Can you tell me if you believe this coin is a fake? I had it listed on eBay and was contacted by a coin collector stating he believed it was a fake because there are no initials on the back. Here are his exact words..."Coin appears to be a copy. I don't see initials on the reverse, also the brast can't be that full with the hand being flat. You may need to send this to a grading service." Before I spend money sending it to a grading service I'd like to get an opinion on the legitimacy of this coin. I ended the auction early so I didn't affect my reputation. Pictures are below and here is a link to the now closed auction.. http://www.ebay.com/itm/220846362462?ssPageName=STRK:MEUSX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1560.l2649 Thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide. Have a good holiday weekend. Joe S.
:welcome: Joe, The 2 & the 1 in 1921 don't look like other 1921 walkers. The D mintmark looks too big. The AW engravers initials are too faint, as they are very ledgible on some of the overly worn circ walkers I have. The coin has a grainy cast coin look to it. Have you tested it with a magnet? Look at the other 1921-D's on eBay
I checked the coin with a neodymium magnet and there was no attraction. I then checked it with my Garrett Ace 350 metal detector and it registered in the high conductivity range of silver, indication as a dime/quarter. [h=1][/h]
There's a lot wrong with this coin, and as stated above, the "D" and date are wrong, the initials are weak or missing, the rays are wrong. Please note that most of the current batch of fakes coming out of China are non-magnetic and weigh correctly. However, most are base metal with a silver plate. Overall, this piece is better than some that I've seen. I believe it is struck (as most replicas are nowadays) not cast. The '21-D is heavily counterfeited, and buying one raw is a real gamble. Here's a link to a genuine example in similar grade: http://www.ebay.com/itm/PCGS-1921-D...46?pt=Coins_US_Individual&hash=item4aae3e7de2
Here is my two cents, if they hold any value: 1) The coin looks very, very rich in detail. Basically in great shape, save for the luster which appears to be gone. Almost too good to be true. I look at the drapery lines, the stars above Liberty's arm, and the chest feathers on the eagle. ****, even the leaves on the branch beneath the eagle. It all looks awesome...to me at least. But then I see wear on Liberty's left hand, and on the eagle. That tells me that either the coin is/was a circulating fake OR some counterfeiter did some research. 2) You say it is not magnetic and it reads on your detector as silver. To me, that would put the argument to rest. If you combine the magnetic / metal detector evidence with the wear on the coin I think you have a genuine coin. At the very least a counterfeit that was struck on silver...which if it was a copy I would note that, as to avoid prison time. Then again I am no counterfeit expert.
Oh wow, yeah looking a genuine 1921-D I retract any positive things I could have said about this coin. Yours if definitely fake. Sorry mate. Also, I only own 1 Liberty Walking and it is buried in a box so I didn't go dig it out to compare...even though I have the intarweb right here in front of me...
Even fake dies crack once in awhile. Don't under estimate the Chinese counterfeiting operations... the quality of their fakes has improved considerably since Susan Headley ran her little experiment at the F.U.N. convention a few years back (and even then over half the dealers were fooled). Many of the sellers on eBay offer 90% silver replicas of key dates priced sligthly over melt; and despite the "COPY" stamp shown in their auction photos, I have yet to receive one (or hear of anyone else receiving) a coin thusly marked.
That hint of an extra digit behind the second "1" reminds me of the coin that launched this thread. In that case, I could've saved myself some time by weighing it first thing -- it was significantly lighter than a legitimate coin in that wear state. Non-magnetic, just like yours; I don't have a metal detector to check its higher-order characteristics (although I've been meaning to cobble something together from all the electronic detritus and test equipment cluttering my bench). Looking at your other auctions, I'm afraid I've got bad news about your 1877 IHC, too. That reverse looks nothing like the weak-centered strike on a legitimate 1877. If all four of the coins you've listed came from the same source, you'll save yourself a lot of trouble by pulling the auctions immediately. To further cover yourself from eBay's perspective, edit the listings to say "I'm ending this auction because I've been informed that this is a counterfeit coin" -- that way, you demonstrate that you're acting in good faith. Don't be like the guy who sold me a counterfeit Walker -- he didn't want to own up to it, had a number of other auctions for unmarked counterfeits, and ended up getting kicked off after almost 13 years on eBay.
Jeff, I remember that thread. The amazing thing: it was post #18 before anyone mentioned the possibilty of it being fake. Here's the thread for anyone interested: http://www.cointalk.com/t172193/
Joe, CONGRATULATIONS! for you being responsible and ending the auction early. And a second CONGRATULATIONS! for coming on CT and showing us your coin and asking questions.
Yes. Going back and rereading what I wrote, the tone of my last paragraph is a little unclear. You're already "not being like" the guy I dealt with, because you (a) pulled the auction when in doubt and (b) asked here for advice. Keep up the good work, and I'm sorry that your coins aren't what you hoped they were.
I really appreciate everyone's assistance with validating this coin. On Tuesday, I plan on visiting an ANA member's shop down the street and asking him to look over all of these "coins".
Just curious here, if this a silver plated fake, wouldn't it lack the distinct ring of a genuine half dollar when tapped?
The counterfeiters have always failed at the fine points of an engraved coin die, in the case of this known counterfeit 1921-D the wing feathers are disconnected from the body of the bird's breast, an area that would not have been missed by Philadelphia die shop in 1921 above: Known counterfeit from China above: The coin you provided images of Note similarity of missing elements of the design.
Yep the breast feather's are a dead giveaway that it's a fake. That and the mint mark being too big. That said, whoever buys a 1921 off of ebay for more than $200 bess watch out!
