Fake Morgan Dollars at a Flea Market! How to identify fake coins.

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[@jefftidwell8783]

The silver alone is worth 20 dollars each . If they are selling 3 for 40 dollars that’s your first red flag.

[@Mike.The.Jeweler]

Melt on Morgan's is well over 20 now, for sure should've been biggest red flag

[@joshrockwell8913]

They actually sold 3 for 20$ the whatnot seller doubles whatever sale price is for the whatnot streamers profit

[@marcob.7801]

It's your ONLY and most ASSURED RED FLAG! Con men depend on human greed!

[@hubster4477]

Not if they dont know what they have. Like precious paintings found at garage sales.

[@lucasFranks-ex7kb]

4 is real ??

[@joseramirez1406]

I was dooped as well. I bought Morgans at the flea market. . Came home, and my buddy google said that Morgans must weight 26.73 g. Mine all weight 19 g. Paid $300 for a box of coins, dude put the Morgans on top about 10 of them. First time coin buyer. Lesson learned!

[@TheQuickSilver101]

I appreciate you going over this and I appreciate the other person for being willing to reach out and admit that they purchased counterfeit coins

[@swilliams937]

How to identify fake Morgan Dollars at a flea market: 1. They're at a flea market. 😉

[@mrsspegtacular6484]

😆

[@diegosuarez1563]

So true.

[@diegosuarez1563]

So true!

[@kingjoe3rd]

Not necessarily true. The ones in this video were easy to spot, plus you can test them before buying with an app, and anyone that won't allow you to obviously has something to hide.

[@lindathomas2350]

You have a good point there. I have bought sterling silver silverware at the flea market for almost nothing however. That pocket pinger sounds good to me!

[@ihustleforit]

Magnet test works the best and takes 2 seconds. 99% of the fakes stick to a magnet. The ones that dont usually can be found out by weight. Your methods are good too.

[@Yankeepride03]

Not true. Many of them are non magnetic 🧲

[@ihustleforit]

@@Yankeepride03 100% true. Ive had a shop since 2014 and 9 out of ten that come in are magnetic. I didnt say all but the majority certainly are. and again, when they arent, the weight is usually off.

[@rdioactvgmr]

@@ihustleforit Copper reacts to magnets the same way as silver. Copper and silver are ferromagnetic meaning, most fakes now are made of copper.

[@keywellcoinsmafiametals8726]

@ihustleforit most of these replicas coming from China are made of a brass or copper metal and don't stick. Not a 100% effective test for these, but yes generally a good easy test to do

[@ihustleforit]

@@keywellcoinsmafiametals8726 oh yeah i know....its just cheaper to do with the ferrous metals than the copper/brass but sure they definitely do use those as well but imo its even easier to tell. The best ones ive personally seen have been the older ones. Really the first thign should be is a magnet and that will eliminate 90% of the fakes...., after that a scale. rarely if ever, will they pass both, and if they do and they still dont look good i will just scratch it.

[@AppalachianHistoryDetectives]

I was at a Bazaar in Baghdad Iraq and a local had a box of these Morgan Dollars for sale for $10 each. They looked real but my buddy said they were all fake. He saved me some money that's for sure.

[@j.sayler6330]

The seller at the flea market is responsible for passing counterfeit money. If it's intentional, he's a criminal; if it's by mistake, he is too ignorant to be selling coins. At a minimum, the police should have confiscated them.

[@Kennylaggins]

Maybe if they were trying to use them as $1. Not as a collectible.

[@JohnHam-ge9kd]

the fucking police ,back the blue till it happens to you,to be counterfeit money it has to be in circulation at the time.itill you have ever been innocent and in a cage or"guilty"and in a cage you wont understand.

[@stuartmoore6310]

Sorry Karen, cops don't show up at flea markets to bust Mooks selling trinkets.

[@marianmoses9604]

I just encountered exactly such a seller in my town two days ago. He was selling key date fakes of Morgan’s and Mercury Dimes in fake PCGS slabs. All counterfeits from China. The BIG tip-off? The 1916-D PCGS MS63 Mercs were a real “bargain.” Stickered for $20.00! Lol 😂

[@davidross5169]

Old cash redgesters had a marble top to tap a coin on to test it.

