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 Replies: 12 / Views: 3,252 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
9561 Posts |
Okay, this one has been bothering me for some time. It appears to be a cast large cent from expired dies with the obverse die dated 1822. The material is definitely not copper. It is gray in color and most likely pewter? Here's the cool part, It's a dug coin that was pulled from my grandmothers' garden by my grandmother back in the early sixties in upstate NY. Do any of you early copper guys have any experience with this sort of anomaly? As you can see from the photos it's a bit rough. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.   1883-O Nut
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1796 Posts |
I like it! Then again, I tend to like things like that. :-)
Looks (at least from those pictures) like a cast counterfeit of a 1922 Coronet Large Cent alright.
Why one would counterfeit a cent back then is a bit beyond me as back then they were worth about what a modern quarter is worth today, and in modern times they're a common date for the series (so it wouldn't be a target for modern counterfeiting in the 60s).
Perhaps there was an enterprising precursor to Henning? :-)
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Pillar of the Community
United States
9561 Posts |
I kind of figured this one would raise your eyebrow, Steve. From what I read somewhere a while back, at certain periods of time there were shortages of small denomination coins and people came up with ways to make coinage by casting coins using expired dies. I think this may be one but I have never heard of this date Large Cent. I believe if there is one there must be another somewhere.
1883-O Nut
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2526 Posts |
Hey, very neat.
And probably very collectible.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17216 Posts |
What does it weigh? I won't condemn it just based on the color (burial in the ground can do strange things), and the die variety matches up with N-5. If the weight is correct I would suspect just a damaged corroded N-5.
Gary Schmidt
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Moderator
United States
16364 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
9561 Posts |
I weighed it about seven years ago and the weight was way off. I'm thinking it was low but not sure it's been so long. I'll have to dig it out and check it again.
It's definitely not copper. It has a totally different ring to it. The lines on the reverse going through the word AMERICA and the other that is hard to pick up in the photo going through the word UNITED are raised above the level of the letters themselves.
1883-O Nut
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3802 Posts |
Does the rim's edge show a seam?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6938 Posts |
Remember not all counterfeits were done as actual counterfeits for monetary scandal. I remember as a kid that a few of my friends and I thought it would be great to be able to make a lead copy of a coin just for the fun of it. We were just playing around making pellets for our air guns and got curious about how to make molds of things with plaster of paris and molten lead (had a LOT of excess fishing sinkers). We once made a great looking OBV of a JFK, but were not clever enough to get a "good" copy made.
The slabbed Half dollar No G farce: Download No-FG half vs. Grading Company Claims report here: https://tinyurl.com/yalrstjz or higher resolution version: https://tinyurl.com/y7rksxu8- How much squash could a Sasquatch squash if a Sasquatch would squash squash? |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17216 Posts |
The raised lines could be the result of corrosion eating away the surrounding material.
Gary Schmidt
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Pillar of the Community
United States
9561 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
9561 Posts |
The weight is 8.5 grams and the diameter is correct. Is this too light to be a worn corroded copper planchet?
1883-O Nut
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17216 Posts |
2.3 grams underweight, yes I would have to say that is to light for a worn corroded cent.
Gary Schmidt
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Replies: 12 / Views: 3,252 |
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Posted 04/14/2012 12:29 am
