Not that surprised that scammer would fake half dollars. It's a well liked product that has some good value. I am surprised they would waste their time on dimes!
Heck were even starting to see dimes and qtrs if you can fit a couple in each roll the profits add up and most people don’t check constitutional that much
The issue is density. Since all metals have different densities, to make the coin the proper weight and diameter, something else has to give...and in this case, it was the thickness.
can also be faked by having hollow interior. always use multiple tests: sound, weight, dimensions, density, magnet slide, careful looking at borders. What we have to remember is that a fake need to make some shortcut somewhere. For exemple silver is the most conductive metal, so magnet slide (use a siver slide) is great because even pure copper cannot make it. Also ice test: silver has the highest thermal conductivity as well.
Counterfeiters driven to desperation?? Can't imagine faking a 50-cent piece, whether there's supposed to be silver or not. Worse than counterfeiting a one dollar bill.
Man this is very disturbing. With silvers’ value going up & finally being realized, I suppose we can’t be surprised that this is happening with more frequency. It’s up to us to do our own DD on what we purchase. Thanks for shedding more light on this issue!!
@@stevelauda5435 they probably made them thereselves. Maybey they are on "the inside" and have have the knowledge and accsess to the tools needed for such a thing
Liked the video, but disliked the situation with the "coins". Even though we know they're fake, it would be interesting to see them cut in half, to see the whole cross section of them.
Hey Speg! Great video...very eye opening as I've been stacking half dollars hard over the last year or so! I would have NEVER thought about fakes in that group. Thanks for all you do for the stacking community!
Good question. Most of my Kennedy's tested find on the 1960 setting. However, a handful had the cursor outside the bracket to the right. (They all passed the ping test and weight test.) When changing the setting to pre 1945 (as Speg video displays) the "questionable" Kennedy's had the cursor within the brackets. Overall, although there shouldn't be a disparity on such a device, testing in other ways, and having a trained eye helps.
The "Ring" is an indication of purity and high pressure stamping (Forging). Forging knocks out impurities and trapped air from the metal. A long time ago someone showed me this on a set of crankshafts; one cast, one forged, he tapped each with a socket and the cast crank went "ding" while the forged crank gave a long sustained ring. I use this process to verify gun slides and frames to verify they are forged.
This is yet another reason I avoid "bargains" when purchasing Silver and Gold coins online. It may increase my cost-per-ozt, but by only using the very best of sellers (even on EBay there are sellers with 100% feedback and high sale volumes). But trying a seller that doesn't have that great reputation may just be a suckers bet, and I have no time for that. It's amazing what people will do for a quick buck!
They almost always use brass for fakes. I'm a little disappointed at the Sigma tester. I feel like you should be able to put any coin on there and get a composition from them. So, it's only good for U.S. silver coins and it miss reads 40%ers. What happens if you put an 80% Canadian dollar on it?
I now have a good metal detector that discriminates between metals. They can coat copper coins in silver and play all sorts of tricks, but the detector doesn't lie.
The Franklin weighs perfect but the thickness of it is a little shy. So, with that being shown...a worn coin doesn’t always prove any type of silver loss.
Thank you for the video. Gave me something to do today with pinging over $700 fv 90%'s. Didnt find a single fake but great information for all stackers new and old.
Great ! ... Now everytime I get junk silver, I'm gonna be freaking out ! .. I thought it was the one thing I didn't really have to worry about..Thanks !
That is really scary. I hadn't seen fake constitutional half dollars until today. I this really puts a highlight on the need for me to make getting a sigma machine a priority (I already have a scale and caliper). Thank you for all that you do for the community, sir. 👍🏻
I was typing out my comment "What next, counterfeit Roosevelt dimes?" and about 5 seconds later you mentioned their existence! Scary stuff, especially when the coin pretty much matches the proper weight and diameter, and is not magnetic.
It sounds like they were silver plated, so I take it those would go into a melt bin? or would it make more sense to just toss, or maybe go in for chemical processing?