[@JohnHam-ge9kd]

ive seen that ,but had no idea what it was for ,im 60

[@erichathaway8104]

The good ones "ring true" that's where the saying comes from

[@philipcarroll5199]

You can hear when they rub together that they are not silver. I have always been able to hear the silver tones even when they are dropped in my hand as change. Thank you for sharing and helping your viewers and the girl.

[@Spooky1862]

Exactly. 90% silver coins click when they make contact with each other; they don’t ring.

[@PHUCKyoutube689]

Growing up my dad had a vending machine business and he would use a coin counter, you could always hear the 90% when one would hit the stack. You could even hear the war nickles when one of those would drop down.

[@liquidelectrum]

Before garbage clad coins everyone knew the sound of silver. Just one more life skill we have lost as a nation.

[@alfredweaver5390]

Use a magnet to test if you don’t have a pocket pinger plus a set of electronic scales to check proper weight.

[@noicue8078]

Great video! Thank you for your time and for showing us quite a number of ways to protect ourselves against fakes. 👍🙏

[@Nancy-y8q1n]

if it's over the gram weight it's fake....remember coins don't gain weight

[@henryshockem9242]

I have one of those ring gadgets. I love it. Its great, I've never got burned while using it. That pocket pinger and a magnet will really improve your chances for not getting burned.

[@mrvrose9999]

Please be careful, some counterfeit coins will pass the Sigma test as they are made of real precious metals. I bought a fake Sovereign coin that was made of real 22k gold. The mint mark for the year of issue did not exist, it was never minted. That took a bit of research. I was able to return it two days later for a full refund.

[@1964catt]

If it's real gold keep it cause it's gold by itself not cause it's a coin

[@justinscott3001]

@@1964catt Depends on how much was paid for it....

[@TheAstilesus]

Good advice for a coin collector. If you're in it for the metal, it depends on what the spot price is.

[@JohnSmith-zw8vp]

Secret Service: Why don't you have a seat right over there...

[@Keith-rk4td]

Or get rid of the problem (Wish and Temu).

[@BaseK59]

they don't do shit about it

[@pietrocarruthers2137]

Lol, they don't even care about fake silver eagles, let alone fake Morgans

[@JohnSmith-zw8vp]

@@pietrocarruthers2137 There's even fake silver dimes/quarters!! This don't count as counterfeiting?

[@TheAstilesus]

@@pietrocarruthers2137 I think it is because the coins aren't used as currency, and they don't have enough resources to deal with the real counterfeit problem: foreign hundred-dollar bills.

[@Wyld1one]

Yeah I can hear the difference. The fake ones have a harsh high tone. I'd almost say like a sawtooth wave. The real silver one sounds more like a bell

[@getsmart2594]

@1:50 number 4 is the real one. I see its sharper numerals and sharper letters than the others and there is no dark background stain. A FEW MOMENTS LATER.......... @3:30.... right on ! I was correct. There are some other measurements that you can also look for manually. circumference, thickness and diameter. There are also die marks that are the same for many different FAKE COIN years, as to where they would of had different dies at the mint. - Great video, I am a novice and have bought a lot of bad coins for very good deals.

[@jacobg6528]

Finally a good comment lol. Why are people thinking number 5 was real?

[@HerbieRobinson]

Regarding your three coin test, you didn't need the magnets scale or sigma to know the 1902-O was not a genuine Mint product. The reverse is a pre 1901 New Orleans reverse with narrow wing gap, numismatists refer to it as a C3 reverse. Do some research on the micro-o contemporary circulating counterfeit family which are usually sterling silver and correct weight but many of them have incorrect reverses and can be more valuable than genuine Morgans.

[@liquidelectrum]

Watching 9 months after posting this video, I found some fakes today, and determined they were fake before I got scammed. The ping was too high, and the coin was too thin. The patina was too wrong. I’m glad I noticed the signs of a fake. I told the shop owner they were fake. It’s a crime to sell fakes. Always report it when you see it.

