Can anyone tell and point out to me why this coin is a fake.

The silver content does look a little bland, but i have also heard of mint marks being glued on. They take a regular mint mark and gently scrap it off one coin and apply it to another. Im not saying this is the case but just to be sure, why not send it to the ANACS in Colorado to make sure.

 

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from the OP pics - I don't think the reeding goes from edge to edge as it should - it could be a modern silver reproduction but 99.9% sure it's not 1895. Sorry

 

I have some that I used for poker chips, the only way you can tell if they're fake is because they're magnetic. they're made from steel and not 90% silver.

 

It does look like a possible copy. That dull silver color looks iffy. I would check with the ANA to be sure.

 

That's pretty cool @HaleiwaHI

 

Also not an expert, but the "5" in the date is what looks really off to me.

 

I think the date looks funny.
and the obverse verbage is too far away from the edge

Visually, the "black tarnish" around everything helps to distract from the strike details, which was very common on fakes.

but then, I'm no Morgan expert.

 

Hello everyone... Let me tell you about my experience as a coin dealer and officer of a coin club. I have seen these fake Chinese made Morgans many times. As a matter of fact, I had to consficate about 200 of them from another dealer selling at our shows. Please notice the dark gray area surrounding the obverse just before the rim. All of the fakes I've seen have this exact same thing. They weigh correctly but are made of some other kind of metal.
Everyone should use this example shown here - it is a huge red flag!!

 

I suggest you get more information from grandma on how long grandpa had the coin and maybe where he got it from. If it's been in the family for a long time I'd lean towards it being real, but I'm certainly no expert. If you are keeping it as a family heirloom it shouldn't matter if it's real or not, it's the memory of your grandfather. If it's really important for you to know one way or the other, send it in to be verified.

 

Isn't that stealing?

 

I guarantee that by looking at the coins posted in my picture above, even side by side with another coin (only real) that you cannot tell the difference between my fake and a real coin. Exact weight, no color difference, they're perfect remakes. And the Drop test? Yup, they sound legit in that department too. There's only 1 way to distinguish my fakes from a real coin. And I have about 2,000 of them.

 

Dosen't "Perfect reproduction" = counterfeit? We are talking about US coinage. Or because they're obsolete it dosen't matter?

 

How do I know or not that this person is just trying to get information to be able to sell fakes and that the grandma story is fictional?
You can call me a skeptic, but how many grandmas are buying fake Chinese modern Morgans many years ago? It seems unlikely.

 

My first tell for a fake is the "smoky gray" color, which this coin has.

No offense to the OP , but the "passed down from grandpa" story is always a red flag for me.
Every collectible silver coin that I had a chance to test, that had a "grandpa" story attached to it, turned out to be fake.

Find a Gold and Silver buyer, or pawnshop, or jewelry store that has an XRF gun and have them shoot it. The results will give you the exact metal composition of all metals in the coin, and their relative percentages.
This is what I do and it works every time.

Although I am impressed and intrigued by that ping test video. I've always known that silver coins "ring" but that is the first time I've seen them balanced on a finger and struck, to produce such a full ring. I will be practising that.
Is anyone else worried about damage to the rim of the coins from doing that?

 

Sorry for the off topic post

@Hookman. The finger trick also works great for 1982 copper vs Zinc cents. Balance the coin in question on your finger (pinkie works best for cents) and lightly tap it with a pre-1982 cent. It will ring if it's copper, thud if it's zinc. Been using that trick since the zlincolns first appeared.

Now back to your regularly scheduled post

 

Around here, usually when someone states it's from their grandparents it ends up being a fake.

Here's for comparison

 

compared to

 

Use a Rare Earth Magnet, you will soon discover it is fake.

 

It's beginning to look like the OP may be fake.

 

I agree, I was actually there when my father-in-law gave my son his stash of coins. First, I know for a fact, given his aversion to buying things he didn't need, that he would never have bought coins. And he wasn't even a coin collector. We suspect he got the coins from his brother, who did collect a few coins. But given the provenance, I would find it hard to believe he would be giving his grandson any fakes.