Faked = Counterfeit, state and federal felonies. Over 15 years ago I arrested a vendor, at one of the local swap-meets, for sale of counterfeit silver dollars. He was also selling counterfeit Calif. DMV year stickers, vehicle titles and license plates. Some crooks will deal in only one type of counterfeit item, and others will deal in other counterfeit items, beside those items listed, I have also come across those who sold counterfeit Rolex watches, Levi's, perfume, vehicle license and VIN plates, etc. Added: as far as coins and bullion goes I only buy Canadian SML's, and Sunshine Mint rounds, because of the security features. I also buy 90% silver from only three of the major on-line vendors - I have never had a problem with them. THANK YOU for the info on the counterfeit 1/2 dollars!
Nice vid. A cheapie usb microscope is also helpful for spotting some fakes. Two of the halves looked grainy in the vid, how did they look in person? My LCS once showed me a fake Peace dollar that almost stopped my heart. It was like a 10 second panic attack, lol
A strong earth magnet can repel and move a real silver coin, which is diamagnetic when placed it a little over the coin flat on the table. I do it with the edge using a round earth magnetic. With a bar earth magnet I drag the bar close to the coin without touching to make it move.
First it was the look of the 3 suspect coins. But it became really obvious as you started to gingerly drop them down against each other on the table: they didn't make that distinctive sound of high silver content coins. Its so distinctive. The fact that a simple quick weigh in could fool someone, especially someone who had a whole roll of 64s say, is scary. The moral of the story is to do multiple tests on all newly acquired silver coins.
Short story. Went to the bank looking for halfs. Was able to pick some up. Got home and was looking through them. I found one that was cut in half and re-assembled. In the middle was some sort of symbol and it looked to be a chip. Crazy!!!!
you should try using a magnet slide.. I have one and it works well.. Copper/nickel will slide down fast. Steel will stick to the magnets. and silver will slide down slowly.. they are available on ebay..
I never sweat about the weight or wear of constitutional because I never purchase them by the weight, nor sell them by the weight either. Great video buddy!
Rightio! Offer them in trade at face value! If you pay your local gardener Five Silver Dollars to rat out some bushes around your house he is legally obliged to declare that FIVE DOLLARS FACE VALUE as taxable income.
I’m really curious if the Sigma Metalytics Pro Mini would also be fooled by the 40% post 1964 coin. Do you know? Also, did you ever slide your magnet down the side of the fake Kennedy coins to see if the magnet slides slowly? Seems to me based on this video that the ping test was best low cost test. So is the Pro Mini worth its high price tag? Great channel…Thanks you..
With junk silver that has no numismatic value you can do a silver acid test. Do a few scratches from the rim on to a scratch test stone. Then pore the acid on the scratches. The scratches turn reddish and you know you have silver. If no change in color you have fakes. The scratch stone often comes with the acid or costs very little.
I went into an Antique mall that has a couple of coin booths in it and the one guy was selling a counterfeit 64 for $5. NO WAY am I going to touch that. You would think it would be against the law. JJ
I just have 3 gold plated Kennedy 40%. I magnet sticks to them although no very strongly……but it does stick. I’m guessing they are fake. What are your thoughts? Thanks.
Maybe I've got a keen eye or maybe I'm full of myself, but my first thought was, "Shallow relief on those Kennedy halves." Then I was suspicious of the edge when you handled one. Likely yellow brass from the color of your scratch. Well done, & thanks!
Really interesting. I just bought ⅓ of a bag of 64 Kennedys from a local coin shop. I'm looking forward to putting each and every one of them - AND my coin dealer to the test!
One thing that I have came across on fakes is the lube used in the press, those people most often apply used oil and grease to the dies to make the fake coins. This lube is about tough to remove from the edges and anywhere a design is. Often to remove the lube you remove the finish.
Ok, I've watched the whole video now. Looks like I'm going to pull all my halves and test them, lol. If I may make a suggestion, get or build yourself a magnet slide. There are a couple of sellers on eBay. It is better than simply using one of those little magnets and see if they stick. You can definitely see the difference in speed with a lot of fakes when they are sliding down the magnet slide VS a real silver coin. Now, you yourself probably don't need one, since you have the Sigma machine (I have one also), but a lot of people aren't going to pay $700+ for a Sigma, and the magnet slides are around $50 on eBay, so a lot of your viewers might be interested. Keep stacking, and thanks for the video.
