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Fake Morgans from China

PostPosted: Fri Aug 30, 2013 2:31 pm
by Tourney64
Received a Morgan from a friend who just returned from China. He said the coin shops over there were selling fake Morgans and Peace dollars of all years. They were selling for $1 each. They look really good. I should be able to get a few more copies of them to help understand how to identify fake Morgans vs real. The one I received was an 1887-O. He coin weighs 26.4 grams vs. 26.73 normal weight. The coin shows a fair amount of wear. I ran a simple magnet over it and it didn't indicate any reaction to the magnet. When comparing to a real Morgan it is noticably thicker. When observing with a magnifying glass it doesn't have a smooth surface. Some of the stars on the obverse have spots of metal. The drop test comparing to a real Morgan is notably lower sounding.

I pulled a couple of Morgans from my inventory and believe I might have a fake I bought 9 years ago. It's surface is not smooth, slightly thicker, weighs 26.85 grams, and drop test is close, but not as high a ring as a real Morgan.

Here's a picture of the Chinese Fake Morgan:
Image