Okay, first time post and to be fair I only own one coin BUT I'm trying to figure out value of what I got and the set as a whole. The other night I was catching up with a well to do friend of mine who mentioned his grandmother gave him some coins from his grandfather. When I saw the date 1881 I said, "no way are these original...they are probably reproductions/reissue and worth about the melting value". So after a few beers we opened up the case and he gave me one (I know, not the best idea but I gave him a crystal ashtray from my grandma when she passed). He gave me the 1881 $10 Liberty Eagle. Now I'm starting to suspect they are the real deal and I want to figure out what we're dealing with. I hope I embed the pic properly but I'd appreciate any feedback (*sigh* even if its, "those have no value, ship them to me" [ha]).
Can't be absolutely sure judging from your pics, but if they are real, that's one heck of a stash your friend has there. Welcome to the forum.
If I were you I'd read up on them coins and be able to tell if they are real then go to your friend inspect them. if they are real offer him some money for them. Then send them off to PCGS you could have a small fortune there
if they are reproductions, they will probably have the word "copy"in somewhere on them, but you have to look really carefully. once i almost thought i had found a real 1933 double eagle, until i noticed the word "copy" in tiny letters hidden among the eagle's feathers. at least it was $1.6k worth of gold if they are real, that is an amazing set
I suspect they are real, although that can't be said for certain from this picture. Many look to be high grade, especially the Indian $10 and the $20 Saint. Melt value alone for this set would be in the thousands. These gold type sets used to be quite popular. Any value above melt would greatly depend on condition. Some closer, head on, pictures would be nice.
Thanks for the replies. It makes sense that they are real as grandpa was a metal worker growing up who then started a successful steel company. I called a coin shop to ask if they could PCGS my coin and they changed the subject and suggested I just bring them the coin and they'd buy it. I'm waiting to hear back from my friend as I'm going to tell him what I've learned and ask if he'd allow me to take the set and possibly broker the coins after learning more about them because right now they might be sitting forgotten in a drawer. Oh, and then I'm going looking for this gold in my backyard (note: I was planning on looking before I got the coin and the CA couple discovered gold in their backyard): http://www.lakehistory.info/treasure.html
digging for buried treasure eh? Didn't know folks still did that. sounds like quite and adventure just don't ruin your backyard and become a nutjob
if you find it you should send me some one time i went camping in the ozarks and my freind found a 1900 liberty head nickel, but no gold
Talked to my friend today to let him know they were worth more than we thought (he agreed from the Virgin Islands and again reminded me of the sentimental value). Hopefully new pics can shed light on more info. As to the Ozark gold hunt, there is a street named 'Watkins' with many creeks leading to where the Osage River flowed pre-Lake. Back to the coin and thoughts appreciated:
