Got this at a local coin shop. Just wondering what it is worth/ if it is legit. This is my first venture into the older commemorative coins besides the Columbian Halves.
The color looks a lot like recent years "aged" Chinese fakes. Make sure you weigh it. Personally I can't say if its real or not from these pics.
It looks genuine to me (although it is hard to see any details due to the photos being out of focus). The Stone Mountain Half is one of the most common Commems. When sales slowed down the remainder were released into circulation. Your coin appears to be one of the ones released into circulation.
Looks like a nice looking XF or so example with some decent eye appeal. A couple of small rim dings would keep it from being spectacular, but they don't seem too distracting. I agree that it's worth somewhere around $30. The story behind the Stone Mountain commemorative coins is one of the good ones... The Swaitek and Breen commem book is a great read if you haven't seen it yet. Even though it's 30+ years old now, it's still very relevant and has a wealth of information.
Thanks folks. It was marked as 35 bucks, but for 70 I got it, an American Silver Eagle, two of those hilarious one ounce copper bullion coins and a Dansco Album for my Franklins. So all told, I guess I hit it pretty decently at the 30 mark. I weighed it and it looks good, but I'm not an expert with detecting counterfeits, and I know that the older commemorative coins are targets for the Chinese fakes. The detail looks pretty crisp all around, but I agree that I was a little suspicious of the surface. This was a new coin dealer in town, so I'll probably take the coin to a guy I've been dealing with for a while. He goes to the ANA show and seems to really know his stuff (i.e. he has a tray of fakes that people have bought in of all varieties)
Will Do I've been pretty busy as of late, and the good dealer is in the next state (thought its only like 30 minutes away) I'm about 99 percent sure it is legit having looked at it a bit more, but I will let you all know.
my usual coin dealer says it looks good, although isn't the highest of grades, as i knew and you all pointed out. i asked him about the dark observe, and he said he definitely say that fairly commonly with the stone mountain commemorative. i think he had about 8 pieces, and probably half had the darker color i have. just a feature of that particular coin for whatever reason.
I am so glad that you started this thread. I actually just picked up my first stone mountain half two nights ago at a *coin club meeting. I plan on focusing on 1925 commems. (Currently have the 1925-S California Jubilee, and this one). I like the look of yours... Early Walking Liberty Half natural condition.
i do like some of the early commems. too, but some of the topics are too obscure or regional to really spark my interest. the california jubilee one is a nice coin, as are a few of the others relating to california (the pan-pacific one in particular is my favorite) beyond that though, i can't see myself picking up more than just those and the oregon trail and the gettysburg anniversary. i already have the two columbian ones, as well as the wasinington and washington/carver ones, just because you can get them in high grades cheaply.
