My latest double eagle - FAKE?!?!?!?

[jtryka]

Got this one in the mail today, please give me your thoughts. It's a common date, but at least it's big and gold!

[Oldtrader3]

Nice MS63 Lib! At least I am assuming that this is a MS63. Correct me if I am wrong.

 

My collection of $20 Libs is limited (mainly because they are so expensive in higher grades. $20 Libs are one of my favorite coins. I have a couple that I feel are under graded. Here is one of them. What you see as dark spots are lighter luster breaks. There are very few marks on the coin, except on the obverse at 6:00 (adjacent to the date).

[Oldtrader3]

Here is the reverse (very clean as usual).

[jtryka]

That's a beauty of an 06-S! I have an AU 1906, my way of getting a nice underrated lower mintage issue without paying the price of an 05 or 02!

[Oldtrader3]

Most true! Someday this issue may be worth what an equivalent Saint is.

[michael]

wow that 1903 and the sexy san fran mintmark!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! unbelieveable exceptional eye appeal!!!! wild!!!

 

man is that a good looker.... it is really undervalued and uncommon looking like this !!

 

man sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet..................

 

now this is waht collecting is all about!!

 

sincerely

[Hoot]

Very good looking coin Jeff! That may be one of the prettiest pics I've seen of a Lib. Good job! Love the curvy S mintmark!

 

Hoot

[Twowood]

What's it graded at? Twowood

[LucyBop]

Very sweet!

[jtryka]

Well, I don't think this coin is an MS-63, it's raw and not graded, and I won't even hazard a guess as to a grade because I believe this coin is a struck counterfeit. In fact it's probably one of the best I've ever seen, most likely from a group that came out of the middle east, with exquisite detail designed for the collector market. Here are a few close-up shots, that show some problems along the reverse edge, and some raised metal between Dollars and America on the reverse. The obverse edge is also problematic as it is not raised as it should be. The reeding is quite good, however there are some problem spots with some reeds extending too far. Overall, quite a piece of art in my opinion, but not a genuine coin. My guess is that the composition is very close to mint standards given the quality of it. Of course I have the advantage of viewing the coin in person, so I am not surprised that no one picked up on it, just goes to show the problems with buying from a scan and buying raw gold. Unless you can spot a fake, it's best to buy certified gold, at least then you would have some recourse if the company did certify a counterfeit. I am going to try to return this coin for a refund and if that doesn't work, I am open for suggestions on what to do with it!

[John Maben]

Judging by the image, "it aint right". Wrong color. Wrong luster. The look is too "soft" in certain areas, particularly the stars. It has a "fuzzy" look. I am not offering an official opinion here, just couldn't resist responding....

 

John

[BankNote1]

There looks to be a raised bump on Liberty's face. The raised bumps in the field also make me think the coin is a fake... Lib's hair also doesn't look right either...

[hammer-migration]

Not only is it a glaring fake, but the reason it looks so soft is because it's chocolate inside. You can even see right where the Gold foil is supposed to peel right off!!! Oldest trick in the book.

[jtryka]

There are also a number of tool marks that can be seen under a loupe, overall, it's a really high quality fake, but a fake nonetheless. Unfortunately, there is no chocolate that I could find.

[Oldtrader3]

Good fake! I just went over a couple my Libs and some of the lettering (i.e. the serif on the "R" in dollars is wrong, as is the "E" in UNITED). The hair, by the way, looks pretty good, same details in the strands. It certainly would fool a lot of people particularly with a scan, because color and tone in a scan can be pretty far off. Also, It is hard to see any raised details in a scan, which would be a dead give away. Looking more closely, it is easy to see some problems on the coin edges.

 

Nice trick! It is a very good copy! I do not believe that I have ever seen a $20 fake of this quality. You fooled us!

 

I think that any reputable dealer would take it back. If not, I would have it assayed, I guess and sell it for whatever gold content it has. I had a fake '86-S Morgan (fake mint mark) at one time and the dealer took it back and took the hit.

[jtryka]

I also compared it to my 1903 (Philadelphia, not San Francisco) and the other thing that stood out was an overall size difference on the eagle's tailfeathers. It's a good thing they didn't have such counterfeiting technology back in 1903! Also, I contacted the seller today, and I am returning the coin for a full refund, so it worked out fine and I am only out some postage.

[darktone]

I am glad to hear you are getting a refund. . I bet some of the lesser grading services would slab it! mike

[jtryka]

Yeah, if I got stuck with it I was thinking of sending it in to ACG, probably could have gotten an MS-65! Well maybe not, I am too honest for that and my conscience would have bothered me too much!

[darktone]

it would be fun to do just to see if it got slabbed! mike

[Oldtrader3]

Problem is, that in a ACG Holder, you would still be hard pressed to sell it. Glad that you are getting your money back. Whew, that was a close one. I am sure that you worried about it all weekend.

[jtryka]

My only worry was what to do with it. I didn't spend much over spot, so I wouldn't have been out much. But then what if I sell it as a fake and then someone buys it and tries to pass it off as genuine? Should I take out my trusty metal stamps and pound "copy" into the reverse? That was what was bugging me, now I just get to return the coin.

[wolfal-migration]

Looks good but, just as talkative said, it's hard to tell from a scan