Real or conterfeit? 1 1

[Mr.Bill347]

Is this genuine?

[RWB]

Is that a 1921 obverse? Maybe it's the very flat lighting....

[James Zyskowski]

Give it the magnet 🧲 and ring test. And a weight. 
Howdy Bill.  This is an adventure for me because I’m learning also 👍🏼

[Mr.Bill347]

On 3/5/2022 at 3:10 PM, RWB said:

Is that a 1921 obverse? Maybe it's the very flat lighting....

James and RWB I was watching it on Feebay so I wondered if I might take a shot at it. I don’t have an “O” Morgan 

[Mr.Bill347]

I noted the off center denticles on the obverse but not the reverse. Hmm.

[Woods020]

If it’s a fake it’s a darn good one. I will never say definitively from pics but it doesn’t look off to me. I may be missing something. 
 

With that said I would never buy a raw Morgan from eBay without both really good pics, which these aren’t great, and a return policy. As much as I want to believe this one is real, in reality raw Morgans and eBay are not a good combination. 

[Hoghead515]

It sure looks good but I dont want to say for sure. It will help to also look at the feedback and see if it is a reputable seller. I always check out the sellers on everything I buy on there anymore. 

Edited March 6, 2022 by Hoghead515

[Woods020]

Bill if you are looking for raw Morgans message me. I can probably beat EBay prices and I’ll stand behind all of them. Just be careful on eBay. Each day I’m in this hobby, especially now that I’m trying my hand at dealing a little, I get more and more jaded. Counterfeits and Artificial Toning are going to be the end of raw Morgan collecting. It’s sad. 

[powermad5000]

I just saw this post and tried to find the listing but I was unable to locate it. I did find another 1901 O Morgan from what I believe to be the same seller listed as #6049. If so the seller seems reputable. From your photos I would risk saying it is genuine. It is always a chance when buying a coin over the internet and not having it in hand to put it through the paces and weigh it on your own scale.

If I may share my buying policies on internet purchases, especially eBay, I follow my own set of rules. I have only had one fail for Altered Color years ago when I began collecting higher end coins and did not know that was something being done to coins to artificially enhance them.

1) Photos - In this day and age with the cameras on phones these days, and digital cameras in general, there is no excuse for poor quality, blurry, or poorly lit photos. Any seller trying to sell with poor photos is a hard no for me. Also, just one photo of the obverse and one of the reverse is not acceptable to me for raw coins. In addition, sellers who do not allow the zoom feature to be enabled in my opinion are hiding something and that is also a no for me. The other thing I look for is enhanced or juiced photos. If a seller has alot of coins for sale and they all look the same or similar in every photo, their photo editing should make you not want to buy. There are sellers who make every coin in their photos look like it was just coined by the mint. If the coins do not have a "natural" look in the photos, i.e. minor scratches, dings, typical surface for the details, I also will not buy them. Stock photos are also a hard no for me. You will not get the coin in hand that is in the photo.

2) Seller - The sellers numbers are a good indication. Is their feedback 99 or 100 percent? Check into their feedback before buying. Also, the number of feedback plays a role for me. I understand that every seller has to start at zero, but ones with zero feedback who are trying to sell say an 1893 S Morgan as their first sale is big red flag. Ones with a return policy are most likely legit and safer to buy from. Having tons of coins for sale is not a good indicator for me. Even a large seller can miss that they are selling a non genuine coin, but typically they also have the same return policy so the risk is very low you will be out your money if a coin ends up being non legit. Other sellers with massive numbers of coins for sale can "hide" fakes in their inventory so it helps to be familiar with the coin series you are looking to purchase. Of course, there are sellers such as Heritage Auctions and other larger auction houses that are already reputable that you can purchase from with no worry. Any seller listing in quantity is also a no for me. That also means I won't be getting the coin I see in the photo.

