1/2 Pinch Alaska Gold 1900 (Improved Pictures)

Part of a collection I acquired from a friend whose Dad had passed. I don't know how he came to have it. I keep a picture of the two of them with the collection as a reminder of where it came from. He was a railroad engineer.

I have to agree!
The die crack from the star to the rim below the 1on the obverse, as well as the tip of the L in ALASKA look like the same die pairings
Interesting that there is an obvious difference in the 2 die designs.
Your coin is in much better condition than the AU-55 PCGS plate coin!




A well paying job. Have you asked your friend if his Dad did routes to Alaska or near by?
I would be inclined to send this in to a TPG...most likely PCGS because they recognize this die pairing.
Very cool!
Let us know what you do.
Thanks for sharing!
smat

Good question smat45, I doubt it but I'll ask. From what I know he spent his life in New York. I think some of these things were sent back to friends and family as souvenirs. My friend (she) said she didn't know much about her Dad's coin collecting as I recall.




Thanks for the links. I had no idea. I think it's a little dicey sending things to the US from Canada these days. I'd probably wait until the climate on trade gets more predictable.

Appreciate the comments!

There were many brass copies made of these gold tokens. If I acquired one, the first thing I'd do would be to have it "shot" with an XRF analyzer gun to get a reading on the metallic content. Absent this, all else is meaningless speculation. Good luck!

Keep us posted.

@Keith67 I haven't posted because I don't have anything definitive. I did send pictures to a dealer I trust and who has seen lots of these and who said he thinks it's real as well. I also did some calling around to see if I could find someone local who can do XRF but I'm in a rural area and haven't had any luck. I'm not able to travel and I don't want to let it out of my hands. I've considered a TPG like PCGS but don't feel comfortable sending anything over the border right now. My feeling is that it's more than likely real but an XRF or TPG would obviously provide a more definitive answer.

Also, smat45 asked if the person who had it before me had ever been to Alaska. I asked his daughter and to her knowledge he had not and she has no idea how he might have come to have it.

If I learn more I'll post.

Absolutely - it would be nice to know for sure.

all I see is polishing marks