How would you know if 1796 silver dollar is fake?

Answer 1

There are a few tests to see if a silver dollar is fake. The first is to match up the details with a known authentic coin. While there are many varieties of silver dollars for that year, one with a completely wrong type (such as a trade dollar, or Morgan dollar) you can immediately dismiss the coin as a fake. The second thing to do is to look at the edge of the coin for lines where the coin might have been cast, genuine coins are struck, never cast. The next way to see if it is genuine or not is to weigh it and measure it. A fake coin made out of a material other than silver will either be overweight or underweight or will have dimensions that don't work such as being thicker or wider than a genuine coin. Another way to see if it is a fake or not is to take it to a reputable coin dealer who can usually tell if its fake or not in a second or two. Also, make sure the coin doesn't have "COPY" stamped on it, reproductions since the '70s have to have "COPY" stamped on it somewhere, however, reproductions made before the '70s, or counterfeit coins meant to deceive collectors, won't have it on there.