[@acousticshadow4032]

It's not that we can't HEAR the ping tone, it's that we have nothing to compare it to. Who sits around pinging their Morgans??? 🤔As far as having a pocket-pinger to test coins at shows ~ virtually all such coins are in some kind of holder, be it simple paper & staples or whatever. I don't believe the dealer is going to be down with, "Hey, mind if I take this Morgan out of its holder and give it a ping?". 🤨🤐

[@TheAstilesus]

Take a verified real morgan with you. A lot of fakes can be determined by visual comparison.

[@acousticshadow4032]

@@TheAstilesus ~ Perhaps with the obvious fakes. However, the alpha & numeric fonts can vary widely on real Morgans. Just check a good sampling of "cc" Morgans, and you'll see what I mean.

[@kingjoe3rd]

The 1882 one was what I picked, and it was right. My reasoning was because the rest had this weird dark color around the edges of everything which is indicative of someone purposefully trying to darken them, and the real one had a worn down face that is hard to fake without leaving mechanical marks.

[@TheAstilesus]

I picked number four because the font on the word liberty on the head band looked odd on all the rest. I usually take a real morgan for comparison, if I am looking for coins.

[@johnjacobs1625]

I thought Brass as soon as u Scratched it! You have a Good Eye SPEG! Cheers JJ

[@matchoo4050]

you could also jingle them in your hand. thats a good way to tell by listening.

[@williambones3487]

Did you know the old cash registers had a slab of marble above the drawer to test coins ?

[@bouncerslabrealnature9143]

We recently had a couple of folks try to sell us fake Morgan Dollars, 1923 peace dollars , gold Maple leafs, silver eagle coins, silver bars and Gold One ounce bars....All magnetic ⚠️😡Yes, everything was fake except the dimes , quarters and halves.

[@jacktupp4358]

0:25 - Paused for first impressions. Just at first glance, the two on the left look off. The one in the center - the patina looks "too good" like it was applied. Top right the off color(goldish sheen) is a little worrisome but it's my second choice because the ware looks very consistent. Bottom right is my guess for the real one. Love the flat dullness on the luster(or lack of luster) and the ware looks right.

[@cyberleaderandy1]

I bought a Morgan from a coin dealer at a street market in the UK. I'd gone a few yards when i realised it was a fake because the heads two sides werent in the correct relationship to each other. He gave me the money back but put it back on his stall. He knew it was fake but didnt care and was selling it as real.

[@Silvercrypto-xk4zy]

😮😢😠

[@robero11]

Just ordered 2 pingers. Thanks for the discount code 😊 Two for 60 with a $6.00 discount total $54.00

[@Spegtacular]

Let people know what kinda discount you got if you don’t mind. ❤️

[@BrianFolks]

I can hear silver coins in a cash register. Once heard a lady at the drugstore sticker hand in the dime a section and I heard some. I bought all of them off of her. She had no idea what they were.

[@TheOriginalDJMoses]

haha as soon as I heard the bell sound and the sustained decay of the sound I was like "I gotta go pick up some coins"!

[@RockReynolds]

I was very impressed by the "fakes". Glad I'm not a Coin Collector. --- Somebody had some very impressive "stamping Molds". --- Makes one wonder, "Where'd they get THOSE???"

[@georgerobinson9384]

They all come from China

[@maxf7351]

Hola. Am so glad to find a current vid made by an experienced & organized numismatist on this important topic. So many online sites selling Chinese mass produced fake silver coins/bullion at stupid low $, & new collectors & anyone looking to make a quick buck, or who aren't schooled on coin or silver unwittingly buying that stuff, we've got a steady supply of economy destroying fake bullion being injected directly into our economy's bloodstream. This vid shows that it may be more prolific than we hear about.

[@jenniferkline4196]

Also (because this is my second comment) lol If I ever feel like a coin is fake once,I educate myself a little more,I will also know who to send them to!!. I am so glad I found your channel!. I certainly appreciate you educating people like myself who is new an absolute rookie to this,but enjoy it so much with my three small grandkids❤

[@jamescabaniss5857]

So to test by hitting it to hear the sound, you HAVE to have a fake one.

