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<p>[QUOTE="ksparrow, post: 652944, member: 7638"]Since people are often asking if a particular coin is genuine or not, I will share a few pointers. People familiar with the series may find my comments somewhat basic. That's fine. I also welcome additions, since my knowledge/experience is also changing. I have been collecting the series for about 3 years, and confine myself to the circulation strikes, made from 1873 through 1878. all of my coins are circulated, some are cleaned, some are chopmarked. I think they are all fascinating. Although my comments in this thread are aimed primarily at the purchaser of raw Trade Dollars, I would discourage you from doing so, as there are many pitfalls. I have been fooled several times myself. In particular, avoid CC mint Trade Dollars raw on eBay, I would guess that at least 95% of them are fake. Some of the fakes are very clever, as the Chinese have been turning them out for over 100 years. Now they are turning them out in fake PCGS holders, to boot! I will assume that in buying coins on the internet that you diligently check out the seller, fb at toolhaus, ask appropriate questions about the coin,return policy,and are alert to the common scams. Please note, I do not accept any responsibility for purchases made by readers of this thread that turn out to be fake, or otherwise "not as described." You are on your own. If you want a nice Trade Dollar for a type set, buy only a properly certified example from a reputable seller, and be done with it.</p><p><br /></p><p>Study the seller's photos carefully. If they are too small, you cannot tell anything about the coin. If the photos are less than 3x the size of the coin, it well be very difficult to detect markers of forgery on the coin. You will, however, often by able to spot if the coin has the correct obverse and reverse combination for the date. From 1873-75, all trade dollars shared a common obverse design. The ribbon with "LIBERTY" on it has its tips pointing to the left. Also, the hand holding the branch has 3 fingers visible, a small detail often impossible to see in photos. example: </p><p><img src="http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t277/cks2007/fakes%20and%20forensics/HATD1873obvdetailforT1hand.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><img src="http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t277/cks2007/fakes%20and%20forensics/HATD1873obvdetailforT1ribbon.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>From 1873 until 1874, a common reverse was used(and continued to be used on some coins through 1876) there is an oval berry under the right side claw of the eagle, above the first 0 of 900:</p><p><img src="http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t277/cks2007/fakes%20and%20forensics/HATD1873revdetailforT1berry.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>Note that the tip of the lowest arrowhead ends between the 2 and 0 of 420. </p><p><br /></p><p>Beginning in 1875, a new reverse was introduced, the type-2 or T-II reverse, which eliminated the berry and moved the arrow head slightly to the left, so it ends over the 2:</p><p><img src="http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t277/cks2007/fakes%20and%20forensics/HATD77slargelowerrevT2details.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>Both type 1 and type 2 reverses were in use for 1875 and 1876, and only type 2 from 1877 onward. </p><p><br /></p><p>Beginning in 1876, another obverse was introduced, fittingly called type 2 or T-II, in which the ribbon tips pointed downward, and the hand with the branch has 4 fingers visible. </p><p><img src="http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t277/cks2007/fakes%20and%20forensics/HATD77sT2detailshandobv.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><img src="http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t277/cks2007/fakes%20and%20forensics/HATD77sT2detailsribbonobv.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>In summary, from 1873-1874, everything is type 1/1 (obv/rev); in 1875 we have type 1/1 or 1/2; In 1876 we have 1/1;1/2; and 2/2 (NOTE: NO 2/1 combination) and from 1877 onward only type 2/2. This comes in handy spotting fakes, because forgers mix up their dies and don't often pay attention to the obv/rev pairings. Thus, many of the fake 1878-cc Trade dollars for sale raw have a type 1 reverse. It's also common to see a type-2 reverse on fake 1873 and 1874 coins. Next: the basics of dentistry (dentil analysis)[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="ksparrow, post: 652944, member: 7638"]Since people are often asking if a particular coin is genuine or not, I will share a few pointers. People familiar with the series may find my comments somewhat basic. That's fine. I also welcome additions, since my knowledge/experience is also changing. I have been collecting the series for about 3 years, and confine myself to the circulation strikes, made from 1873 through 1878. all of my coins are circulated, some are cleaned, some are chopmarked. I think they are all fascinating. Although my comments in this thread are aimed primarily at the purchaser of raw Trade Dollars, I would discourage you from doing so, as there are many pitfalls. I have been fooled several times myself. In particular, avoid CC mint Trade Dollars raw on eBay, I would guess that at least 95% of them are fake. Some of the fakes are very clever, as the Chinese have been turning them out for over 100 years. Now they are turning them out in fake PCGS holders, to boot! I will assume that in buying coins on the internet that you diligently check out the seller, fb at toolhaus, ask appropriate questions about the coin,return policy,and are alert to the common scams. Please note, I do not accept any responsibility for purchases made by readers of this thread that turn out to be fake, or otherwise "not as described." You are on your own. If you want a nice Trade Dollar for a type set, buy only a properly certified example from a reputable seller, and be done with it. Study the seller's photos carefully. If they are too small, you cannot tell anything about the coin. If the photos are less than 3x the size of the coin, it well be very difficult to detect markers of forgery on the coin. You will, however, often by able to spot if the coin has the correct obverse and reverse combination for the date. From 1873-75, all trade dollars shared a common obverse design. The ribbon with "LIBERTY" on it has its tips pointing to the left. Also, the hand holding the branch has 3 fingers visible, a small detail often impossible to see in photos. example: [IMG]http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t277/cks2007/fakes%20and%20forensics/HATD1873obvdetailforT1hand.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t277/cks2007/fakes%20and%20forensics/HATD1873obvdetailforT1ribbon.jpg[/IMG] From 1873 until 1874, a common reverse was used(and continued to be used on some coins through 1876) there is an oval berry under the right side claw of the eagle, above the first 0 of 900: [IMG]http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t277/cks2007/fakes%20and%20forensics/HATD1873revdetailforT1berry.jpg[/IMG] Note that the tip of the lowest arrowhead ends between the 2 and 0 of 420. Beginning in 1875, a new reverse was introduced, the type-2 or T-II reverse, which eliminated the berry and moved the arrow head slightly to the left, so it ends over the 2: [IMG]http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t277/cks2007/fakes%20and%20forensics/HATD77slargelowerrevT2details.jpg[/IMG] Both type 1 and type 2 reverses were in use for 1875 and 1876, and only type 2 from 1877 onward. Beginning in 1876, another obverse was introduced, fittingly called type 2 or T-II, in which the ribbon tips pointed downward, and the hand with the branch has 4 fingers visible. [IMG]http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t277/cks2007/fakes%20and%20forensics/HATD77sT2detailshandobv.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t277/cks2007/fakes%20and%20forensics/HATD77sT2detailsribbonobv.jpg[/IMG] In summary, from 1873-1874, everything is type 1/1 (obv/rev); in 1875 we have type 1/1 or 1/2; In 1876 we have 1/1;1/2; and 2/2 (NOTE: NO 2/1 combination) and from 1877 onward only type 2/2. This comes in handy spotting fakes, because forgers mix up their dies and don't often pay attention to the obv/rev pairings. Thus, many of the fake 1878-cc Trade dollars for sale raw have a type 1 reverse. It's also common to see a type-2 reverse on fake 1873 and 1874 coins. Next: the basics of dentistry (dentil analysis)[/QUOTE]
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