Is it real? The seller also sells 'coin doctoring' kits to hide cleaned and problem coin conditions. This is the only 'coin' they are selling, so it smells fishy to me. The coin almost doesn't look like silver??? http://cgi.ebay.com/Very-Nice-Scarc...92?pt=Coins_US_Individual&hash=item2eb57f038c
I'm no expert on Morgans, but it looks similar to this one: http://cgi.ebay.com/1879-CC-MORGAN-...55?pt=Coins_US_Individual&hash=item4aab8e814f And his "tanfastic" is no more than Deller's Darkener, which most of us are familiar with: http://www.wizardcoinsupply.com/dellers-darkener.html
The "M" at 3 o'clock on the second dollar is almost perfectly at 3, and almost perfectly on it's side. The other is at about 2:45, and is not on it's side, but almost indecisive about laying over like the 2nd coin's "M".
Well, if the coin you're looking at isn't in the same auction as the one Jim linked to, then one is a fraudulent auction, not coin. The coin looks legit to me, as I've compared them to every known die variety and it seems to check out. People on Ebay steal images from real auctions and use them in auctions when they don't have the coin. The coin you asked about and the one in the link are the exact same coin. Guy
Ratio posted pictures of two different '79-CC Morgans. The first one looks fake-- the 1, 8, and 7 all have problems, and the "wear" looks artificial.
To me, looks faked. The wear looks almost fresh, maybe it didn't look real MS, so he ground it down a little. As others pointed out, the date looks wrong. Also, is it just me, or does the top of the left wing almost look carved out?
I don't know. Still looks good to me. You guys are trying to compare two different VAMS, so it's no wonder you're coming up with differences. If it's fake, it's the best fake Morgan I've ever seen. They did a great job aligning the denticles perfectly, among other aspects, and all on a common coin no less. Guy
I've compared the first coin posted by Ratio with all the VAM varieties illustrated in the link below and cannot find anything that resembles the date on Ratio's first coin. http://www.vamworld.com/1879-CC+VAMs The top of the 7 and the top of the 1 look especially suspect. And the wear, especially on the obverse, looks very unnatural.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Very-Nice-Scarce-1879-CC-Morgan-/200613495692?pt=Coins_US_Individual&hash=item2eb57f038c&clk_rvr_id=236927090973 Here is the auction. It already sold... I was hoping if a Morgan guru here was reasonably sure it was fake, it would get reported before he took someone's money. The seller had several auctions of coin doctoring supplies that "add a natural looking patina" to hide "cleaned coins and problems". While he only had one coin auction, a CC Morgan that looked at very least doctored, but probably fake. He was also an eBay'r with a history of buying and selling among the counterfiet crowd.
The 1879-CC Morgan has always had "problems". Back in the day, the "Capped CC" VAM was thought to be a counterfiet. With this coin being a key coin for the series, I'd only buy one that's been checked out by NGC, ANACS, or PCGS.
The coin is a fake, pass. Look at the date, it looks too weird. I've seen many CC Morgans but none with like that. Plus the details are mushy, so that gives it away. I am 95% sure that it's fake.
I can't get past the "1" in the date among the other things some are on the fence about. My gut still screams fake on this one. From the mushy details, fake patina, funny metal color, and small details. The fakes ARE getting so much better. They aren't super easy to spot anymore, like they were just a couple of years ago. It's like they are watching our critques of their work and fixing the problems.
It's a double-edge sword, isn't it? On the one hand, we need to know how to spot these %$#*@%$# fakes, yet at the same time, like you said, the %$#*@%$# counterfeiters could be taking notes of our critiques.
I have to say fake also. besides the odd 1 (the entire date looks odd) it was the chin and lower lip that got me. The lower lip should not look detached from the rest of the face, even in a coin this worn. There is too much detail in the lower portion of hair and behind the ear for there to be no visible connection between the lower lip and the chin. also, the 'I' looks like it tapers from top to bottom instead of being sharp edged. I'm just an amateur but I would pass on this one.
