The Morgan dollar weight specification is 26.73 grams -- a figure set by the Coinage Act of 1873 and unchanged through 121 years of production. This guide covers that spec, the ±0.097g Mint tolerance, reed counts, and the full authentication ladder for both vintage (1878-1921) and modern (2021+) Morgan dollars.
A vintage Morgan silver dollar weighs 26.73 grams with a Mint tolerance of ±0.097 grams (1.5 grains); the 2021+ modern Morgan is stated at 26.69 grams by the US Mint catalog.
The 26.73g specification derives from the Coinage Act of February 12, 1873, §16 and applied to every Morgan dollar struck from 1878 through 1921. The coin is 90% silver and 10% copper, giving it 0.77344 troy oz of pure silver. The 2021+ revival uses .999 fine silver at a Mint-cataloged 26.69g, yielding a higher 0.858 troy oz ASW despite nearly identical physical size. A coin landing in the 26.633g-26.827g pass band is weight-consistent with a genuine Morgan -- but weight alone cannot confirm authenticity. A tungsten-cored fake can hit 26.73g exactly. Always cross-check diameter (38.1mm), reed count (189 standard), and a ring test.
The table below gives the complete physical specifications for both the vintage and modern Morgan dollar. Values are drawn from the Coinage Act of 1873, the US Mint Morgan and Peace Silver Dollars program page, and PCGS CoinFacts.
| Specification | Morgan Silver Dollar | Modern Morgan Dollar | Tolerance / source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight (grams) | 26.73 g | 26.69 g (Mint catalog) / 26.73 g (some PCGS entries) | ±0.097 g (1.5 grains) · Coinage Act of February 12, 1873, §16 for vintage; US Mint catalog for modern 2021+. |
| Diameter (mm) | 38.1 mm | 38.1 mm | ±0.13 mm · US Mint program page and PCGS CoinFacts. |
| Thickness (mm) | 2.4 mm | 2.4 mm | PCGS CoinFacts Morgan Dollar category. |
| Edge | Reeded | Reeded | All Morgan dollar strikes, vintage and modern. |
| Reed count | 189 (standard) | 189 (modern); 157 on 1921 Wide-Reed variety only | 189 is canonical per PCGS, NGC, and US Mint Reference Guide; older PCGS pages cite 190 -- see Methodology. |
| Composition | 90% silver, 10% copper | 99.9% fine silver (.999) | Bland-Allison Act (1878) for vintage; Public Law 116-286 (2021) for modern. |
| Pure silver (ASW) | 0.77344 troy oz | 0.858 troy oz | Calculated: 26.73 ÷ 31.1035 × 0.90 = 0.77344 (vintage); 26.73 × 0.999 ÷ 31.1035 = 0.858 (modern). |
Use a scale accurate to 0.01g or better. A jeweler's digital scale or a reloading scale both work. The three-band model below tells you what to do depending on where your coin lands. Remember: this tool addresses weight only -- it is one step in an eight-step authentication process, not the final word.
Weight alone is necessary but not sufficient. A tungsten-cored counterfeit can weigh exactly the same as a genuine coin. Always cross-check diameter, reed count, edge profile, and a ring test before concluding.
Pass: 26.633g - 26.827g -- within Mint tolerance of ±0.097g, weight is consistent with a genuine Morgan dollar; proceed to diameter and reed-count verification.
Border: 26.23g - 26.63g or 26.83g - 27.23g -- outside the original Mint tolerance but plausibly explained by heavy circulation wear (which can shed up to ~0.3g) or an off-tolerance strike; re-weigh on a calibrated scale and inspect for wear patterns consistent with long circulation.
Fail: Below 26.23g or above 27.23g -- more than ±0.5g off specification; a genuine 1878-1921 Morgan essentially never falls here unless physically damaged (clipped, holed, or repaired); below 25g strongly indicates a counterfeit.
A digital scale reading to 0.01g is sufficient. Tare the scale with a clean, dry weighing surface -- a folded paper tray or a smooth plastic pan works. Set the coin flat, let the reading stabilize for three seconds, and note the value. Weigh the coin twice; if readings differ by more than 0.05g, the scale needs calibration.
The ±0.097g tolerance (1.5 grains) reflects what the Philadelphia, New Orleans, San Francisco, Carson City, and Denver mints held as acceptable during production. Coins at the extremes of this band are genuine but represent the tightest-tolerance production. A coin reading 26.70g or 26.76g is equally within spec.
Circulation wear matters. Heavy circulation removes metal, primarily from the high points of the design -- Liberty's cheek and hair on the obverse, the eagle's breast feathers on the reverse. A coin graded Good (G-4) through Very Fine (VF-30) may weigh 26.45g-26.63g depending on how long it circulated. That reading puts it in the border band, not automatically in the fail band.
The tungsten-core problem: a silver-plated tungsten-core fake can be machined to hit 26.73g with high precision, and some examples also land within the ±0.097g band. Weight confirmation alone cannot eliminate this threat. The ring test (hold the coin on a fingertip and tap the rim -- genuine silver rings high and sustains for two to three seconds; tungsten gives a dull, dead thud) is a fast follow-up that catches most tungsten fakes. Specific gravity testing (genuine 90% Ag alloy measures approximately 10.34; tungsten measures approximately 19.25) confirms the distinction without destructive testing.
For the 2021+ modern Morgan, the Mint catalog states 26.69g rather than 26.73g. The 0.04g difference is cosmetic but real. Apply the same three-band model with 26.69g as the center value, using the wider ±0.10g practical band (26.59g-26.79g as pass) to account for both the spec discrepancy and normal scale variation.
The weight specification did not change across the Morgan dollar's production run. What changed was composition (1878-1921 vs 2021+) and, in 2021, the reed width on a small fraction of the mintage. The table below maps those distinctions.
| Years | Weight | Composition | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1878-1904 | 26.73 g | 90% Ag / 10% Cu | Original continuous production under the Bland-Allison Act; five mints (P, S, O, CC, D for 1921 only in this era). |
| 1921 | 26.73 g | 90% Ag / 10% Cu | One-year resumption under the Pittman Act to replace 270 million WWI-melted dollars; the 1921 Wide-Reed variety (157 reeds) appears in approximately 2.5% of the 44.69 million 1921-P mintage. |
| 2021 | 26.69 g (Mint catalog) | 99.9% fine silver (.999) | Revival under Public Law 116-286; P uncirculated, S Proof, S Reverse-Proof, D uncirculated, plus CC privy and O privy struck at Philadelphia -- highest ASW of any Morgan at 0.858 troy oz. |
| 2022 | Not produced | N/A | No 2022 Morgan dollars were struck due to a silver-blank shortage. |
| 2023-2025 | 26.69 g (Mint catalog) | 99.9% fine silver (.999) | Annual cadence: P uncirculated, S Proof, and S Reverse-Proof 2-coin set paired with the Peace dollar revival. |
The physical dimensions of the Morgan dollar did not change between the 1878 original and the 2021 revival: both measure 38.1mm in diameter, 2.4mm thick, and carry a reeded edge with 189 reeds. What changed was metal composition, and that change has a meaningful effect on silver content even though the coins look nearly identical on a scale.
The vintage Morgan (1878-1921) is 90% silver and 10% copper. At 26.73g total, the silver mass is 24.057g -- equal to 0.77344 troy oz. The copper contributes the remaining 2.673g and was included for hardness; pure silver is too soft for circulating coinage. The 2021+ modern Morgan is .999 fine silver with no copper alloying. The Mint catalog lists its weight at 26.69g (some PCGS modern entries show 26.73g, same as vintage -- a 0.04g discrepancy treated as cosmetic). Either way, the silver content calculates to approximately 0.858 troy oz, representing an 11% increase in pure silver over the vintage coin.
For authentication purposes, the weight overlap is important to understand. A genuine modern Morgan and a genuine vintage Morgan both sit near 26.73g. A scale reading in the pass band does not distinguish between them; date inspection does. The design difference is also visible: the modern strike lacks the mintmark on the reverse field in the traditional placement, uses modern die technology producing sharper high-relief detail, and carries the year of issue on the obverse.
