As you look over the listings for Gold Dollars, you will see Raw Coins, Damaged Coins, Ex-Jewelry Coins....and you will see ANACS, PCGS and NGC slabbed coins.   WHICH ONE SHOULD YOU BUY??    Do you like to gamble, do you like to sit on the sofa with a revolver with four cartridges loaded and spin the cylinder etc etc??   If so, by all means buy a coin from a tiny picture that is raw.    There are far more counterfeits out there than you can imagine.   Two books that are in print can help you,   Detecting Counterfeit Gold Coins Book 2 by Lonesome John, and United States Gold Counterfeit Detection Guide by Bill Fivaz. But, these two books do not cover all counterfeits that are in existance.   They will show you the common traits of fake coins, but may not show the exact coin you are questioning. 

Fake gold dollars come in many levels of perfection.  From poorly made cast copies to high quality fakes made from transfer dies.   It is beyond the scope of this guide to detail what to look for, and I will not try.  Heres some advice....DONT BUY RAW GOLD.  In case you missed that message....DONT BUY RAW GOLD.      To clarify,  DONT BUY RAW GOLD.    

Now, if you have gone against this advice, and have a raw gold dollar sitting in front of you, take a GOOD LOOK at it with a high powered Loupe.  OR, a high res photo on the computer.   Compare the image with a genuine coin,  If you dont have a genuine coin, go to Heritage Auctions Archives,  look up the coin and compare it with a genuine one.   There are many tipoffs that your coin may be fake, but really if you are not an expert, you may not notice them.   Look at the letters.  They must be crisp, strong and with squared edges.  The Dentils, these CAN be unevenly struck, that happens on these coins as minted but must NOT show spikes and streaks coming into the coin from the dentils.  Reeding is very important.   Genuine coins have a gentle rounded edge with fine even reeding.  Most Fakes never get this right.  If the reeding feels strong to your fingers....think FAKE.  Again, compare to a genuine coin if possible.  FAKES are generally Mint State coins.   If your coin is XF or lower grade, and showing signs of genuine circulation wear, they you stand a chance of having a genuine coin.

Look at the sellers FEEDBACK.    Look at the sellers RETURN policy.   Be SKEPTICAL on Raw Gold.    Think Fake first, and look for reasons why it dosent look right.  COLOR is very important.  Compare the coin with a genuine coin, from the same MINT if possible.  Gold Dollars were coined at five mints, and all had slight variations on the exact type and alloy of gold that was used.

SUBMIT the coin for Authentication as soon as possible.  TELL the sell you are submitting it, and if it comes back FAKE make sure they will return your money ASAP.   ANACS will grade and authenticate the coin very easily, and quickly.  Just go to the ANACS web site and print out a submission form.   It is EZ to do.

Gold Dollars are very interesting coins, and fun to collect.  Do it the right way, BUY CERTIFIED COINS and save yourself the headaches of dealing with a FAKE and trying to get a refund.  DONT by from a foreign seller, Pay with PAYPAL and Good Luck to YOU!