@@throwachair YT won't let me add an eBay link in a reply. Just look up "magnetic coin slide" on eBay. The seller I bought from is "davyusa". I have no affiliation with him other than buying that one product from him.
That yellowish stain is likely citric acid residue, or similar acid. I worked cleaning gas tanks and repairing them, citric acid leaves a very similar staining if not throughly cleaned out.
65 to 70 Kennedys are not 40% silver alloy but instead they are 80% clad over 21% silver core giving different properties for the machine to test as opposed to a solid 40% silver coin or 80% coin as well.
This is sad. I thought the forge silver don't include the continental silver, but apparently I am totally wrong. That's also a Federal offense because is forgering U.S. currency and I hope who did this face federal prisons
The color is what tipped me off, they didn't look right. The B in LIBERTY seems at the wrong angle also... curved lettering is harder to get perfect, but it was into the vid and really looking at it that I noticed that. A note on the scale, I've found it's best to hit the "tare" button and reset zero between weighings.. less of an issue with something heavier like halves, but can have more effect on accuracy if say.. determining Cu or Zn 1982 pennies.
Yes. I've had APMEX send me a '65 in a roll once! I personally roll my dimes in rolls of 56 so I open mine.... I couldn't necessarily prove it so i never called them but it happens
Awesome video. The Sigma is also great for testing slabbed or other sealed coins that you cant get accurate weight or dimensions due to the packaging. Good stuff here. Thanks for sharing.
Just received a fake 1904 S Morgan on EBay. Thought it looked “too good” in a different sort of way for an old coin too. Way overweight too. Thanks for the video.
Nice video, very educational! Maybe You should contact with somebody who makes hand poured ingots and ask them to convert some of the fake coins into whatever-metal bars (or some SpegTacular souvenirs). Watching fake coins melting would be enjoyable :)
If William has a good relationship with his LCS, they may do the analytics for you if you ask, but probably not before you buy, just bring something in and ask if they can test it
I just subscribed to your channel. Should have done so sooner. I saw a video a while back that showed how to measure specific gravity of coin using a scale and a small plastic cup filled with water. By suspending the coin with a fine thread and measuring the weight of the water filled container both before and after immersing the coin, they were able to determine the specific gravity. The trick was to suspend the coin in the water without allowing it to tough the side or bottom of the container. Using the bottom half of a plastic soda bottle made a great light weight and thin container. Are you familiar with technique?
@@Spegtacular I actually came across a video after I sent you this question that you did 3 years ago demonstrating how to do this. I guess it’s all relative about how much time it takes. I’m trying to convince myself that a Sigma Pro Mini is worth the investment. I’m not a big stacker, but at near $2000 per ounce for a Double Eagle, it’s worth considering. The question is: What does the Pro series offer above what the original Metalytics analyzer - like the one you own - other than Specific Gravity? I’m surprised Sigma hasn’t gifted you a Pro after all the advertisement you’ve done for their products.
Magnet slide trick and what Speg says, silver has a richer very resonant tone. FYI if you have a small flat magnet it will slowly slide off a silver coin at an angle as if it wants to stick but just can’t quite.
I have a 1964 Kennedy half dollar. It passed the magnet and magnet slide test, it passed the ping test, thickness is fine, and it looks really well kept (Almost too perfect). The edges also look pretty authentic. But when I test the weight, it's at 12.00g. I guess I have a fake coin, maybe? I'd appreciate if someone would give me their thoughts, thanks!
Without looking at the entire video, the 1964's at 1:43 and 1:48 dont look right so I'd say they are 2 of the fakes. Edit: Yup. Edit 2: Those werent very good fakes if someone like me was suspicious after only a first glance.
The flip/spin test works fantastically. And the magnet movement test as well. Not im not talking about magnet sticking test. Silver will slide on a flat slick surface if you run a powerful neodymium magnet just above it. The fake brass coins coming out of china will not.