The silver-content gap also matters for melt-value calculations. At any given spot price, a 2021+ Morgan contains more silver than a 1878-1921 Morgan. For most collectors, this is secondary -- numismatic premium dominates melt value for Mint State vintage Morgans. For the modern program, numismatic premium above bullion is modest, so the 0.858 troy oz figure is the primary floor.
| Spec | Vintage | Modern | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight (grams) | 26.73 g | 26.69 g (Mint catalog) / 26.73 g (some PCGS entries) | Negligible difference; within the practical weighing variability of most consumer scales. |
| Composition | 90% Ag / 10% Cu | 99.9% fine silver (.999) | The copper alloy was removed entirely, increasing net silver content per coin. |
| Pure silver (ASW) | 0.77344 troy oz | 0.858 troy oz | An 11% increase in silver content at nearly identical total weight. |
| Diameter | 38.1 mm | 38.1 mm | Unchanged; the coin is the same physical size. |
| Reed count | 189 (standard); 157 on 1921 Wide-Reed variety | 189 (no Wide-Reed variety in modern program) | Modern strikes do not reproduce the Wide-Reed die configuration. |
| Legal authority | Bland-Allison Act (1878) | Public Law 116-286 (signed January 5, 2021) | Modern program is a numismatic / bullion program, not a circulating-coin mandate. |
The Morgan dollar is among the most counterfeited US coins because of its high silver content, broad name recognition, and the premium attached to key dates like the 1893-S and 1889-CC. The signatures below are the diagnostic points that separate genuine coins from the most common fakes.
| Method | Genuine reads | Why it matters | Common fake |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight (26.73g ±0.097g) | 26.633g - 26.827g pass band | The Mint tolerance is tight. Most cast and pressed base-metal fakes fall well below 26.23g, making weight the fastest eliminator of low-quality counterfeits. | Cast fakes commonly land at 18-24g; pressed base-metal fakes typically measure 22-26g. Weight within spec does not confirm authenticity -- proceed through the full ladder. |
| Diameter (38.1mm ±0.13mm) | 37.97mm - 38.23mm | Paired with weight, diameter eliminates most cast and pressed fakes. A coin that passes both weight and diameter filters is either genuine or a high-quality fake (tungsten core or added-mintmark altered coin). | Cast fakes show high diameter variability (37.5-38.5mm). Many pressed fakes measure slightly small at 37.8-38.3mm due to die shrinkage. |
| Reed count (189 standard / 157 Wide-Reed) | 189 reeds on all Morgan dollars except the 1921 Wide-Reed variety (157 reeds) | Reed count is difficult to fake precisely. A cast fake with molded reeds rarely reproduces 189 clean, countable peaks. A die-struck fake may have a slightly different reed count from the original dies used. | Counterfeits often land anywhere in the 175-195 range without hitting 189 exactly. Cast fakes with rounded reed peaks cannot be counted reliably, which is itself a failure indicator. |
| Edge inspection under 10x loupe | Sharp, uniform reed peaks; no parting seam; no raised mold line along the edge diameter | A casting seam is the single most reliable low-effort indicator of a cast counterfeit. Even high-quality casts leave a trace of the parting line at the edge equator. | Any visible seam running circumferentially around the coin edge indicates casting. Rounded or fused reed peaks without a clean struck profile indicate a molded rather than die-struck edge. |
| Ring test | High-pitched, sustained ring lasting two to three seconds when the rim is tapped while the coin is balanced on a fingertip | Silver has a distinctive acoustic signature that tungsten does not replicate. This test is the fastest way to catch tungsten-cored fakes that pass weight, diameter, and reed count. | A dull, dead thud -- even from a coin that weighs 26.73g and measures 38.1mm -- strongly indicates a tungsten core or a base-metal composition. |
| Mintmark position and microscopy (key-date fakes) | Mintmark centered below the wreath and eagle's tail feathers on the reverse, in the open field above the 'D' and 'O' of 'DOLLAR'; wear pattern on mintmark matches surrounding field wear | The most common high-value fake is the 1893-P altered to 1893-S by adding or tooling an 'S' mintmark. The added mintmark shows sharper detail than the surrounding worn surfaces and may sit at a slightly incorrect position. | A mintmark that is sharper than the coin's overall wear level, inconsistent tool marks around the mintmark, or a mintmark position that does not align with confirmed-genuine examples under comparison microscopy. |
| Specific gravity | 10.30 - 10.40 for genuine 90% Ag / 10% Cu alloy | Specific gravity testing exposes tungsten cores even when weight, diameter, reed count, and ring tests are borderline. It requires only a digital scale and a container of water. | Tungsten measures approximately 19.25 -- a tungsten-core fake suspended in water produces a dramatically higher specific gravity than the 10.30-10.40 genuine range, making the test definitive without destructive analysis. |
Three counterfeit types dominate the Morgan market: low-quality cast fakes (easily caught at weight, frequently imported), high-quality die-struck base-metal fakes (caught at magnetic test and ring test), and tungsten-cored silver-plated fakes (the most dangerous -- they pass weight, diameter, and reed count but fail the ring and specific gravity tests). A separate category involves genuine coins altered by adding or tooling a mintmark to transform a common-date Philadelphia coin into a valuable 1893-S or 1889-CC. Comparison microscopy against confirmed genuine examples is the only reliable defense for altered mintmarks.
