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 Replies: 19 / Views: 9,841 |
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Valued Member
United States
245 Posts |
I have two coins that I think are British Trade dollars and one is a 1898 and the other is a 1911 and the dealer marked a B after the date on the 1911 and I'm not sure what that means. One from 1898 has quite a bit of wear and I really like the toning. The 1911 is in much better shape but it may have been cleaned before I bought it. 1898   1911 or 1911B  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2541 Posts |
I'm not sure what the "B" means, but they are definitely British Trade dollars. I don't know much about them except that they are nice looking coins and I want one! If you only paid $25 for the second one, that seems like a pretty good price to me. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2605 Posts |
The Britannia series Trade dollars were issued to facilitate British trade in the Orient, so with a few exceptions they were minted at the Bombay (B) and Calcutta (C) mints in India. |
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Valued Member
United States
125 Posts |
Where is the mint mark? How do you tell which mint minted them?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2605 Posts |
The MM "C" can be found in the ground between the left foot of Britannia and the base of the shield, while the MM "B" is located in the centre prong of the trident.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2605 Posts |
fyimo's 1898 dollar is also minted in Bombay:  |
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Valued Member
United States
125 Posts |
And that is another thing I learned today. Thanks svslav
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Valued Member
 United States
245 Posts |
Thanks svslav for all of your help as I'm learning a lot about British coins and it's re sparked my interest in them. I was really hot on British Penny coins in the late 90's because I loved the design and they seemed like they were under valued compared to what I was paying for US Large Cents from the 1800's. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
14454 Posts |
I have one of these things here somewhere but can't find it right now. I really like the design of these British Trade dollars but I also want to add that I think these things were counterfeited pretty heavily also. I am not 100% positive on this but if I am not mistaken I have read somewhere that this is another series to look out for just like the Trade dollars the US made |
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Pillar of the Community
3660 Posts |
I am very glad that you mentioned this Bryan, I am thinking of buying a 1921 Bombay dollar, and never considered the authenticity aspect of it until your post. Thanks.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
14454 Posts |
as I said I am not 100% on what I said but I do think I remember it being discussed about these being copied pretty badly. You may want to do some research before you do buy one of these to be sure. I think I read this when I acquired mine a few years ago
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Pillar of the Community
3660 Posts |
Yeah, I read you right the first time Bryan. No disclaimer necessary.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3499 Posts |
I love these Trade dollars. But, yes, they have been heavily counterfeited in China as of late. I really suggest that you weigh these two. I'm really sorry to say this, but the first one, the 1898, looks a bit suspect. It may just be the combination of the picture and the wear, but the details look a bit fuzzy and uneven and the color looks odd. Would it also be possible for you to post some pics of the edges of the coins? Thanks! |
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Pillar of the Community
Philippines
1156 Posts |
Nice coins! they always appear in auctions here, and get sold quickly. Asia was where those dollars were actually circulated, very nice solid large silver, minted in multi language format, really nice coins to collect  Edited by Nic
01/21/2010 7:44 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2887 Posts |
Yes, I hate to say it but when I first saw the top coin I thought it was a fake - due to the colour (which might be a false colour) but mostly due to the small holes which seem to pepper the surface (casting holes?) It really does need to be weighed - I hope it's fine.
The second one looks OK
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Valued Member
United States
245 Posts |
I checked them with a magnet and neither are magnetic so I weighed them both on my beam scale I use for reloading. The one in the top picture the 1898 weighed 408.5 grains = 26.4703 grams and the 1911 in the bottom picture weighed 410 grains = 26.5675 grams.
real or fake ?
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Replies: 19 / Views: 9,841 |
Posted 01/16/2010 6:46 pm