3) Coin - Expanding your knowledge is probably the most important. The more you learn and know, the less likely you are to get taken advantage of. Deals too good to be true are huge red flags. Low mintage number coins offered for immediate sale for "cheap" are a bad idea. Take your time! Scammers want to make a quick sale and then disappear. If your mind and your "gut" are trying to tell you something isn't right, it probably isn't right. Look at tons of the same coin before you buy. If you are used to seeing the same details over and over it helps "train your brain" to notice when something isn't right. Review what problems coins have. Worn coins that look shiny are polished or improperly cleaned. Copper cents can have artificial color so note that worn examples are probably not going to be smooth red in color. Environmental damage can be used to hide a fake. Take your time to look over every detail including features such as the denticles, shapes and placement of lettering and numbers, features known for that coin series, and evidence of alteration such as removal of mintmarks or changes to numbers in the date.

Once you get the coin, check everything. Make sure it was the one in the photos you saw. Check the rims for a coin that has been cut. Weigh the coin on a good scale. Go over all the same details with the best magnifier you can. Check it against another coin of the same type you know is genuine in a side by side. Anything that doesn't add up should cause you to either immediately return the coin, or take it to an expert for a second opinion.

Even the best of us coin guys can get burned, but to me having a structured set of buying rules can limit your risk of making a bad purchase.

 

[powermad5000]

I also forgot to mention one other turn off for me when buying coins on the internet. The more adjectives used in the description to describe the coin make me want it less. The coin should sell itself.

Descriptions stating how ULTRA RARE MEGA SUPER PQ TOP POP MASSIVE COLOSSAL BU MS++++++++++++++++ WOW LQQK ********************BEST EVER KING MUST OWN UNBELIEVEABLE PERFECT LOOKS PROOFLIKE NONE BETTER (add whatever else descriptive word you want) make me not want to buy.

[VKurtB]

On 3/6/2022 at 3:36 PM, powermad5000 said:

I also forgot to mention one other turn off for me when buying coins on the internet. The more adjectives used in the description to describe the coin make me want it less. The coin should sell itself.

Descriptions stating how ULTRA RARE MEGA SUPER PQ TOP POP MASSIVE COLOSSAL BU MS++++++++++++++++ WOW LQQK ********************BEST EVER KING MUST OWN UNBELIEVEABLE PERFECT LOOKS PROOFLIKE NONE BETTER (add whatever else descriptive word you want) make me not want to buy.

My biggest turn off about buying coins off the ‘net is … buying coins off the ‘net. I simply do not do it other than mint direct orders. I’m going to a show next week. If a coin catches my eye, and its price isn’t ridiculous, I may buy it. The Internet can “lie there and bleed” as far as I am concerned. 
 

I was going to drive the 1200+ miles to Colorado Springs, but low airfares, a surgery, and Putin Prices made that a no-go. American out, Southwest back. $113 each way. 

Edited March 6, 2022 by VKurtB

[powermad5000]

I would much rather buy a coin at a coin show or from a dealer so I can inspect it in hand, but certain coins are only going to be sold at online auctions and even the big auction houses allow proxy internet bids to compete with actual human beings in the room. If the seller has a rarely seen for sale coin and decides to sell it online, that may be the only way to get it unfortunately.

[J P M]

On 3/8/2022 at 1:04 PM, powermad5000 said:

I would much rather buy a coin at a coin show or from a dealer so I can inspect it in hand, but certain coins are only going to be sold at online auctions and even the big auction houses allow proxy internet bids to compete with actual human beings in the room. If the seller has a rarely seen for sale coin and decides to sell it online, that may be the only way to get it unfortunately.

I would also prefer to buy from a dealer or a show but trying to build a Nickel set that is not a exceptional or rare set would be crazy hard to find pieces and very time consuming. So I do a lot of looking online.  

[Gearhead]

I dont know I dont like the way the F in of looks so warn down and blotchy spot in God we trust. How can the f wear down at top if wing an edge are still good.  Same thing on the Liberty letters so light without other wear around the area.  No expert just my visual comment.