1861 Half Dollar Fake Needing Information

Very interesting. Apparently plugged and once worn as ornamentation.

Really? That seems a stretch. Why counterfeit a plugged coin of little value? Please tell us more!

It does have the pitting a cast coin has. I don't know how to explain the color. This is just my opinion.

Hey, I'm just learning, like everyone else!

At 27g, are you thinking about dollar coins? I think the real 1861 half dollar was 12.44g.

Here is a known 1861 contemporary counterfeit from LSCC website.
http://www.lsccweb.org/cfhalves/1861_101page.htm

Weight is a little higher at 9.9g but it looks similar to me. There are striations across the staff that might indicate the same dies but I haven't looked too closely for other markers and the image isn't great. Says there's a mold inlet at Liberty's head - could that explain the plug?

IMHO, this piece isn't a contemporary c/f from the 1860's. Judging from the visible wear, the host coin, used to create this cast piece, was not likely in much better than fine condition. This suggests to me that it experienced at least a few decades of circulation, prior to being used as a model for the cast. My guess is that this piece dates between the 1890-1920's and was likely used as a tag and/or pocket piece by a collector.

My introduction to cast coin copies came in 1954-55, when my Dad came home from his job as a moving man. He handed me a c/f 1918 half and a genuine 1795, 3 leaf, Bust dollar that he'd found in a trunk! I still have the half, but I traded the dollar with a local pastor for a bunch of coins and books that introduced me to this great hobby.

Getting back to the OP's c/f, I've not seen nearly as many cast c/f Seated or Walking Liberty halves as I have Barbers; this, during my past 65 years of collecting. Most of the latest dated c/f Walkers I've seen were from the 1920's. This is how I've based my guess. A half dollar back then wasn't chump change and would buy ten beers/cigars or two hearty meals. Cast c/f dimes and quarters were equally prevalent back then. Likewise, I've seen more cast c/f Barber dimes and quarters than the types preceding and following their issue.

Like other collectors, I have a "Black Cabinet" that contains many c/f's and altered coins. Value-wise, the cast copies tend to be in the basement, trading for but a dollar or two as educational conversation pieces. IMHO, every serious coin collector should own one and spread the knowledge. In closing, I'm guessing that more than one collector may be working on filling a 7070 album with c/f type coins ....

Thanks for the info, ExoGuy. Very helpful.