Confederate Half: Someone Got Taken For A Ride

A fake of these is the only way I will ever get one of these!
If the opportunity arises, I will bid accordingly.

I may be mistaken, but isn't that a stamp saying "copy" on the reverse of the first one, to the left of the phrygian cap over the sheild?

There are four "originals", made in 1861. Their provenances and whereabouts are all well documented and they aren't going to pop up at a flea market sometime.

There are 500 "restrikes", made in 1879 by a New York businessman using the original reverse die and struck on genuine 1861 half-dollars which had all had their regular reverses sanded flat. Those restrikes are worth several thousand each.

And then there are 500 more white-metal "medals", made at the same time using the Confederate die on one side and a medal die explaining the story of the Confederate half dollar on the other. These medals are worth about half of what a silver restrike is worth.

You'll find all three of the above listed objects in the back of the RedBook. All other "restrikes" or "replicas" are modern fantasies, all of which probably date from around the time of the centenary in the 1960s (or later), and all are worth either bullion content or (if not made of silver) a couple of dollars. The original die "disappeared" sometime in the 1920s, so until and unless it turns up again, no more authentic "restrikes" are possible.

Lousy reproduction CSA half dollars have been a bane on the market for decades. Some, like the ebay coins here are scum. On the other hand, there DOES exist one Restrike which does have substantial value and is an accurate recreation of the CSA obverse. Struck by eccentric dealer/collector Robert Bashlow in 1962 using dies created by AG Frank and co in Philadelphia. This was a transfer die which includes subtle rust damage found on the 1879 pieces. Bashlow intended to produce an equal quantity of these as the CSA cent restrikes (approx 30,000) but fell FAR short. I'd "estimate" no more than a few thousand were struck. Found in silver, copper and "Goldine" they are on a thicker planchet than a normal half dollar. So, if you want a decent representation of ths CSA half, get a Bashlow.