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 Replies: 16 / Views: 5,020 |
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Valued Member
Australia
117 Posts |
1954 halfpenny - or? I think this could be a counterfeit, but I've never seen one before, so I'm just going on gut instinct. What do people think?   Sorry about the hairs on the first scan! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7621 Posts |
The "4" really looks funny. I think it's more of an altered date on a genuine coin.
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Valued Member
 Australia
117 Posts |
Thanks for looking, westernsky! However, IMHO, the legend seems to me to be far too thick to be genuine. Take a look, in particular, at the cross above the queen's head and the final H in ELIZABETH on the obverse.
I can't think of any reason why a genuine coin would vaunt such clumsy lettering work.
On the other hand, the images of the 'roo and Her Majesty are both very sound - I can't claim to have identified any serious problems with either of them.
If the coin is a fake, it's a better one than any of the contemporary forgeries that can be viewed on the Sydney Powerhouse Museum website, so I'm hoping it might be worth something!
Edited by jimjamtwo
12/17/2013 10:45 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7621 Posts |
Yeah....maybe it's 100% counterfeit. The lettering, as well as the "4" in the date, looks funky.
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Valued Member
Australia
117 Posts |
Funky as in cool, I'd be tempted to say.
LOL.
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
I can't think why anybody would want to make a fake of a common coin.
For the '54 ha'penny, 22 million of them were struck.
That would require something like 220 working die pairs. That leaves lots of room for die variation.
Better to check for weight and ring tone comparison, against a known genuine coin.
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Valued Member
Australia
117 Posts |
That's a good point, sel_69l! If it was a genuine coin, it would explain why there's nothing wrong with either the 'roo or the queen's portrait. But I have never seen such thick, clumsy lettering on a real coin, so I remain very sceptical. For those who don't know what a real 1954 halfpenny looks like, here's the reverse of one that sold recently on ebay. Not only is the legend finer, but it includes circles, not ovals or egg shapes, as stops (or whatever they call them).  I hope to be able to weigh it soon (a real halfpenny weighed 5.67g). I don't know what you mean by 'ring tone comparison,' though. Edited by jimjamtwo
12/18/2013 01:08 am
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
5417 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
1041 Posts |
why fake a half penny 1954 there is no resond but the E T H LOOK LIKE CRAP what do you have here jimjam I have no idea but the coins have turned up some weird coins good luck hope its real
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Valued Member
Australia
117 Posts |
Well, for argument's sake, here's a side by side comparison of part of the legend:   Note how close the letters are to the rim - they are nearly touching the denticles. Edited by jimjamtwo
12/18/2013 01:27 am
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
1041 Posts |
what the coin weigh and what do you think its made of and it could be a apprentice first try
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
750 Posts |
Looks to me like the legend has been beaten down.
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Formerly nancyc
Australia
5385 Posts |
I can't imagine anyone bothering to make counterfeit 1954 Ha'pennies. There were nearly 23 million of them minted.  I think it's just well worn. life is a mystery to be lived not a problem to be solved
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Valued Member
Australia
117 Posts |
shanew, I haven't been able to weigh it yet. I've got some micro scales in the mail, but they haven't arrived yet.
The Unicorn, that seems a possibility, but would this have moved the legend closer to the coin rim? And how would it be possible to do this without affecting other areas of the coin too? In other words, how could the impact of the hammering have been confined just to the legend? Considerable force would have been required, and I wonder how this could have been done with affecting the surrounding fields.
Nevol, I just can't imagine it myself. No matter how worn a coin is - and on well-worn coins the raised areas do not tend to flatten out - how can the legend migrate closer to the coin rim?
Thanks for the observations, all!
Edited by jimjamtwo
12/18/2013 04:13 am
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Valued Member
Australia
117 Posts |
I just might have found the answer to this conundrum. There's a webpage where all the known die varieties of Australian halfpennies and pennies are listed. The following entry could well be a description of this coin: *1954 Y. DDO #4 distorted hub, bold spread to outside on all letters http://users.scronline.com/lockem/aussie.txtSo the coin is apparently genuine! Edited by jimjamtwo
12/18/2013 10:41 pm
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
Standard simple tests for any suspected counterfeit coin:
1. Comparative ring test with an equivalent known genuine coin.
2. Check for weight.
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Replies: 16 / Views: 5,020 |
Posted 12/17/2013 10:40 pm
