Need Help - Real Or Fake? - Coin Community Forum

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Author	Replies: 7 / Views: 1,574
dhbutler999 New Member United States 26 Posts	Posted 01/22/2008 3:47 pm I have 2 (apparently) very old and rare coins. One is a 1773 Virginia Half Penny, and the other is a Rhode Island Ship Medal. (pictures of both attached) I don't remember where I got these. They've been in a box for over 30 years. I either bought these as reproductions at Black Creek Village in Toronto, or got them in a box of old coins I bought at an estate auction roughly the same time. Is there an easy way to tell if they're repro's? (weight, size, etc?) My gut tells me they're fake, so I'd really like to not embarrass myself by sending them somewhere for certification. Thanks to all. Image: DSCF3045.jpg 42.16 KB Image: DSCF3046.jpg 42.65 KB Image: DSCF3043.jpg 54.19 KB Image: DSCF3044.jpg 46.62 KB Report this Post to the Staff

halfabustisbetter Pillar of the Community United States 1984 Posts	Posted 01/22/2008 4:56 pm I don't have the specs for the 'halfpenny' handy, but my experience with them leads me to believe yours is a repro. The edge is off and the design is crude. Same with the medal. If I saw them on ebay I'd immediately think 'reproduction,' due to the cast look of the coins and the apparent attempt to simulate wear. Report this Post to the Staff
jbakic Valued Member United States 251 Posts	Posted 01/22/2008 4:56 pm I don't know enough about those to tell if they are real or not, RedBook does not list any weights, etc for them. I am sure someone here will know how to tell. I'd keep em, real or not, they are neat. Report this Post to the Staff
Conder101 Bedrock of the Community United States 17884 Posts	Posted 01/26/2008 03:44 am From the pictures I would say that these are almost certainly cast copies. Report this Post to the Staff
j_h_s Pillar of the Community United States 1934 Posts	Posted 01/26/2008 04:34 am I woulda thought the 1773 was a British milled coin for use in England. Did they use those in the USA for currency, too? Report this Post to the Staff
houston_guy462004 Valued Member United States 235 Posts	Posted 01/27/2008 1:04 pm The virgini9a Halfpenny looks to well-centers and has the rough surface of a cast reproduction. It may have once been sold to tourists at Jamestown or Williamsburg. Report this Post to the Staff
Sap Moderator Australia 16809 Posts	Posted 01/28/2008 08:01 am quote: I woulda thought the 1773 was a British milled coin for use in England. Did they use those in the USA for currency, too? Nope, these were made for the colony. Have a look at the writing around the shield: "VIRGI NIA". These were the only Crown coinage issued for any of the pre-independence American colonies, and therefore in high demand from both US and British collectors. I have one (as part of my OFEC collection, since Virginia was a separate country at the time), and would agree with HABIB that "the edge is off". Specifically, the edge is too wide. Here's mine: The legend (on both sides) is sitting right on the coin's edge, with no wide gap or beaded border. Mine is 24.85mm diameter. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis Report this Post to the Staff
dhbutler999 New Member United States 26 Posts	Posted 01/28/2008 4:10 pm Thank you SAP. Mine is 27mm in diameter. And if I'd look more closely at the pictures in the Red Book, I'd have noticed the beaded border problem (theirs is faint and right on the border.) Obviously a repro. Again, Thanks. Report this Post to the Staff
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