Some Contemporary 19th Century Counterfeits ...

Thanks, Philly. These are all I have, dating in the mid-1800's, thereabouts. These are about to go to a new home, to a collector who is specializing in them. Thought I should take some family pics and try honing my photo skills before these wander away.

I still have a number of Bust Halves and some early 20th century counterfeits that will make good fodder for future posts. It's been my experience that the fakes from the mid-1800's tend to be scarcer to find than the earlier Bust Halves.

I believe that the 1833 half is one of but two known. The arrows at the date suggest that it was made in the 1850's, probably just prior to the Civil War. Both this piece and the dime, being of brass composition, may well have been silver plated at their outset. That would perhaps explain the scratches on the dime. No evidence of plating remains, however. Personally, I've long relished the rarely seen pieces like these! IMHO. those pricey S-VDB's pale in comparison to the early Americana.

I really dig the 1864? Trime! The obverse is great. Truly a wonderful example of numistmatic/economic necessity need.

I really like that 1833 seated half. That's a funny piece and would make a fantastic addition to any collection, including mine :)

Thanks, Cascade. To make a long story short, I reconnected with a fellow collector who long ago supplied me with some pieces for another collection I was building. He's now into these early counterfeits, so I'm in effect returning the favor. Also ... I'm gettin' old and need to do more down-sizing. C'est la vie!

My pleasure, Coinfrog. Pieces like these are rarely encountered in our hobby. That's what moved me to start this thread. These early counterfeits were "signs of the times" in which they circulated. Hard money was a scarce commodity in the mid 1800's; probably more so when, in 1857, it became "officially" illegal to conduct trade with foreign money. U.S. coins were likely more in demand to fill the gap.

Hi there, Bill Snyder! I'm certainly not ready to close shop, so to speak. There are items that I've acquired over the years which don't hold continuing interest for me. This handful of counterfeits is one such genre. There are some others. I've long been narrowing my focus to the counterstamps and early coppers in general, it seems. The early coppers have more lasting appeal for me, my eye, whether counterstamped or not.