That machine does not have a setting for the 40 percent but it does let you know if they're silver. They don't seem to allow for folks not knowing a 1966 half isn't 90 percent. I'm surprised it doesn't mention it in the literature. It simply tells you that the 1966 half is really silver.
Most people don't know it but a lot of presidents try to emulate President Lincoln to the point where many presidents have or had cauliflower ears from just many wrestling matches in the oval office in fact there's a picture of the desk with a big chunk out of the corner where I think it was Roosevelt was tossed after doing a Superman and just crushed I'm trying to remember you know how the mind goes when these stories start flying
I sell on eBay once in a while. There are some very good sellers out there, you just have to look for them. FYI...the good sellers seldom have any bargains. Purchased one or 2 silver coins and had good luck so far.
That is downright unsettling that there are fake half dollars out there.
Not that surprised that scammer would fake half dollars. It's a well liked product that has some good value. I am surprised they would waste their time on dimes!
That's the point
Wow. I have never seen the fakes get into the silver half dollars. The halves are getting valuable enough to fake.
Heck were even starting to see dimes and qtrs if you can fit a couple in each roll the profits add up and most people don’t check constitutional that much
They are good... nice 1804 would be nice for $3 LOL
How come the princess with the Morgan dollar is more sharper and last longer then the silver dollar,
The higher Silver gets, the more fakes we will probably see coming out of Communist China.
The issue is density. Since all metals have different densities, to make the coin the proper weight and diameter, something else has to give...and in this case, it was the thickness.
can also be faked by having hollow interior. always use multiple tests: sound, weight, dimensions, density, magnet slide, careful looking at borders. What we have to remember is that a fake need to make some shortcut somewhere. For exemple silver is the most conductive metal, so magnet slide (use a siver slide) is great because even pure copper cannot make it. Also ice test: silver has the highest thermal conductivity as well.
I can't believe how good those FAKES are! Except the one with the brush strokes.
I'm not convinced. The details of the fake coin are obviously kind of blurry and smooth compared to the crisp details of the real one.
Counterfeiters driven to desperation??
Can't imagine faking a 50-cent piece, whether there's supposed to be silver or not.
Worse than counterfeiting a one dollar bill.
Man this is very disturbing. With silvers’ value going up & finally being realized, I suppose we can’t be surprised that this is happening with more frequency. It’s up to us to do our own DD on what we purchase. Thanks for shedding more light on this issue!!
They also have a different look/strike compared to 1964s. Those look maybe like 80s-90s strike 🤷♂️
I spotted the fake kennedys easily. But ive been doin this for a while. I could tell by the finish and the color
Same here, but i want to know how they are getting the dyes to stamp them out .
@@stevelauda5435 they probably made them thereselves. Maybey they are on "the inside" and have have the knowledge and accsess to the tools needed for such a thing
Liked the video, but disliked the situation with the "coins". Even though we know they're fake, it would be interesting to see them cut in half, to see the whole cross section of them.
Hey Speg! Great video...very eye opening as I've been stacking half dollars hard over the last year or so! I would have NEVER thought about fakes in that group. Thanks for all you do for the stacking community!
Thank you so much for your support, Dan!
For 1964 Kennedys, do you test on "Pre 1945" setting or "1960" setting? Mine tested good for the Pre 1945 setting but tested bad for the 1960 setting.
Good question.
Most of my Kennedy's tested find on the 1960 setting. However, a handful had the cursor outside the bracket to the right. (They all passed the ping test and weight test.)
When changing the setting to pre 1945 (as Speg video displays) the "questionable" Kennedy's had the cursor within the brackets.
Overall, although there shouldn't be a disparity on such a device, testing in other ways, and having a trained eye helps.
The "Ring" is an indication of purity and high pressure stamping (Forging). Forging knocks out impurities and trapped air from the metal.
A long time ago someone showed me this on a set of crankshafts; one cast, one forged, he tapped each with a socket and the cast crank went "ding" while the forged crank gave a long sustained ring. I use this process to verify gun slides and frames to verify they are forged.
