What do you guys think of this Morgan? 1 1

[Mr.Bill347]

I have an 1895 S Morgan dollar that a friend gave me. I’m wondering about Authenticity.

weight 25g

37.7 mm diameter

[VKurtB]

On 4/29/2023 at 12:22 PM, Mr.Bill347 said:

I have an 1895 S Morgan dollar that a friend gave me. I’m wondering about Authenticity.

weight 25g

37.7 mm diameter

Not at 25 grams.

[EagleRJO]

NG ... s/b 26.73g

[Sandon]

    I'm pretty sure that this is a counterfeit. It appears to be in AU condition and should weigh approximately its official weight of 26.73 grams. The legal tolerance was only 0.097 gram. Even if the weight were correct or I didn't know the weight, I'd still say that it is counterfeit for any or all of the following reasons:

   1. The detail on the devices and much of the lettering is indistinct or shallow, not clear and crisp.

   2. There appears to be extra metal beneath Liberty's eye.

  3. The reeding on the edge of the coin appears more worn than it should be for a coin in AU condition.

  4. The luster doesn't look like that on a San Francisco (or any other) Morgan dollar of this era.

  5. Apart from the one big nick on Liberty's chin, the coin doesn't have significant marks or abrasions typical of coins that were long stored in bags. The 1895-S Morgan dollar tends to be heavily bagmarked.

  6. The numerals in the date, especially the "5", don't look right. Here is what the date on my 1895-S Morgan dollar looks like, with the date on my 1895-O being quite similar, including the thin line between the ball and upright on the left side of the "5":

 

   To make informed judgments about the authenticity of coins, you need to know what the genuine ones look like!

[Coinbuf]

I am quite sure that is a counterfeit.

[Greenstang]

I usually just line up the 1 in the date with the denticle below it.  
If the centre of the 1 lines up with the centre of the denticle, then it is more than likely genuine.  
If the centre of the 1 is of to left of the denticle, then it is counterfeit.  Yours is to the left.

[J P M]

Sorry Bill, it is just to mushy plus it is under weight. 95 is also one of the premium years. 

[Mr.Bill347]

Thanks guys! I was pretty sure it was bogus when I weighed it , but it is not magnetic. At any rate what do you suppose I could make out of it?

a necklace

bury it in the neighbors garden

encase it in epoxy

make a wind chime out of it

super glue it to a monument

embed it a wood project as an inlay 

make a hood ornament for my lawn tractor

send it to Elon to leave on Mars

open to other suggestions 😆 

[EagleRJO]

On 4/29/2023 at 1:22 PM, Mr.Bill347 said:

I’m wondering about Authenticity ... weight 25g

On 4/29/2023 at 2:11 PM, EagleRJO said:

NG ... s/b 26.73g

That's a red flag, and sure enough right off the bat the date font is wrong.

[J P M]

On 4/29/2023 at 3:52 PM, Mr.Bill347 said:

Thanks guys! I was pretty sure it was bogus when I weighed it , but it is not magnetic. At any rate what do you suppose I could make out of it?

a necklace

bury it in the neighbors garden

encase it in epoxy

make a wind chime out of it

super glue it to a monument

embed it a wood project as an inlay 

make a hood ornament for my lawn tractor

send it to Elon to leave on Mars

open to other suggestions 😆 

I would put it in a airtight and use it as a example to show others.

[EagleRJO]

On 4/29/2023 at 2:49 PM, Greenstang said:

I usually just line up the 1 in the date with the denticle below it ... If the centre of the 1 lines up with the centre of the denticle, then it is more than likely genuine ... If the centre of the 1 is of to left of the denticle, then it is counterfeit.  Yours is to the left.

That's not a good indicator as the date for each Morgan die was hand punched and can vary considerably.  This is broken down into 7 date positions for VAMs including "Very Near", "Near", "Normal", "Far", "Very Far", "Low" and "High" dates.  Attached is an example of the first 4 date positions.

On 4/29/2023 at 3:52 PM, Mr.Bill347 said:

At any rate what do you suppose I could make out of it?

Super glue it to your friend's forehead while they are sleeping for giving you a counterfeit coin.  

Edited April 30, 2023 by EagleRJO

[EagleRJO]

On 4/29/2023 at 5:37 PM, J P M said:

I would put it in a airtight and use it as a example to show others.

He already has plenty of those [duck] 

[rrantique]

Bill all good ideas  I like wind chimes

[powermad5000]

Sorry but it is fake. If the 5 in the date didn't stick out enough, the details of the hair are mushy. The reeding is not full and crisp. The denticles are mushy. And the S mintmark does not look right to me.