By Jack Riley
Prompting this article is a counterfeit 1878-CC that was previously listed to eBay and quickly removed. All 1878cc have B reverses, otherwise known as the “2nd reverse” with parallel arrow feathers (rather than slanted).
As a refresher, here are both kinds.
In addition, the 1878-CC has a different type of mintmark from other CC years, excluding some 1880cc varieties.
Compare mintmarks with the 1879-CC Morgan, which has slanted tail feathers.
Now inspect the 1878-CC coin below.
Looking through my log of documented counterfeit reverses for Morgan Dollars I realize I’ve seen this one a few times. The “Doubled wreath reverse.” If any of these were genuine they would be some of more dramatic doubled dies of the series, which evident by this 1878cc that isn’t the case.
Now to the real meat and potatoes of this article! An 1881-CC that was posted to a Facebook coin group for determination of value and authenticity. Being that 1881-CC has a low mintage of a mere 296,000 coins, there are very few die marriages. Only VAM-2 and VAM-6 has a CC tilted left, clearly this coin doesn’t attribute to either die marriage. (To learn about VAMs, click here.)
It does match the reverse of the previous 1878cc!
Below see a comparison image of both the 1878 and 1881-CC reverses. The “doubled wreath” stands out clearly. Along with a few repeating circulation marks, one being a minor indent on the wreath and another in the field below the right star.
After a lengthy conversation with the individual who owns the coin, they couldn’t come to terms that it was a very modern counterfeit. I’m sure our readers will see this coin is clearly unattributable to a genuine die marriage and matches a known counterfeit.
The best way to guard against buying a counterfeit coin is to purchase an authentic one from a reputable dealer. Barring that, view Jack Young’s Jack Riley’s and my articles on counterfeit coins published by Proxiblog.
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