No single test confirms a genuine Morgan dollar. The methods below form a sequential ladder: start with weight and diameter (fast, non-contact) and escalate through ring test, magnetic test, and specific gravity before submitting to a third-party grading service.
| Method | Reliability | How to | Pass | Fail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight on a 0.01g digital scale | High | Place the coin flat on a tared, stable scale. Wait three seconds for reading to stabilize. Compare to the 26.633g-26.827g pass band. | 26.73g ±0.097g for vintage; 26.69g ±0.10g for modern 2021+. | Below 26.23g or above 27.23g; cast fakes frequently land in the 18-24g range, pressed base-metal fakes in the 22-26g range. |
| Diameter with digital calipers | High | Measure at the widest point of the coin. A genuine Morgan reads 38.1mm ±0.13mm. | 37.97mm to 38.23mm. | Cast fakes often run 37.5-38.5mm with high variability; some pressed fakes measure 37.8-38.3mm. |
| Reed count under 10x loupe | High | Hold the edge under a 10x loupe and count a quarter-arc, then multiply by 4. Or count the full edge for exactness. | 189 reeds (standard); 157 reeds on the 1921 Wide-Reed variety only. | Counterfeits often land in the 175-195 range; cast fakes with molded reeds may be uncountable due to rounded or fused peaks. |
| Edge inspection under 10x loupe | High | Roll the coin slowly on a flat loupe field and inspect reed peaks for seams, mold lines, and roundness. | Sharp, uniform reed peaks with no parting seam and no raised mold lines. | Cast fakes show a visible casting seam running around the edge; reed peaks appear rounded or fused rather than cleanly struck. |
| Ring test | High | Balance the coin on a fingertip and tap the rim lightly with another coin or a pencil. Silver rings high and sustains for two to three seconds. | Clear, high-pitched sustained ring -- characteristic of struck silver. | Tungsten-cored silver-plated fakes produce a dull, dead thud even when weight and diameter are correct; base-metal fakes produce a lower, shorter ring. |
| Magnetic test | Medium | Hold a strong neodymium magnet close to the coin. Genuine Morgans (silver-copper alloy) are non-magnetic. | No attraction to the magnet. | Any attraction to the magnet is a strong counterfeit indicator; many pressed base-metal and cast-iron fakes are weakly magnetic. Note: tungsten is also non-magnetic, so a clean magnetic test does not rule out tungsten-core fakes. |
| Specific gravity test | High | Weigh the coin in air, then weigh it suspended in water. Specific gravity = (weight in air) / (weight in air - weight in water). | 10.30-10.40 for genuine 90% Ag / 10% Cu alloy. | Tungsten measures approximately 19.25 -- a tungsten-core fake will show an anomalously high specific gravity, exposing the core even when weight and diameter are within spec. |
| Third-party grading submission (PCGS / NGC) | High | Submit the coin to PCGS (https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/category/morgan-dollar/744) or NGC (https://www.ngccoin.com/price-guide/united-states/morgan-dollar-pscid-29) for professional authentication and encapsulation. | Coin is graded, authenticated, and encapsulated in a tamper-evident holder. | Any coin that does not pass grader review is returned as 'No Grade' (NG) or 'Genuine -- Altered / Counterfeit' -- the definitive authentication result. |
Every vintage Morgan dollar (1878-1921) contains 0.77344 troy oz of pure silver -- derived from its 26.73g total weight and 90% silver fineness. The formula is: weight in grams times fineness divided by 31.1035 grams per troy ounce. At 26.73g × 0.90 = 24.057g of silver, divided by 31.1035 = 0.77344 troy oz.
