Here is a little beauty of a 1928 Peace dollar. Unfortunately, this is a fake. A very good fake. The weight is a bit off at 22.53 grams. Should weigh 26.73 grams. The diameter is a touch larger than should be, but not noticable by the eye. No casting marks are evident. This coin has been harshly cleaned, giving the evidence of a real coin. A very nice fake indeed. Would fool most collectors. A nice little profit for the person counterfeiting the coin. A little tough to determine if this is 90% silver. I suspect it is a base that has been plated. With the cleaning, it is not obvious.
Yeah, I would think it would be mostly base metal. Otherwise, what is the point of making a fake common date Silver $ if you use 90% silver?? Nice fake. Are these well known fakes (like the 1944 no-P nickel) or just one-off pieces of artwork??
They aren't exactly the best known fakes outside of the key date fakes. With a price tag in the $300 range, this could easily be 90% silver and still leave lots of profit.
DUH!! When I first read your post, I was thinking 1923, not 1928. Need to get my eyeglass prescription updated!!
Interesting, I have never seen a 1928 Peace Dollar that was counterfeit. From the photo, it appears to have been cast. Have you looked at it under the microscope?
There really isn't any tell tale signs of casting. One possibility could be that the reeding was done afterwards. A great deal of effort was put into the coin. If you look at the letters on the reverse, some just don't appear to look right. When I first picked the coin up and began to examine the coin, the lettering through me off a bit. After removing the coin from the 2x2, a few other tidbits stood out. It is just one of the best fakes that I have seen in quite some time. If placed in a 2x2 and offered for a quick sale, this coin could easily fool many.
I can never get the photos to look right once I load them here. The coin looks as if it were cleaned with bleach. A very dull look to it.
Here are some of the tell tale signs upon a good going over. The letter in Liberty are all a little differently than they should be. No dot in front of "IN" or after "TRUST". The "S" in trust appears to be an after thought. The rays on the head are all a bit off. The two after the "E" are both a little longer than normal. The nose is a bit off also. The "E" in Liberty looks like an after thought. The reverse also has a few items that are a bit off. The letters again are all a little modified. Look at both "L" in dollar. The rays also just don't add up. I believe that this coin was created using a home made cast. Probably using adjustments for the worn details. Once careful examination is given, lots of little details jump out at you. It is only the quick glance that can cost you a few hundred bucks. The 2x2 holder had a price tag of $255.00 on it. The coin was bought early last year. The latest owner had concerns, and finally shipped the coin to us for authentication.
The color of the coin is wrong and it does indeed have a grainy look to it...could be the photo. I have some seated dollar fakes that look very good. I'll try to get them posted here soon. Nick
Another tip-off, a strong rim and legends with the level of wear on the devices. ND, you stated my guess, which was that it was indeed cast from a low grade example with the legends being retooled and the reeding added after the fact. In regards to a home made cast, maybe - but my guess would be that it comes from China or thereabouts and was probably produced in quantity.
I agree. The workmanship is very similar to that on fake ¥1 silver from the Meiji era that is all over eBay, frequently from sellers in China or Korea.
