Possible Counterfeit SD from Ebay - and playing with my new coin microscope

DeepseekerADS

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I'm playing with my new toy, a Celestron Digital Microscope I found on Ebay for $79 and then bought from Amazon for $52....

The storyline....

This came in a group of Morgans, and I've never seen this type of corrosion before. It tested negative for silver on the acid test, but I'll give it a possibility that maybe it was the corrosion itself. I figure later on I'll take a file to the edge and see if the shavings test negative as well.

The obverse/reverse rotation appears to be correct.

Rubbing the coin, the surface feels like fine sandpaper. You can see the spot on the reverse where I acid tested the coin.

Here's the pics:

Image9.jpg

Image10.jpg
 

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DeepseekerADS

DeepseekerADS

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A close-up of the corrosion

Image8.jpg
 

jim4silver

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Apr 15, 2008
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I'm playing with my new toy, a Celestron Digital Microscope I found on Ebay for $79 and then bought from Amazon for $52....

The storyline....

This came in a group of Morgans, and I've never seen this type of corrosion before. It tested negative for silver on the acid test, but I'll give it a possibility that maybe it was the corrosion itself. I figure later on I'll take a file to the edge and see if the shavings test negative as well.

The obverse/reverse rotation appears to be correct.

Rubbing the coin, the surface feels like fine sandpaper. You can see the spot on the reverse where I acid tested the coin.

Here's the pics:

View attachment 1046478

View attachment 1046479


Try the "ring" test. Compare it to a known Morgan as similar as possible from your collection. The sound should be the same or very similar. If it is a fake the sound (and maybe weight) should give it away. I had a fake one I bought once that looked highly polished but ok unless you really looked at it and I found it by doing a "ring" test on all the Morgans I bought that day. It also weighed less than it should have once I put it on the scale.

Jim
 

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DeepseekerADS

DeepseekerADS

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Thanks Jim,

The weight is right, and the ring does sound right - but I'm wary of my hearing deficiencies. Not bad enough for a hearing aid yet, but still not near what it used to be.

I do note that when spinning it on a wooden desk along with 6 other Morgans, one at a time at the same general location, the 6 sound pretty much alike, but this one sounds a bit "darker" shall we say - a different tone.

I'm almost certain it is fake. Not really a problem though, I needed the experience with that to be more "attune" later. I wouldn't sell this for the world :)
 

Marchas45

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Well I have my new toy and no more counterfeits. Lol Keep Stacking

 

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DeepseekerADS

DeepseekerADS

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Well I have my new toy and no more counterfeits. Lol Keep Stacking

Looks like my "Silver Slide" is still in Malaysia!

I wouldn't run this dollar down it anyway! Be like sandpapering the surface of a new toy!
 

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DeepseekerADS

DeepseekerADS

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As an update, I filed some off the rim onto the stone and it tested positive for silver in the 90% range. So, the coin is unlikely to be counterfeit, as I'm aware that alibaba is selling 90% fakes - but they'd certainly never put one out as corroded as it is (or would they?).

So that still leaves the question as to how the heck would a silver coin end up corroded like this? It's like it developed a frosting. Later on I'll set up a little electrolysis bath and see if that will remove whatever is coating it. Maybe it's not actually "corroded" per se, but it's hard to say what it is.
 

Marchas45

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As an update, I filed some off the rim onto the stone and it tested positive for silver in the 90% range. So, the coin is unlikely to be counterfeit, as I'm aware that alibaba is selling 90% fakes - but they'd certainly never put one out as corroded as it is (or would they?).

So that still leaves the question as to how the heck would a silver coin end up corroded like this? It's like it developed a frosting. Later on I'll set up a little electrolysis bath and see if that will remove whatever is coating it. Maybe it's not actually "corroded" per se, but it's hard to say what it is.

Salt Water my friend, Salt Water. I have dug many of a silver coin that look like that. Keep Stacking
 

Davers

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So many needs , So little Money..
 

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