This is yet another reason I avoid "bargains" when purchasing Silver and Gold coins online. It may increase my cost-per-ozt, but by only using the very best of sellers (even on EBay there are sellers with 100% feedback and high sale volumes). But trying a seller that doesn't have that great reputation may just be a suckers bet, and I have no time for that. It's amazing what people will do for a quick buck!
They almost always use brass for fakes. I'm a little disappointed at the Sigma tester. I feel like you should be able to put any coin on there and get a composition from them. So, it's only good for U.S. silver coins and it miss reads 40%ers. What happens if you put an 80% Canadian dollar on it?
It has a setting for 80% coins.
@@jodyclark7527Yes but not for 40 or 10 percent coins. It is a great device for a collector and you get what you pay for.
@@coin.guy8411 True.
I now have a good metal detector that discriminates between metals. They can coat copper coins in silver and play all sorts of tricks, but the detector doesn't lie.
The Franklin weighs perfect but the thickness of it is a little shy. So, with that being shown...a worn coin doesn’t always prove any type of silver loss.
Thank you for the video. Gave me something to do today with pinging over $700 fv 90%'s. Didnt find a single fake but great information for all stackers new and old.
Great ! ... Now everytime I get junk silver, I'm gonna be freaking out ! .. I thought it was the one thing I didn't really have to worry about..Thanks !
That is really scary. I hadn't seen fake constitutional half dollars until today. I this really puts a highlight on the need for me to make getting a sigma machine a priority (I already have a scale and caliper). Thank you for all that you do for the community, sir. 👍🏻
Other metals cant PING like silver
That's crazy, very discouraging, and scary. I can't afford a PM verifier. I do use a diamagnetic/magnet slide test so I hope that works.
Very easy to hear the higher silver pitch vs the lower fake pitch when dinged.
I was typing out my comment "What next, counterfeit Roosevelt dimes?" and about 5 seconds later you mentioned their existence! Scary stuff, especially when the coin pretty much matches the proper weight and diameter, and is not magnetic.
The FED mints coins now i guess. lol.
😂 amazing
Hahaha
It sounds like they were silver plated, so I take it those would go into a melt bin? or would it make more sense to just toss, or maybe go in for chemical processing?
And with times as they are i won't be surprised if there's an uprise in counterfeits
I can hear the difference, but that is still scary at how close those fakes were to looking real.
Faked = Counterfeit, state and federal felonies. Over 15 years ago I arrested a vendor, at one of the local swap-meets, for sale of counterfeit silver dollars. He was also selling counterfeit Calif. DMV year stickers, vehicle titles and license plates. Some crooks will deal in only one type of counterfeit item, and others will deal in other counterfeit items, beside those items listed, I have also come across those who sold counterfeit Rolex watches, Levi's, perfume, vehicle license and VIN plates, etc.
Added: as far as coins and bullion goes I only buy Canadian SML's, and Sunshine Mint rounds, because of the security features. I also buy 90% silver from only three of the major on-line vendors - I have never had a problem with them.
THANK YOU for the info on the counterfeit 1/2 dollars!
Nice vid. A cheapie usb microscope is also helpful for spotting some fakes. Two of the halves looked grainy in the vid, how did they look in person?
My LCS once showed me a fake Peace dollar that almost stopped my heart. It was like a 10 second panic attack, lol
Swiped
A strong earth magnet can repel and move a real silver coin, which is diamagnetic when placed it a little over the coin flat on the table. I do it with the edge using a round earth magnetic. With a bar earth magnet I drag the bar close to the coin without touching to make it move.
First it was the look of the 3 suspect coins. But it became really obvious as you started to gingerly drop them down against each other on the table: they didn't make that distinctive sound of high silver content coins. Its so distinctive. The fact that a simple quick weigh in could fool someone, especially someone who had a whole roll of 64s say, is scary. The moral of the story is to do multiple tests on all newly acquired silver coins.
Could the 40% problem be because it is made with a clad planchet with a different percentage of silver in the inner and outer layers?
Damn it , now I have to go down to my secret dungeon pull out all my halves for testing .
