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 Replies: 21 / Views: 15,233 |
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
298 Posts |
Ok, so I picked up one of these cheap at the local flea market - this lady didn't sell coins and had it in with a load of other collectables she was selling so I snapped it up. Got it home and compared it with a 67 I already have, and did a bit of a panic because it weighed nearly a gram more before doing research and realising the .900 coin was indeed heavier!  Ok, so basically my 64 looks like its a proof perhaps up against the other one but my worry is the reverse where the detail on the supposed proof is nothing like as sharp as the 67  With the arrows on the 67 I can see gaps between them whereas on the 64 pic its very hard to see much detail and it looks like its all moulded into one. I'm not American so not THAT familiar with these yet. It weighs 12.5g, the size is right, is not magnetic, no copper band on the edge etc. Is this simply an ex-proof coin that got circulated and then polished to death,lost a little detail and I'm just having a bit of a noob panic? |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1211 Posts |
Hit it with a magnet. Look at the edge for a seam.
Magician's trick coin.
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Valued Member
United States
402 Posts |
Have no seen or heard of any fake Kennedys yet. edgman  |
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Valued Member
United States
492 Posts |
Try the tissue test. Just from the color though, it looks like its clad and someone hit it with a buffing wheel. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4901 Posts |
1st: he already "hit it with a magnet" and "trick coins" have two heads or two tails" ...
2nd:
...It does look a bit weird in that it does not have the expected toning that a circulated silver half should have. That said it very well might have been dipped at one time.
...The arrow thing could just be from wear on the raised parts
...why would someone go through the trouble of counterfeiting a coin with a silver content a tad over $12 (now..probably less when it was done) and then get intentionally get a circulated look to it? Seems like a lot of work
...most likely it IS a proof and was someones lucky pocket piece and this (rubbing, handling, minimized the toning.
...interesting
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4901 Posts |
I should add that after asking why someone would go through the bother for a half dollar I remembered the story about the huge quantities of fake pound coins there are in Great Britain...
...and...regarding the "clad/buffed" comment...1964 halves were all 90% silver...not clad
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4901 Posts |
Sorry..post removed..I'm not having a good AM  Edited by Foxwoods Man
10/03/2012 09:15 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1796 Posts |
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Valued Member
 United Kingdom
298 Posts |
Yeah, i'll have to go with the polished the heck out of ex-proof pocket piece theory. Right size, weight, non-magnetic, no join mark, no copper band, passes the tissue test. But it sure does look weird. edit - just tried a ping test on a clad one and the 64 has a lower tone Edited by Coinaholic73
10/03/2012 09:33 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2295 Posts |
It sounds like you did all the tests you could do to verify it was real.
Look at it under magnification for polishing marks.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
959 Posts |
If you blow up the reverse pic of the '64, there looks to be a seam at the bottom edge. I would say a Magician's coin. See if you can't pry it apart. If nothing else, I usually wrap one in a towel, a bang it on a hard surface. They usually come apart that way. |
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
298 Posts |
No, I can safely say that is a reflection and my woeful lighting combined! Definitely no seam.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1254 Posts |
Take it to a coin shop and see if they will offer you the amount for a 64 kennedy. If not, ask them why.
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
298 Posts |
Thanks for your help, it does look a little odd but all the tests check out so I'm going with real for now. Bar sending it in for melt, little else I can do to prove otherwise.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1903 Posts |
All the fine detail in Kennedy's hair being gone along with obliterated feather detail says "polished" to me. Give me a dremel tool and a polish wheel and I could make one look like that in ten minutes
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Valued Member
291 Posts |
Looks like it was a pocket piece - in addition to being heavily polished.
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Replies: 21 / Views: 15,233 |
Posted 10/03/2012 08:29 am