[@airborne5642]

I saw coins overseas that were fake. The coins were noticeably lighter. They were sold at flea markets. One of my friends told me that they were produced for overseas markets.

[@steveparker8723]

I was looking at some Morgan dollars at a flea market yesterday. The guy had a few coins in the plastic envelopes and several collector and mint sets. I almost bought one of the Morgan dollars but something told me to walk away. I'm going to invest in one of the pocket pingers. Thanks for the educational video.

[@1080KaTa]

Generally, a sucker game, lose on the purchase, lose on the sale!😂

[@MoDzAudio]

Damn at the end I thought you struck gold for a minute there lol. Great video as always. This is what I learned from Flea Market sellers that sell coins, 1. there almost always fake or, 2. there that overpriced that your not gonna buy them anyway which is why I just never buy coins from Flea Markets.

[@KennethWhitman-o1p]

There is an online site named Temu. They sell made in China counterfeit 1878 Morgan's and another example is 2017 Silver American Eagle. I have examples of these. I wonder why law enforcement allows this company to continue to commit out and out fraud.

[@fredfritts3598]

Bought 200.00 dollars worth in China at a flea market one dollar apiece. They were inspected at customs and allowed in country. My son gave most of them away as gifts. He took two to a coin shop where they purchased them for? of money. The coin shop owner called me a few weeks later threating to sue as they were fakes. I know the value of fake ones now are much greater than what the coin shop paid 4 them.

[@regentraynor8443]

Wish u would have used calipers. They were right there. I have several that r 2.9mm thick n lots of people say they need b 2.4mm

[@dg-hughes]

I've never heard of a Morgan Dollar and then realized hey I have one. A relative had some coins and when they died my mom was given them and then gave them to me. It's 1883, I see it is an O series, the detail looks good to be as far as I can tell. It's quite dirty but I won't clean it. I smacked it and it gave a nice ringing sound. I also have two 1964 JFK half dollars.

[@davida2111]

The O means it was minted in New Orleans

[@charleshunziker7416]

When i was young banks gave them out at face value

[@pauldentler7127]

I'm a novice Morgan Dollar collector & picked out #4 almost immediately. I looked at the obvious gaps of the wing feather tips compared to the details exhibited by #4 & there was no comparison.

[@crazy4mopar]

Every Morgan and Liberty dollar coin I found at Kobe Swap Meet in San Diego was fake. Everyone

[@jimthompson9992]

Good information, as always, SpegTacular....the ring of REAL silver....so nice! Saving my pennies in the hope of getting a Sigma one day! Take care, be safe and God bless! 🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@drovoseg]

It's yellow inside, so these scammers they sell gold instead of silver, it's awful!

[@Spegtacular]

Hah I wish.

[@WWFCOHIO]

Love my pocket pinger… bought quite a bit off of eBay and only got 3 fakes 😅

[@joelmosier125]

Wow! Awesome information! Thank you so much for sharing your video.

[@Coins898]

1:36 No.2 and No.3 are the most suspicious of all since most counterfeited coins have a black outer surface and a cleaner inner surface

[@Woolfy_420]

Once you know the sound, looks and feel you don't need a machine

[@joerenaud8292]

I've had problems even with antique dealers who sell a lot of silver/gold coins, that sterling silver does in fact have magnetic properties, yes diamagnetism is real which means all metals have some measure of magnetic properties, just not the ferrite type. But of course antique dealers don't want to hear that kind of thing when it comes to selling sterling ware. They automatically dismiss any such claims when trying to prove to them silver does have magnetic properties.

[@joelp6197]

Thanks for the video, when she dropped the coins into her hand you could tell right off they were fake.

[@Spegtacular]

The sound was weird right? They also feel unusual in the hand. Dunno how to describe it but it’s different

[@MikeBarbarossa]

Knew it was 5. My method- look at the word 'states' on the coin The real one has a nice, aligned circular angle of the letters If you go back and look 1:38 the word "states' looks wonky and misaligned on it seems all the fakes made

[@jacobg6528]

@MikeBarbarossa It was number 4 though? Did you not watch him number them ? Called the 82 was real right as I saw it.

