Best book I know of for the cap and rays types is the Riddel catalog published back in 1845, "A Monograph of the Silver Dollar". It is available...
Looks like a lamination error. Much more common on nickels, but fairly common all around.
This is the Minden mint type, which is somewhat scarcer than most of the other 3 mints. Km#558 in the German specialty krause book
They are generally accepted as genuine at present, not many people know the difference. I'm not sure if it's cool to post links to another coin...
There's a guy named Robert Gurney that has been doing extensive research on this matter for an upcoming book. He began collecting contemporary...
The host coin was most likely made in the US between 1850 and 1930. Vast majority of "Spanish" silver used in the Orient during that period shares...
The "Unusual world coins" book lists these as 1960's fantasy pieces that were done with a genuine countermark punch. Perhaps refurbishing of the...
I was watching this one. Honestly you got it at a good price, probably a good $100 or so below what you would expect for it. It may be a fantasy...
Not sure if anything can be done. Just keep learning and stay up to date with known counterfeits and their characteristics. Some would say if...
Thank you sir, you are quite formidable in this area as well.
If the hobby is to survive then people need to stop relying on looking for inconsistencies because the best counterfeits don't have them. I don't...
These are all over eBay lately, from a group of about a dozen seller account which I know to be US based fronts for a Chinese distributor. No...
They are all typical fakes. Coin # 2 proves this the most clearly. For one, the rounded rims, and two... *drumroll*... it's dated year 10 (1877)...
What's to stop a counterfeiter from doing this with a hardened steel transfer die? They already make very good ones for faking normal coins. Not a...
Hey Gilad, you don't have to worry much about the typical circulated examples with rust spots. The fakes we have been seeing are high end and...
At least these are tourist grade fakes, not the kinds that would fool experienced collectors. You can find these at every travel location...
Some of the best fakes were of European origin before the Chinese stepped up their game in recent years. There are also cases where original dies...
Just your standard "I approve this as fine silver" sort of deal :)
The price you paid is fair for the grade. $750 is also not outrageous, but really at the high end what comparable examples tend to go for. I am...
"I've also got a 1668 A.K. Sale (Kinsale, Ireland) Penny that is extremely rare." Hello
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