Short story. Went to the bank looking for halfs. Was able to pick some up. Got home and was looking through them. I found one that was cut in half and re-assembled. In the middle was some sort of symbol and it looked to be a chip. Crazy!!!!
Very crazy. Show me a photo
Please share
My bank said that they didn't have any. 🤨
You ought to take one of them to the coinguy and see if he thinks they are fake right off the bat. Since they are pretty good fakes and all.
you should try using a magnet slide.. I have one and it works well.. Copper/nickel will slide down fast. Steel will stick to the magnets. and silver will slide down slowly.. they are available on ebay..
I never sweat about the weight or wear of constitutional because I never purchase them by the weight, nor sell them by the weight either. Great video buddy!
Rightio! Offer them in trade at face value! If you pay your local gardener Five Silver Dollars to rat out some bushes around your house he is legally obliged to declare that FIVE DOLLARS FACE VALUE as taxable income.
Scary indeed! The surface is so flat...what I like of Kennedys is the convex surface
Dang it Speg! Now I gotta check my halves. I never would’ve thought anyone would go to the trouble of faking halves. Thanks for the info😎
I know, right? It seems the time it would take would be worth more than what it is.
I’m really curious if the Sigma Metalytics Pro Mini would also be fooled by the 40% post 1964 coin. Do you know? Also, did you ever slide your magnet down the side of the fake Kennedy coins to see if the magnet slides slowly? Seems to me based on this video that the ping test was best low cost test. So is the Pro Mini worth its high price tag? Great channel…Thanks you..
I’m not sure. I’ve got zero experience with the mini
Thanks for the info. Its crazy that those 40% passed every test until the machine. I could see a lot of people getting scammed by those.
90% I only used the 40% to show that the sigma would fail when using them on it.
With junk silver that has no numismatic value you can do a silver acid test. Do a few scratches from the rim on to a scratch test stone. Then pore the acid on the scratches. The scratches turn reddish and you know you have silver. If no change in color you have fakes. The scratch stone often comes with the acid or costs very little.
The ding test works really good but not too many people want you to ding their coins before you buy them
Why? There is no damage to the coin from doing a ping test.
@@KonaChuck22 good ahead and ding a MS70 coin of someone's and watch all the blood leave their face
I went into an Antique mall that has a couple of coin booths in it and the one guy was selling a counterfeit 64 for $5. NO WAY am I going to touch that. You would think it would be against the law. JJ
I just have 3 gold plated Kennedy 40%. I magnet sticks to them although no very strongly……but it does stick. I’m guessing they are fake. What are your thoughts? Thanks.
I just bought a roll of au 64 halves. 2 of them only weigh 12.3 grams. Should I be worried?
Crazy they fake silver halves. From what I've seen eBay is cracking down on fake ASEs. They're not everywhere anymore.
Thank you for making these videos! As collectors or stackers we must be vigilant . 👍
Thank you for watching, Ontario100!
Maybe I've got a keen eye or maybe I'm full of myself, but my first thought was, "Shallow relief on those Kennedy halves." Then I was suspicious of the edge when you handled one. Likely yellow brass from the color of your scratch. Well done, & thanks!
Really interesting.
I just bought ⅓ of a bag of 64 Kennedys from a local coin shop.
I'm looking forward to putting each and every one of them - AND my coin dealer to the test!
One thing that I have came across on fakes is the lube used in the press, those people most often apply used oil and grease to the dies to make the fake coins. This lube is about tough to remove from the edges and anywhere a design is. Often to remove the lube you remove the finish.
Ok, I've watched the whole video now. Looks like I'm going to pull all my halves and test them, lol. If I may make a suggestion, get or build yourself a magnet slide. There are a couple of sellers on eBay. It is better than simply using one of those little magnets and see if they stick. You can definitely see the difference in speed with a lot of fakes when they are sliding down the magnet slide VS a real silver coin. Now, you yourself probably don't need one, since you have the Sigma machine (I have one also), but a lot of people aren't going to pay $700+ for a Sigma, and the magnet slides are around $50 on eBay, so a lot of your viewers might be interested. Keep stacking, and thanks for the video.
do you have a link for a slide ? on ebay or amazon please ?
