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 Replies: 28 / Views: 9,686 |
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New Member
United States
10 Posts |
I went to a garage sale yesterday and found an old coin that looked really interesting. I teach 3rd grade so I like to show my kids old American coins when I can. They always think that the older coins are more interesting than the newer coins. I bought this 1842 dollar coin for $5. It wasn't graded, and I am not a coin expert by any means. My wife said to see if a magnet would stick to it and it did not. I also have a Seated Liberty half dollar that looks pretty much the same, but there is a hole in it where someone apparently put a chain through to wear around their neck. So I guess my question is this, is it worth the $5 I spent on it?   Edited by ulm4lyf
04/22/2012 5:54 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3294 Posts |
Sort of has a grainy appearance that is often found with cast copies.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
8904 Posts |
Edited by Moe145
04/22/2012 7:39 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5854 Posts |
 Something about this coin does not look quite right. Some of the details on lady Liberty don't look quite as sharp as they should be and the dentils which are the tooth like projections around the rim don't look quite right. Genuine or not, I don't think you can really go wrong at just $5. You can always show it to the kids as the general design elements are correct for that type. A genuine example in grades similar to the coin shown would be be worth around $600-700. |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1731 Posts |
You know what, it has a chance of being genuine. The details match up to what Moe showed. But I'm no expert.
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New Member
 United States
10 Posts |
Wow, that would be a shame if it was a fake. It does look like it has been cleaned. The more open areas don't look near as grimy as the areas around the details.
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
Well, stories of garage-sale purchases from someone who doesn't know what they have are not uncommon, but in uncleaned condition in this grade the coin you picture is worth rather north of $500. Even cleaned, not a whole lot less.
The denticles are a tad faint for my comfort level, and the level of wear on each face doesn't seem to match. It's worth having a reputable dealer look at, though - if it's a counterfeit, it's a pretty good one. My guess is it's a counterfeit.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3843 Posts |
Quote:
Something about this coin does not look quite right. Some of the details on lady Liberty don't look quite as sharp as they should be and the dentils which are the tooth like projections around the rim don't look quite right. Genuine or not, I don't think you can really go wrong at just $5. You can always show it to the kids as the general design elements are correct for that type. A genuine example in grades similar to the coin shown would be be worth around $600-700.  Personally, although I'm by no means an expert in Counterfeit Detection but I think that there is a decent probability that it is not genuine. I agree with what was said above in that I would have expected a lot sharper details on the obverse of the coin and on the dentils. The reverse seems to show a lot more detail and is closer to what I would have expected. This just looks a little off to me. It also appears that the strike is uneven. Here is my 1842 Seated Liberty dollar to compare it to (see below). Good luck, hopefully an expert in this series can shed more light on this because it is a highly desireable and expensive coin if genuine. You could also take it to a coin dealer to have it examined.   Edited by Joe2007
04/22/2012 8:30 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1796 Posts |
@ulm4lyf - The denticles look all wrong to me with an additional circle around them as if the die that struck it wasn't the full breadth of the coin. What you'll *really* need to do is check its weight. If it's as much as a gram over or under 26.7 grams, then it's certainly a fake. Otherwise there is a battery of tests too long for me to type out here: http://fakes.numismetrica.com/ident...ounterfeits/ :-) |
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Moderator
United States
16679 Posts |
I agree. I don't like the color (which does not look like silver but rather, base metal)
and it has that cast, grainy appearance as mentioned.
The devices are fairly decent but I dont like the graininess.
swcoin.ecrater.com
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New Member
United States
10 Posts |
Sorry for my ignorance, but what is a denticle?
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Moderator
United States
16679 Posts |
The "beading" around the circumference.
swcoin.ecrater.com
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Pillar of the Community
United States
8904 Posts |
I agree if it's a fake it's a good one.
Something I just noticed; the expanding and contracting gap between the denticles and the edge on the reverse...
And the extra line between the denticles and the edge...
THOSE look bad to me. They don't match up if you look at the 2 posted SL dollars...
Edited by Moe145
04/22/2012 8:38 pm
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1731 Posts |
Ahh. I see what's wrong with denticles now. Pretty good fake
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Rest in Peace
United States
10625 Posts |
Certain features show wear of a coin in AU condition while other features are that of a coin grading Fine. Doesn't add up to authentic.
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New Member
United States
10 Posts |
I will take it to a local coin dealer this week and let y'all know what he thinks.
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Replies: 28 / Views: 9,686 |
Posted 04/22/2012 7:36 pm
