Fake Or Not? 1787 New Jersey Penny

Yes you need to get that graded anacs,ngc or pgs You my have to wait be it will be worth it!! I grew up in up state NY a friend had copper coin he thought it was a pendent or cheap belt piece. I went back to Catskill in 1982 and someone from from suny Albany collage had seen it and make long story short its was 1 off the elephant coin almost perfect but the hole. He sold it for 25000.++ I was told by his brother

snook, under the circumstances of your discovery, it is all the more imperative that you get it authenticated. There are too many scenarios in which fake colonials come into discovery, but "salting" seemingly rare coins into old houses is certainly right up there.

Here's an example of a wannabe colonial "found in Savannah". The seller has sold hundreds of such colonials; they are almost certainly forgeries. If he/she (husband/wife team) had such a genuine treasure trove,the State of Georgia's Historic Preservation Division might have a few questions for them: http://cgi.ebay.com/1701-Colonial-T...ah_W0QQitemZ170020031760QQihZ007QQcategoryZ544QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

snook or anyone else who wants to get into this NJ colonial very deeply, here's a definitive source (Notre Dame) for information:
http://www.coins.nd.edu/ColCoin/Col...r.intro.html

To compare this 1787 NJ colonial copper with authenticated originals will take a lot of time, but this site seems to offer as good a selection of colonials as any for comparison. It also has in-depth history of NJ (and other) colonials.

Thanks to Doug Prather of the World Internet Numismatist Society (WINS) for his timely email containing the Notre Dame reference to colonials.

Fred

Hey Snook!! Welcome. Nice coin!!

We Have A New Member!!

Aidan, now we're getting into nomenclatural questions although you are technically correct. The US Constitution wasn't written until 1787 and not ratified until 1789. Until then, the Articles of Confederation governed the states (which still called themselves "colonies"; and some still do) and did not have adequate provisions for coinage. The first US-minted coins weren't authorized until the Coinage Act of 1792. Until that point and far beyond (into the 1850s) until US-minted coins predominated, the specie of the land was a conglomeration of coins: Mexican and Spanish reales, British pennies and pounds, French francs, and any other coin which the colonists could get their hands on including pre-Revolution and post-Revolution state, local, and bank issues. With some exceptions, most every coin minted on US soil before the US Mint started producing Half Dismes in 1792 and half-cents in 1793 may be considered "colonials" and are lumped into the "colonial" category more as a matter of convenience than as a practical matter.

Looks like Maris 48-G, even has the die break on the reverse (shield) in the right place. Has a wide outlined shield too, looking interesting! See here: http://www.coins.nd.edu/ColCoin/Col...opper.2.html

Isn't it amazing, the different die varieties of the time. I wonder how hard it was to counterfeit in those days? Still if you got caught the penalty would be more severe than today.

I hope it's a good one, even if it isn't I'd still keep it in my collection.

Is there anywhere in the USA that sell "Replica" coins of this era? I have bought some "reproduction coins" when I visited Warwick Castle in England. They have sets from Celtic times through the dark ages to Medieval times and then Tudor and on to Georgian and Victorian times. They are produced by a company called Westair Reproductions Ltd. (the only way I was going to own those coins.)