practice, but this one was easy.

 

I would still send it in to ANACS (I believe they are still authenticating counterfeits) to have it slabbed and labeled as a counterfeit and keep it as a nice example.

edit: I just re-read ANACS counterfeit information and I'm not sure I would take the chance. "If we are absolutely certain that a the coin is a counterfeit or an alteration, pursuant to federal law and in accordance with our legal obligations we reserve the right to turn the piece over to the U.S Secret Service."

 

ICG is the firm that identifies and slabs counterfeits for educational purposes, not ANACS.

 

Modern Chinese crap counterfeits, too, or only contemporary counterfeits?

 

I know they do the contemporary, don't know if they do the modern stuff. Although they would probably do the really good ones, the ones that have been getting into slabs as real.

 

Thanks for that info. I couldn't remember which one did that.

 

All counterfeits and altered coins no matter when they were made can be put into the "Educational" holder. When 100% positive and at our option we may add qualifiers/descriptions such as:

Cast
Die Struck
Chinese
Electrotype
Contemporary
Cup and Saucer
Added Mintmark
Hand-Cut Dies, etc...

Just as "Details" replaced "Body Bags," eventually, I believe all the major TPGS's will be dragged (kicking and screaming) into slabbing counterfeit and altered coins.