@@throwachair YT won't let me add an eBay link in a reply. Just look up "magnetic coin slide" on eBay. The seller I bought from is "davyusa". I have no affiliation with him other than buying that one product from him.
@dave lee Haha, are you "davyusa"? If so, your coin slide works great. ;-) See, I didn't fall off the turnip truck yesterday, that was last week. ;-)
That yellowish stain is likely citric acid residue, or similar acid. I worked cleaning gas tanks and repairing them, citric acid leaves a very similar staining if not throughly cleaned out.
sigma metalytics precious metal verifier. pricey ($700) but worth it for huge collections. stack high.
Hard to believe 90% is faked. Crazytown! Love using the Sigma to test precious metals. Good stuff.
65 to 70 Kennedys are not 40% silver alloy but instead they are 80% clad over 21% silver core giving different properties for the machine to test as opposed to a solid 40% silver coin or 80% coin as well.
This is sad. I thought the forge silver don't include the continental silver, but apparently I am totally wrong. That's also a Federal offense because is forgering U.S. currency and I hope who did this face federal prisons
The U in United on the 1 oz could be off. Not sure what year it changed to include a little tail.
I must admit, I would not have expected the Kennedy's to be faked as much as the Bengies or Liberty's.
The '64 Kennedy lends itself well to counterfeiting, as it is relatively common.
The color is what tipped me off, they didn't look right. The B in LIBERTY seems at the wrong angle also... curved lettering is harder to get perfect, but it was into the vid and really looking at it that I noticed that. A note on the scale, I've found it's best to hit the "tare" button and reset zero between weighings.. less of an issue with something heavier like halves, but can have more effect on accuracy if say.. determining Cu or Zn 1982 pennies.
I had a fake silver morgan dollar coin once, it was hollow with a loose heavy piece in side.
Those are good fakes. A lesson for us to check the rolls/bags when we buy in bulk.
Yes. I've had APMEX send me a '65 in a roll once! I personally roll my dimes in rolls of 56 so I open mine.... I couldn't necessarily prove it so i never called them but it happens
@@LatimusChadimus good idea. I also re-roll to fill a paper roll.
Awesome video. The Sigma is also great for testing slabbed or other sealed coins that you cant get accurate weight or dimensions due to the packaging. Good stuff here. Thanks for sharing.
Just received a fake 1904 S Morgan on EBay. Thought it looked “too good” in a different sort of way for an old coin too. Way overweight too. Thanks for the video.
This is very upsetting yet i appreciate the feedback. I got some work to do in checking my coins now...
Nice video, very educational! Maybe You should contact with somebody who makes hand poured ingots and ask them to convert some of the fake coins into whatever-metal bars (or some SpegTacular souvenirs). Watching fake coins melting would be enjoyable :)
I noticed you didn't use the 1960 setting when you checked the Kennedys. I wonder if the fakes came any closer to the brackets on that setting.
I know this is old but I was so glad to find out those ASE were real! The milk spot is what would make me think real.
this thickness popped out to me right away. a little tough with the ping on those ones. i'm off to ping coins for the next 2 hours. great video.
If William has a good relationship with his LCS, they may do the analytics for you if you ask, but probably not before you buy, just bring something in and ask if they can test it
I just subscribed to your channel. Should have done so sooner. I saw a video a while back that showed how to measure specific gravity of coin using a scale and a small plastic cup filled with water. By suspending the coin with a fine thread and measuring the weight of the water filled container both before and after immersing the coin, they were able to determine the specific gravity. The trick was to suspend the coin in the water without allowing it to tough the side or bottom of the container. Using the bottom half of a plastic soda bottle made a great light weight and thin container. Are you familiar with technique?
I’m familiar with it. It’s a pain and if you’re doing multiple pieces, you’ll be stuck in one spot forever
@@Spegtacular I actually came across a video after I sent you this question that you did 3 years ago demonstrating how to do this. I guess it’s all relative about how much time it takes. I’m trying to convince myself that a Sigma Pro Mini is worth the investment. I’m not a big stacker, but at near $2000 per ounce for a Double Eagle, it’s worth considering. The question is: What does the Pro series offer above what the original Metalytics analyzer - like the one you own - other than Specific Gravity? I’m surprised Sigma hasn’t gifted you a Pro after all the advertisement you’ve done for their products.