[@Ginzaloon]

lol quote of Q1 2024 “Some people are jerks and that’s how it works” hahahaha

[@rvalens2]

Real U.S. coins are impeccably minted. Sure, there are errors made, but the letters, numbers and stars on them are always sharp and clear. On fake coins, those elements are almost always malformed. Also, beware of coins that have unusual toning, weird "tin-like" looking sheen to them or "prickly feeling" reeded edges (all signs of fakes). I like to check my coins with a pocket pinger, a sliver slider, a digital scale and calipers. But after a while, you will get good enough at detecting fakes, you won't need them. By the way, I picked number 4 as the real coin as soon as he displayed them.

[@kaynef6637]

Hello @Speg hope you are having a great week

[@mebaugh1]

I picked the real one pretty easily. It had more realistic detail. I assume that wear does not happen perfectly uniformly as it appears on fake coins. The wear creates a 2D look, where the real coin seemed more 3d

[@Walter-wo5sz]

So why does the federal government allow the importation & sale of counterfeit currency? They seem to really pick and choose which laws to enforce and who they enforce them against.

[@silversharkc4666]

I love graded coins so had to get a Sigma.

[@mrsspegtacular6484]

It’s worth it in the long run!

[@sandienochs6132]

I bought a few of these in India, both the dealer and I knew they were fake. As a coin magician they present very well.

[@truthwatcher1621]

Yes. I got it right! I noticed the fake black ring around the face of the fakes.

[@markr.1984]

I got it right by guessing #4, it just looked right to my trained eye. I have quite a few real ones. Never fell for a fake.

[@monterreymxisfun3627]

More than 30 years ago, I bought a 1932 Quarter with a carefully glued on D at a flea market.

[@azurebluemidnight]

I test EVERYTHING with my Sigma. Trust but verify as Ronald Reagan stated 🇺🇸

[@SlavicCoffee]

The fake coins in the auction video doesn’t even sound like they’re silver..

[@TheGuitologist]

Great video!

[@kevinnugent223]

Really Interesting video. Thanks for showing us your methods .

[@marcp3461]

You can find good deals if you search hard enough. I did score a real 1889 Morgan part of a bezel for $5. Scammers try to put sky high prices all the time. Recently a guy tried offering a common circulated 1936 Walker in one of those cheap looking Americana sets. He wanted $20 and i said $8 and he got irate. 😂

[@melgoy2094]

I was in cambodia in 1994 after the new elections when the KR was tossed out. Some of the street vendors were selling a lot of old silver coins like these. I did not buy any of them

[@johnnymcneal5914]

Yes, I've seen those commercials for Morgan silver dollars.I was marrvery skeptical.I'm glad I never bought those things

[@DaveyD71]

I weight, ping and measure with a caliper all of my coins I buy. I haven't found a fake one yet.

[@astralclub5964]

I love my Sigma, especially when buying gold!

[@mikeconner7682]

Where can I get one of those Sigmas?

[@dannorsten6226]

Outstanding speg😊

[@mrsspegtacular6484]

He’s pretty awesome 😉

[@rm1042]

When silver oxidizes, it turns black. When dealing with old silver coins such as Morgan dollars, that's the first thing you should look for. If there is no oxidation, that's a huge red flag right there.

[@ericw3517]

Is nothing sacred anymore? I used to think $100 bills were the only things you really had to worry about. Now it's morgans, eagles, peace dollars, everything.

[@harryhumstone3149]

If I were buying coins I would use the second method I will have the testing instrument. This is a good video thank you for sharing

[@russriley3005]

I spotted the real one immediately. my mother was a bank teller in the 60s and my father was blind

[@darrellray5569]

#4 has some 'cartwheeling' in its finsh. If it were polished, it would have been harder to detect.

[@QbutNotTheQ]

They are counterfeit US coins, regardless. The patina is a giveaway.

