Hi, after realizing my coin was a counterfeit...I am a little curious. Do ALL counterfeits have the scratch on the shield? What's the balance? Half do? If half or more fake Seated Liberty Dollars don't have the scratch, how do you tell other than weight if it's real? Thanks for you help.
Each highly collected series has its fakes known. Each will have to be taken within its own merits. The Seated Dollar is a very targeted coin. The weight is the first thing that should be done when buying Seated Dollars. The correct weight is 26.73 + or - .097 grams. The most targeted dates are 1851,1852 and 1858. I would recommend any of these three dates be slabbed before purchase. Many of the seated fakes were made using dies created from true dollar coins. So spotting the fake is a little tough. I just looked through the Breen encyclopedia at the 1846 dollar in particular. A few interesting characteristics are known for this coin. The date comes in two varieties. Without actually viewing the coin, it is a little hard to explain how to id them. I am sorry yours turned out to be a fake.
