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 Replies: 14 / Views: 2,260 |
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Valued Member
United States
72 Posts |
For the sake of documentation I wanted to share a counterfeit penny I came across today.   The date screamed fake and then looking further at all of the other aspects everything is very soft, especially the wreath. Then there are the stats - it only weighs 3.2 grams when it should be closer 4.6 grams. Its too thin, and my xray shows it to be 99.9 percent copper instead of 88% copper with the balance nickel. Just thought it was interesting and wanted to share. |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
8938 Posts |
I'm less convinced it's a fake, and more convinced it's a token to be honest
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1303 Posts |
It sure looks weathered & worn.I'm guessing that's a very old coin? It's hard to believe someone would go to the trouble of counterfeiting a penny?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3848 Posts |
Looks to be a contemporary counterfeit, or possibly a civil war token.
Suffering from bust half fever. Want to learn how to attribute early half dollars by die variety? Click Here: http://goccf.com/t/434955Shoot me a PM if you are looking to sell bust halves. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4395 Posts |
Edited by Tanman2001
11/17/2021 5:15 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6514 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1086 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3848 Posts |
Great sleuthing work!  Suffering from bust half fever. Want to learn how to attribute early half dollars by die variety? Click Here: http://goccf.com/t/434955Shoot me a PM if you are looking to sell bust halves. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5825 Posts |
Nice ID job, Tanman.
I was going to check trials/specimens but with your ID I don't think that's necessary.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4415 Posts |
Yes, this is one of the more common varieties of CW tokens. Damaged and well-worn as it is, the value would be south of $10. A decent VF example, which most collectors seek, will presently retail for about $20. The Indian Head CWT's are among the most commonly seen of over 10,000 varieties. Many of them were also struck in metals other than copper, like brass. Ones made of copper-nickel even more closely resembled the genuine cents, but the word NOT was typically seen above ONE CENT. Some of these 1863 tokens were about the size of the Two Cent Piece which surfaced the following year, 1864. Here's a similar, yet scarcer copper-nickel Indian Head variety on ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/164391259556Civil War tokens are a fascinating series to collect ....     Edited by ExoGuy
11/17/2021 10:11 pm
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
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Moderator
 United States
187702 Posts |
Well done!  |
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Valued Member
 United States
72 Posts |
Wow Thanks everyone for the feedback. That's why this forum is so great. I believe that either the NOT wore off or it was ground down. I think you can still see the top of the T from Not, but that is it. I also find it interesting that it is pure copper, so it was likely a planchet made from scratch. No trace of tin/zinc. Anyway thanks for everyone's help.
enz
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4415 Posts |
While it's possible, I seriously doubt that this token is "pure copper." In order to determine the metal content of some of my suspected silver tokens, I've taken them to shows and a local dealer in order to get an XRF Analyzer reading. Then, one can get a breakdown of the percentages of different metals used in the mix. The few silver pieces I discovered tested at 80% silver.
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
1610 Posts |
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Replies: 14 / Views: 2,260 |
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Posted 11/17/2021 4:52 pm
