Is this any good? (fractional gold)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/130770239983?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

I've never bought any fractional gold and was wondering if these were real or novelty items? Thanks Kent

 

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Don't buy it.

 

How do you know if it's real or junk?

 

Most are fake,unless you know what you are doing stay away from these.

 

Thanks but how do I find real ones just a type piece nothing real valuable?

 

Do a personal sale, not over the Internet

 

ngc and pcgs grade them. i know most with bears on them are fake. from what i gather though you never really know how much gold was actually there if any

 

For starters, you could spend some time searching for the basics online or spend a couple hundred on the Breen/Gillio book.

If the OP does not know how to identify the good from the bad, how is a personal sale going to be of help to him? You do realize that it is just as easy to rip off someone who does not know what they are doing in-person as it is online, right?

 

Simple rule is if it has a Bear on it it probably not real and it is listed as a token so it probably plated only. If you want a real one of them buy one that is certified........

 

I think the word is out on these. No bidders on this one, and the auction closed.

 

When you see a bear you know it's not real. At the same time, folks collect these.
Check out this cool site. It's a bit old but fun stuff.

http://www.calgoldcoin.com/bears.htm

 

I wonder how small those get. Some of them look no bigger than like 9-10mm. My 11mm tenth oz AGE has small enough. Imagine having these as pocket money. I'd lose them.

 

It's kind of like those gold plated quarters sold by Coin Vault and Franklin Mint, pretty, but only worth 25 cents, except the one you've linked isn't even worth a quarter.

 

I'm sure it's already been said, but many of those fractional gold pieces are fakes, if you see a real one it will go for $250 to $300 normally. I have bought gold on ebay, both Indian Heads and Liberty's. With that said, it's not the best place to buy gold by any means but if you study for awhile you will find out what's safe. Bottom line, the fractionals are not safe especially on ebay, buy those from someone reputable in person. Just go to your nearest B&M.

 

ALL of the ones with bears are fakes. And I believe all real ones but one variety will have a denomination expressed as (1/4, 1/2, or 1) D, Dol, or Dollar on them. The fake ones are typically brass, in some cases gold plated brass.

 

Eh, you don't know small. Some early electrum coins were 3 or 4 mm in size, weighing fractions of a gram. This is why silver and copper coinage was invented. The first coinage was electrum, but it was quickly discovered its just too high a value item for everyday transactions.

 

I guess I still have a lot to learn. I've heard that term before but didn't realize coins were that small. Then again, I'm sure the money was worth more than what a penny or dime is worth today in term's of purchasing power. So, I'm guessing people back then held onto their money much more carefully than people do today with coinage.

 

Yes yes yes and once again YES.

I paid $85 for mine.

Long story, but there is no question the auction in the OP is FAKE. These California Fractionals are divided into Periods 1, 2, and 3; only the Period One pieces (1852-1857) widely circulated in commerce, and the vast majority of them imitated contemporary US Mint Gold Dollars (i.e. Liberty on one side, wreath on the other).

How did I learn that ? Bought the book.

Bottom line : BUY ONLY EXAMPLES CERTIFIED BY NGC AND PCGS UNLESS YOU ARE AN EXPERT (and I bet there only 10 or 15 people worldwide considered true experts, and I'm not one of 'em).

 

Excellent post, but to your bottom line I would add a caveat, "unless you buy from a recognized expert in these like Kagin". Buying from an expert in a series I believe is just as safe as a slabbed example, at least as far as authenticity is concerned.

 

Thanks !

Yes, Don Kagin is The Man when it comes to a lot of things. Very bright man. I'm told he's the first to earn a PhD in Numismatics. He literally "wrote the book"on a closely related area of North American coinage - pioneer and territorial gold.