I wouldn't buy this one . . . https://www.ebay.com/itm/1888-Seate...875076?hash=item3409fd0084:g:oGIAAOSwj61cz3FJ
I'll wait until others have looked it over and said their piece . . . and no, you're not a dummy. You at least want to know more.
Definitely counterfeit. -Surfaces are too grainy -Details are blurry -Date is misaligned, look at the second "8" in 1888 -Reeding is completely wrong, looks to have some extra lines of metal on each ridge -The very edge is sharp if you look closely, this is a feature you would see on couterfeits or privately minted silver rounds Otherwise it's a much better counterfeit than others I've seen. It could easily trick someone who is new to the hobby/someone who didn't take the time to look closely.
Absolutely counterfeit date digits are totally wrong. Weak mushy denticles with missing area weak overall details rough surfaces and generally off looking. They did a good job on the color tho is the only thing that looks good about this coin
This is a casting, as evident from the lack of sharp detail and the raised bumps here and there. The bumps are most easily seen left of the arrow shaft beneath the eagle. The date is sharper than the balance of the design because it was added after the coin was cast, as is so often done by the Chinese. In my opinion, the application of antique patina was expertly done.
That date ... LOL someone definitely hand stamped it on a counterfeit cast die used for multiple dates.
I don’t believe it to be cast. Here is my fake to compare. I will pull it out shortly, but I believe this one was die-struck.
I’d really like to know just how they fabricated that patina...specifically if it could withstand acetone.
Although I am not familiar with this particular fake many contemporary counterfeits achieved realistic patina the same way real examples did...through age and use.
After you have seen a number of Chinese counterfeits, you come to recognize this look. It's the type toning that appears on most of all their products. You most often see it on their fake Morgan Dollars which is their "bread and butter" product. These fakes do not contain any silver. Here is a "1795 half dollar" that is another of their fake products.