The 2021+ modern Morgan uses .999 fine silver and the Mint-cataloged weight of 26.69g, yielding 0.858 troy oz of pure silver per coin -- approximately 11% more than a vintage Morgan despite the near-identical physical size. This is not because the modern coin is heavier; it is because the copper alloying was removed. A full troy ounce of pure silver requires a coin like the American Silver Eagle bullion piece. Neither the vintage nor the modern Morgan reaches that threshold.
Melt value is the floor for collectible Morgans, not the ceiling. A heavily worn example in Good grade may trade near melt plus a modest premium. Key dates -- particularly the 1893-S and the 1895 Proof-only -- are worth hundreds to thousands of times their melt value regardless of spot price. Silver content is a useful reference for bullion calculations; it is not a substitute for numismatic valuation.
Silver content (troy oz) = Weight (g) x Silver fineness x 0.0321507
At $33.25 per troy ounce of silver, a vintage Morgan dollar contains roughly $25.72 of pure silver -- but this is the floor, not the ceiling, for collectible coins.
The melt value of a Morgan dollar is calculated from its silver weight (0.77344 troy oz for vintage; 0.858 troy oz for modern 2021+) multiplied by the current spot price of silver. This gives the intrinsic metal floor -- the minimum a coin should be worth as raw silver, ignoring numismatic premium entirely.
For the vast majority of Morgan dollars in circulated grades, the melt value is a relevant data point because collector premiums over melt are modest for common dates. A heavily worn 1884-O in G-4 condition may trade at melt plus 10-25%. However, for any key date, semi-key, or high-grade example, the numismatic premium dominates: a 1893-S in Good condition is worth $5,000+ regardless of silver spot price. The 1895 Proof-only trades in the five and six figures -- melt value at any realistic spot price is irrelevant to its market price.
Silver spot pricing pulled live from coins-value.com; updates on weekday market open and close.
_collector_premium_caveat: Melt value is the floor for collectible coins, not the ceiling. Worn examples may bring melt; key dates and high grades bring multiples of melt.
Silver spot pricing pulled live from coins-value.com; updates on weekday market open and close.
A vintage Morgan silver dollar (1878-1921) weighs 26.73 grams, with a Mint tolerance of ±0.097 grams (1.5 grains) derived from the Coinage Act of 1873. The 2021+ modern Morgan revival is listed at 26.69 grams in the US Mint catalog, though some PCGS references show 26.73g -- a 0.04g discrepancy treated as cosmetic. Both variants measure 38.1mm in diameter and 2.4mm thick.
The vintage Morgan (1878-1921) is 90% silver and 10% copper, giving it 0.77344 troy oz of pure silver. The 2021+ revival is .999 fine silver -- no copper alloy. At nearly identical total weight, removing the copper and replacing it with silver raises the net silver content to 0.858 troy oz, an increase of about 11%. The composition change was authorized by Public Law 116-286 (signed January 5, 2021).
No. Genuine Morgan dollars -- both the 90% silver vintage alloy and the .999 fine modern version -- are non-magnetic. Any attraction to a strong magnet is a meaningful counterfeit indicator, since many base-metal or cast-iron fakes are weakly magnetic. Note that tungsten is also non-magnetic, so a clean magnetic test alone does not rule out a tungsten-cored silver-plated fake. Use the ring test and specific gravity test as follow-ups.
189 reeds is the standard count, cited by PCGS, NGC, and the US Mint Reference Guide. The exception is the 1921 Wide-Reed (Infrequent Reeding) variety, which has 157 reeds and appears in approximately 2.5% of the 44.69 million 1921-P mintage -- mostly early-die strikes. Some older PCGS pages cite 190 reeds rather than 189; this discrepancy is documented, and 189 is treated as canonical here. If you count 190, the difference may reflect die wear and measurement variability.
Work through the authentication ladder in order: weigh to 26.73g ±0.097g; measure diameter at 38.1mm ±0.13mm; count reeds (189 standard, 157 for 1921 Wide-Reed); inspect the edge under 10x magnification for seams or rounded reed peaks; perform a ring test (genuine silver rings high for two to three seconds); test with a neodymium magnet (non-magnetic is good, but not conclusive for tungsten fakes); measure specific gravity (10.30-10.40 for genuine 90% Ag alloy). Submit to PCGS or NGC for definitive authentication of any high-value piece.
