Counterfeit 1870 - Liberty Seated Dollar

Is your coin of medallic alignment or coin alignment?

Scratch my previous statement of this strange coloring. All of the circulated examples of this Judd have oddball coloring. A few are even heavily circulated like your example.

If your coin exhibits this die line that is on all proof obverse dies, then that guarantees this is a proof and a pattern if the metallic content is confirmed.





I believe that is the version was struck with business strike dies.

Will see what more I can find!

@jacrispies...here is the closest I can get without it being too blurry. Doesn't appear to have a die line. And it is coin alignment.

Thanks all
Wrong image deleted- Staff

P.S. the white glare lines are from the light shining down from the microscope (tried to figure out how to turno ff the light but no dice.)

P.S.S. I could zoom out a little and take another pic if you think it might help

Thanks

What Judd # is the OC-6 pair? Is that J1022? From what I can decipher that one was only struck in nickel.

Using http://www.seateddollarvarieties.co...ml#attribute I've gone through all the die pairs. Referring to die pair OC-P2, 1869 Reverse PB, it says "Note that this die was also used to strike several patterns dated 1870 and 1871."

My concern is that this is possibly a regular business strike 1870 $1 plated in copper to pass off as a pattern, or also possible is a plated 1870 Proof. Of the business strikes, based on date position I have ruled out OC-3 through OC-8. OC-9 I'm not sure but date seems too far right. OC-1, OC-2 and OC-10 all used Reverse A. OC-10 is Obverse P1 which was also used in the three Proof dies pairs. Thus OC-10 and all the Proofs should have the obverse die line, as should the patterns. The three Proof pairs used reverses 1869 PA, 1869 PB, and 1866 PA (strange).

My concern grows because the obverse die line seems to be absent.

I would next look at the markers for Reverse A and see if the OP coin can be ruled in or out as that reverse. Reverse A has quite obvious doubling throughout In God We Trust, and a die line between the leaves.


The OP image isn't good enough to determine the IGWT markers. There is something between the leaves but it's hard to say if this is the same die line as Reverse A. It seems like this really requires in-hand examination by an expert. Of course we can't rule out a previously unknown die pair either. If they struck J1022 from both proof and business dies, what else did they do?

ah...yes it did.. interesting. sorry about that. I'll repost




learning is fun :)

Trying to identify the reverse die pair will be close to time wasting, because trying to identify such small markers is nearly impossible on such a circulated coin. Take a look anyway just in case. That die line between the leaves is likely the only visible marker.



Same Judd number as all the copper ones, 1020.



Since utilizing an expert would consume time and shipping costs, I would recommend the next step be to XRF the coin. If it has a silver core, then that solves the mystery.

I'll try to get a measurement

PaulyD - if you have a metal recycling plant nearby give them a call. They typically have XRF machines and usually charge a nominal fee to pull the trigger. Jewelry/Pawn shops almost exclusively have the cheaper Sigma machines and those do not penetrate more than a few microns - any readout of copper would be inconclusive if coin is plated. You'll want access to a higher end XRF that reads thru.