Nothing worst then bad news on Sunday morning. I am certainly no gold expert, but something doesn't look right.
These are tricky coins, and I know there are a lot of counterfeits. For the purposes of educating the members (to avoid these sorts of problems), could you give us the top three things that you notice that indicate it is fake?
This is a very crude example compared to the many more sophisticated fakes out there, and I could send you a mile long list of telltale signs. Still, because the counterfeiters are learning too much about what to correct and refine their craft, I will give you only one indicator . . . The numerals in the date are completely wrong . . . they should be recessed (incuse) with a raised center, and very well defined . . . find yourself a good image of a genuine coin and compare for yourself. To others . . . please consider refraining from listing more that the counterfeiters can learn from. - Mike
Sorry Physics, I think we were both posting at the same time, and I had not read your request for three indicators. Please PM me, and I'll give you more. I'm just tired of the community arming the bad guys with more information.
Here's a proof one from Coinfacts. (Click for bigger photo) Here's a photo of a replica I got from online Here's a photo of the OP's coin.
Does it exhibit any of these flaws? I can not tell from the pictures. The only thing I see is irregular reeding on the right side of the picture, but then again, i dont know if that is a hit mark or not. Also check for striations between the reeding from the coin being ejected from the machine. I am no pro by far on 2.5 dollars, but I just recently started buying them and I am trying to arm myself with enough knowledge to put up a good fight when it comes to counterfeits.
Here's another hint. 1908 did not have hardly any details on the eagle's shoulder/wing. This was not added until 1909. Even as mushy as your fake is, it has more details in those areas than a genuine MS one has. Even if they had got that part right, it is still a really bad fake.
sorry for that bad news. I want 1 of these in the far future. I am gonna get 1 slabbed PCGS or NGC. I will not take chances on a raw 1.
The color is wrong. The eagle is too well stuck for this date. The rim is no good. Should I continue? the list is too long.