[@marktemplin1159]

My guess was #4 before youbeben asked,,, just the diffence in color,,,, i have many silver coims and there is just something about silver,,,, it has a very unique way of oxidizing

[@bobcalderon2534]

Thanks for the advice.

[@justinross2656]

This is why most folks only buy graded coins and always check the numbers to make sure its authentic

[@HiPoint-ql3rs]

The edge on some of those is not reeded just smooth if the edge is worn smooth there would not be hardly anything on obverse or reverse.

[@williamguirl7735]

The look & weight will give most fakes away, then its the pinger, then a scale, seen so many more fakes in the last 6 years.

[@tommystacker3286]

Good vid Speg. Are there any visual clues that would let you know they are fake?

[@Spegtacular]

The fact that each one immediately looked like different thicknesses and Morgan seemed a little sloppy. The “perfect” toning on the one followed by the luster on the worn one. Several minor details became big red flags while I was watching the video live.

[@TheKOB2010]

I have several of those. They weigh 5 grams less then a real Morgan and some don't even have the eagle facing the right way. They do have some silver in them so they will pass a ping test.

[@ronbarnhardt5201]

Can buy the fakes for 2$ at the flea market. I have a couple that were given to me. A Peace dollar and a Morgan dollar. I know the sound was a cashier years ago. I would know when it hit the counter. Love the fact I had a unreliable coin shop next door. 👍

[@stoneangel777]

It would be interesting to know the origin and history of counterfeits.

[@marcob.7801]

BTW,.....the "pinger" thingy is a ripoff!

[@jimlewis5477]

My hearing must be off because I cannot distinguish the difference in sound. That is why I bought the Sigma. It isn't 100% though.

[@johnnyford9839]

There are a lot of sellers on ebay selling silver plated walking liberty coins. They throw in a BU in the description to legally cover their asses but sell at solid silver price...coins say .999 fine silver but are plated copper...Beware !!!

[@JM-gu3tx]

If you can't hear that high pitched sound, then you have hearing loss. 23% of Americans have hearing loss. It's a national disgrace and failure. This also prevents people from being able to do their jobs effectively and work in strategic industries involving life and death such as the military. And music is still played way, way too loud at venues and nobody does anythign about it. People are so clueless they don't even know at which decibel range permanent hearing loss occurs.

[@vaughna8702]

Definitely number 2! No doubt.

[@terrancenorris9992]

These coins are called "fakes" when, in fact they are counterfeits. U.S. Congress demonitized only one denomination of our money: The silver trade dollar was demonetized in 1876. I think the date it was remonetized by congress was 1985...

[@josephhodges9819]

They are only really counterfeit if the original maker made them to deceive but TEMU has lots of coins like this and the description says they are reproductions which means they were not made to deceive. The coins on TEMU are good for making jewelry for belt buckles, coins rings, and such.

[@swissenglishman7582]

Great vid! Thanks.

[@phoenixrising011]

Coin 4 is the real one. No need to ping. You can easily tell by looking at the rims and the stars. Look at the edges of the stars. They are sharper edged, ”straight down" strikes. Stars are more ”dome shaped” on fakes. Same with rims. Rim notches look like shit on the fakes. Some long, some short etc... Generally the entire rim just looks fat and sloppy. Zoom in and look. You'll see what I mean. It's very obvious once you know what to look for. At least obvious in this particular case.

[@TheAstilesus]

Also, the font for "Liberty" was off on all the fakes.

[@VictorPerez-uc5nj]

l will use the 800 dollar better thank you for the video

[@conrad4667]

The fakes all have LIBERTY filled in with dark toning.

[@hagbard72]

pocket pinger cost me $50 here in Canada and no supplied apps

[@LatimusChadimus]

Why was it $50? That app is free but if you want they have to do what it used to do plus more you have to pay for it now

[@tylerdouble8721]

I have a fake 1882 Morgan silver dollar. It didn't cost me anything. The dealer just gave it to me. The dead give away on the fake Morgan is that it has a yellow looking color around the edge of the coin. I think # 5 is fake.