The 1895 Proof-only Philadelphia strike ('King of Morgans') is the hardest Morgan dollar to own: 880 Proofs were struck and approximately 600-815 survive. It is the only date in the series where no genuine business-strike examples have been confirmed -- Mint records list 12,000 business strikes, but they are believed to have been melted under the 1918 Pittman Act. The 1893-S is the lowest-mintage business strike at 100,000 coins and the most famous key date.
A PCGS MS67 CAC 1893-S sold at GreatCollections on August 29, 2021 for $2,086,875 -- the all-time auction record for any coin in the Morgan series. The 1893-S had the lowest business-strike mintage (100,000) of any date in the series. PCGS estimates approximately 10,000 survivors, with only 100-125 in Mint State condition.
A GSA Morgan dollar is a Carson City Morgan housed in a distinctive black government-issued holder, distributed by the General Services Administration in seven sales between 1972 and 1980. The 2.9 million-coin GSA Hoard had been stored in Treasury vaults and was dispersed to raise funds. The encapsulation is original and considered part of the coin's provenance; opening the holder generally reduces collector value.
VAM is an acronym from numismatists Leroy C. Van Allen and A. George Mallis, whose 'Comprehensive Catalog and Encyclopedia of Morgan and Peace Dollars' (first edition 1971) is the canonical die-variety reference. The letters stand for Van Allen-Mallis. Approximately 3,300 VAMs are known across the Morgan series, ranging from minor doubled dies to major varieties like the 1921 Wide-Reed (157 reeds). Attribution is maintained at VAMWorld.com.
Both the vintage Morgan (1878-1904, 1921) and Peace dollar (1921-1935) weigh 26.73g, measure 38.1mm, carry a 90% silver / 10% copper composition, and contain 0.77344 troy oz of pure silver. The Morgan was designed by George T. Morgan and features his Liberty portrait on the obverse with a heraldic eagle reverse. The Peace dollar was designed by Anthony de Francisci and features a different Liberty obverse with an eagle-and-olive-branch reverse inscribed 'PEACE.' There is no 1922 Morgan dollar -- only the 1922 Peace dollar exists.
No. A vintage Morgan dollar contains 0.77344 troy oz of pure silver (90% of 26.73g). The 2021+ revival Morgan contains 0.858 troy oz (.999 fine). Neither reaches a full troy ounce. Only a 1-oz American Silver Eagle bullion coin is certified to contain exactly one troy ounce of pure silver. The Morgan's silver content is useful for melt-value floors; numismatic premium dominates for most collectible examples.
A Morgan dollar is 2.4mm thick. This applies to both vintage (1878-1921) and modern (2021+) strikes. Thickness is consistent across all five producing mints (Philadelphia, New Orleans, San Francisco, Carson City, Denver) and across all grades -- wear reduces the high points of the design, not the overall thickness in any practically measurable way.
Morgan dollars were produced during three distinct periods: 1878-1904 (original continuous production under the Bland-Allison Act), 1921 (one-year resumption under the Pittman Act to replace WWI-melted dollars), and 2021 to the present (numismatic revival program under Public Law 116-286). No Morgan dollars were struck between 1904 and 1921, between 1921 and 2021, or in 2022 (silver-blank shortage).
Tungsten-cored silver-plated counterfeits are the most dangerous Morgan fakes because they can be machined to hit the correct weight (26.73g), diameter (38.1mm), and reed count (189). Visual inspection alone is insufficient. The ring test is the fastest detection method: genuine silver rings high and sustains for two to three seconds; a tungsten core produces a dull, dead thud. Specific gravity testing confirms the result -- genuine 90% Ag alloy measures approximately 10.34; tungsten measures approximately 19.25. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is definitive.
Weight and specs confirm what you have -- but the coin's grade, mint mark, and date determine what it's worth. The Morgan dollar value guide at coins-value.com covers every date and mint combination.
Look up your Morgan dollar's numismatic value →The Assay app identifies US coin types by image, including Morgan vs Peace vs modern dollar types, before you put a scale under it.
This page is an informational reference; weight-based authentication is a necessary first step but is not sufficient on its own -- a tungsten-cored fake can pass a weight check, and only a full authentication ladder (weight, diameter, reed count, ring test, specific gravity, and third-party grading) provides a reliable determination.