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

The other thing to remember is that there's no reason when faking a $35 or $35,000 coin not to use $15 of silver...

 

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I've wondered about that - If they Used silver it would always be worth scrap price if it didn't pass as a real coin. Minimizes the down side I suppose?

 

I've often wondered if it isn't part of a strategy to sell expensive fakes.

Use real 90% silver and, once you have the master dies, make both expensive and cheap years/mintmarks. So that the "expensive" fake looks just like the rest --> and lowers your resistance.

If I hand you a group of "Morgans" and you sort through them, you aren't going to look at the XF 81S that closely. If you find an 85CC in XF and it looks just like the 81S you've already decided is good...

 

Guaranteed to pass the first 2 things I would check - weight & magnetic...

 

B.E.A.UTIFUL wooden holder!!

 

The last couple of fakes I got (a Morgan and a WLH) weighed the correct amount, had the right diameter, and were non-magnetic, but were 10% or so thicker than a legit coin. I suspect they may be silver-plated copper, but haven't tried digging into them. I should really do that.

 

Catch 22 @-jeffB - you may have to ruin it to find out if its genuine.... Devious plan on their part.

 

Through my own poor time management I missed the window to return these. I socked the seller with negatives, as have quite a few other people, but he was still selling fakes last I checked. (He shows images of worn legit coins, but what you receive is "better than advertised" -- except that it's fake.)

So, anyway, they're mine now, and if I'm faced with the duty of "ruining" a potentially-deceptive fake, well, I guess I'll take on that burden.

 

if its any consolation @-jeffB - I doubt the Return Policy of such a seller would be as advertised either

 

here's a thought @-jeffB - take it to your local Courthouse - last time I did jury duty they had an x-ray machine & metal detector at the entrance. If they're not busy I bet they'd shoot it for you. In my experience most cops are cool. You might be able to see if its solid or has a core?

 

I was thinking of using novelty "Bitcoin" for a poker set - goldish & silverish. Just haven't found a cheap source for them yet

 

Can I claim Copyright on that idea? If so I Do! Copyright 2019

 

No you can't, the copyright goes to the person who first expressed the idea

 

Well... @HaleiwaHI 's poker set is fake Morgans... A "Bitcoin" set would be Totally different & therefore Original??

 

I don't think so. An X-ray machine like that would never have the resolution necessary to discern a layer of silver plating.

I don't know how much penetration it would get on copper vs. silver, and I doubt that it's calibrated in useful units -- the unit is supposed to show shapes of things, not measure how much the beam is attenuated at each pixel. You might be able to tell a difference in intensity between a silver-plated copper disk and a coin-silver disk, and if you had test blanks on hand (a known good dollar and a fake/mockup of known composition), you could compare your unknown to them. But I'm betting it would just show that "yep, they're all metal".

 

Downside - Interpol raids your "mint" and confiscates Everything....then They'd be sol - evens out the risk/reward math a tad.

 

it was just a thought - not a solution

 

Jeff, I don't know how big the city you live in is, but I would look around for a gold and silver buyer, or pawn shop, who has an XRF gun.
Here in Houston I use the one owned by Houston Jewelry Exchange. It shoots a beam straight through the coin and gives a readout on the exact metals that are in that "slice" of the coin and a readout on the exact percentages of each that are in that "slice" of the coin. It works fine for me and it does NOT just shoot the surface of the coin.
I tested a French Indo China Piastre, the gun said it was only .250 silver when it is supposed to be .900. I sent it back. The seller didn't quibble a bit. He knew what was up.
Do you remember the fake "Fatman" Chinese coin I told you I was going to buy, because the seller said he tested it and it was silver? I bought it and had it shot with that gun and the readout said .999 silver. I paid less than $15.00 for about 24 or 25 grms of good silver.
The last few piasters I tested were all .900.

I trust the gun !!

 

Thats a fact @-jeffB - guns can't lie

 

XRF is a surface measurement technique. It DOES NOT measure a slice through the coin. There is a device by Sigma that uses resistivity to determine the metal. Both devices have their pros and cons. There have been some informative threads on both in the past, so you may want to search the archives.

But the results can be misinterpreted. The operator needs to have a basic understanding of how the test works in order to understand the data. There's a whole lot more to it.


And what if your counterfeit was made from 90% silver?