how do you spot fake Trade Dollars, anyway?

Glad you like your coin as it's a very interesting series . Also when rereading my post you quoted , what I should have said are most of the fake coins I've seen are AU and up , but I've also seen lower graded fakes , just not in the numbers of the AU pieces .

 

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Too bad all the fakes aren't this bad .

 

I'm glad this thread is still being helpful! Another good reason to be careful about raw Trade Dollars is that even if genuine a lot of higher grade examples have been messed with. For instance, I recently won an 1874-cc which was described as "never cleaned." Upon receipt, I found it had patches of hairlines in the fields. Not only that but the seller had photoshopped out a spot of corrosion in the eBay listing, and did not mention graffiti on the reverse that was hidden inside toning. My money was refunded promptly but the whole experience left a sour taste in my mouth.

 

Oh, and that 1873-cc on the previous page, from 2013? It looks genuine to me.(but cleaned) There are a number of different mintmark positions for each CC issue, they were stamped into the dies at Phila. before being shipped to SF or CC.

 

As previously stated, the mintmarks are incorrect for this date (73-CC). Aside from any other issues, this alone quickly and easily identifies the shown example as counterfeit.

 

I disagree. There are 4 reverse dies for this issue and I believe that this is one of them .

 

Doc , have you seen MMs this large for the date ? So far I've only seen smaller ones , but I'll go look in Breens right now .

 

You're more than welcome to your opinion, sir, and actually eight dies (both obv and rev) were prepared. However, the one obstacle you cannot overcome is the size. Mintmarks for this date were .9mm in height and noticeably smaller than those shown on the example in question.

 

Sorry, my memory was faulty. after looking at my notes I see that you are correct. I retract my previous comment. Thanks for pointing out my error. (OK, Rusty you can leave Breen on the shelf )

 

I already checked him Doc , but I might need your services as lifting it threw something in my back out . And Doc wish you'd come around more as I'd love to have or see more dialogue on TDs .

 

Just to clarify a point: I said there were 4 reverse dies. Are you saying there were more than that? thanks

 

Rusty, sorry if I contributed to throwing your back out. Breen is a weighty tome indeed. I have some new TD purchases and could post them if you are interested.

 

Yes, sir. I will try to locate online confirmation of this for you, but in the meantime, the link I posted on page #3 (PCGS - Bowers book), while it may not come right out and say so, does suggest this.

This is a good thread; thanks for bringing it back to life.

 

Well, I started it after buying a couple of fake TD's off eBay, to help others. I got out of numismatics for several years, and may have gotten a little rusty on my counterfeit detection, but I'm glad to see that there are some sharp eyed folks out there like you. Do you collect trade dollars?

 

Personally, the study of coins interests me more than collecting, but no matter our individual poisons, it's all in good fun. As for your new Trade purchases, please do post them along with any others (fakes included) that you may have; the more this type is discussed, the better it is for everyone.

The below link mentions (towards the bottom of the page) the number of prepared obverse and reverse dies for the 73-CC T$1:

http://www.tradedollarnut.com/Home Page/Home first links/dates/1873/1873CC.htm

 

Please do Doc , the more we see good and bad the better for all .

 

thanks for the link to TDN's site. So, it appears there were a total of 8 pairs of dies sent to CC!
He lists 3 known mintmark impressions, with most of the coins going to China there may be others out there somewhere, but for now we have to stick with what we know. I look forward to acomprehensive Trade Dollar reference text which hopefully will be out in a year or two.

 

Was there any combination of years/mint marks/varieties that didn't go to China? If so, what were they?

 

I think it is nice to have threads like this, because it helps to sort out obvious fakes. However, given the fact that probably 80% or more of the raw Trade Dollars for sale are probably fake (with the quality of counterfeits going up every year, and the techniques for making them getting better), it is far easier not to buy ANY Trade Dollar that has not been authenticated by a TPG, in a legitimate slab (not a basement slabber, or fake slab--be careful on that one).

 

I'd like to get some opinions. I have an opportunity to pick up the pictured coin. Can you, the collective gurus, give me some insight into its authenticity? Thanks!