Magnet slide trick and what Speg says, silver has a richer very resonant tone. FYI if you have a small flat magnet it will slowly slide off a silver coin at an angle as if it wants to stick but just can’t quite.
Are they silver plated im interested to know wether they test out silver with acid
Video started with visual inspection which failed. What, visually, were the problems?
They had an odd colorization if you noticed that. They’re very white and swiped with color.
Fake halves, geez! Thanks for sharing! 👍
My first visual analysis before measuring was the thickness was way off
yeah, like 15% thicker, easy to spot
@@pablomalaga4676 that’s how they got the weight close to normal.
I have a 1964 Kennedy half dollar. It passed the magnet and magnet slide test, it passed the ping test, thickness is fine, and it looks really well kept (Almost too perfect). The edges also look pretty authentic. But when I test the weight, it's at 12.00g. I guess I have a fake coin, maybe? I'd appreciate if someone would give me their thoughts, thanks!
Weight tolerance was .259 grams. Throw in some wear, a bit of error in the scale, and it could be real. Probably is real.
@@geoffreywren2053 thank you, I appreciate it! Took it to some local coin stores and they said it was legit as well.
I bought some juke coins in the late 90s do you think they had fake then?
Without looking at the entire video, the 1964's at 1:43 and 1:48 dont look right so I'd say they are 2 of the fakes.
Edit: Yup.
Edit 2: Those werent very good fakes if someone like me was suspicious after only a first glance.
DANG THOSE FAKES ,
SEND THEM TO THE MOON SPEGS.
WOW! Thanks for the info! Now I have to test all my half dollars!
You weighed the Kennedy half dollars using the pre-1945 setting. OOOPS!
Good video thanks for the educational information, definitely worth watching. It helps remind me to be careful and check what I buy .... 👍
Thanks for watching, Hi O Silver! Glad you enjoyed the video!
The flip/spin test works fantastically. And the magnet movement test as well. Not im not talking about magnet sticking test. Silver will slide on a flat slick surface if you run a powerful neodymium magnet just above it. The fake brass coins coming out of china will not.
What's the difference if they can be spent?
Well hopefully my LCS does their research cuz I'm not going through my rolls of Kennedys
We can't get lazy. Test everything that comes into the stack. WOW!!! What's next...dimes? Great video Speg!
They are already here. Speg mentioned fake Rosie dimes.
Fantastic video, thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise!
Do you think a coin slide will tell the difference on those 64's?
Silver makes a certain noise . I have heard it everytime the silver quarters drop out of a coin machine.
That machine does not have a setting for the 40 percent but it does let you know if they're silver. They don't seem to allow for folks not knowing a 1966 half isn't 90 percent. I'm surprised it doesn't mention it in the literature. It simply tells you that the 1966 half is really silver.
Looks like he’s got cauliflower ear on the fakes lol
Most people don't know it but a lot of presidents try to emulate President Lincoln to the point where many presidents have or had cauliflower ears from just many wrestling matches in the oval office in fact there's a picture of the desk with a big chunk out of the corner where I think it was Roosevelt was tossed after doing a Superman and just crushed I'm trying to remember you know how the mind goes when these stories start flying
How much are the sigma machines? Where to get? Thx.👍
Have you ever done a specified gravity test.
I sell on eBay once in a while. There are some very good sellers out there, you just have to look for them. FYI...the good sellers seldom have any bargains. Purchased one or 2 silver coins and had good luck so far.
How can a company sell counterfeit US CURRENCY and nothing is done about it
Good morning SpegTacular 🤩🤩🤩
Dude you got the same scale I use for weighing my weed 🤣😂🤣😂
Do you have the other machine that tells how good it is?😄
I am confused in that when the first bad JFK was tested it did a good ring it sounded??
Geez I don't even think to check lower denomination constitutional, other than key dates.