1788 Massachusetts one cent - counterfeit?

We need @Colonialjohn on this. Where is he!

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Now that I have had a moment to catch my breath! It is unknown what mint many of the state coppers were manufactured at. This is true of some New Jersey, Connecticut and Vermont coppers. All of the genuine Massachusetts cents and half cents however were minted at the official mint in Boston. None of the state coppers bore a mintmark as previously stated.

 

Then my 1788 ryder must not be valueable .

 

What years were they made by private companies. Do...u know.

 

Why do some of the1788 cents massch cent have a R on back?

 

replica

 

Before the 1973 Hobby Protection Act copies, replicas, souvenirs, etc did not have to be marked in any way. Some companies did stamp COPY on the ones they made, some followed the European tradition of marking them with an R for Replica, but most are unmarked. After the Hobby Protection Act passed all such copies made since that time have to be marked with the incuse word COPY.

 

Yes...ive seen the R on the left side on the back of my 1788 cent coin. I think it stands for Ryder.

 

And why would it stand for Ryder? Ryder didn't catalog the series until the early 20th century. Some collectors back then would write the catalog identification on the coin in ink, but I've never heard of anyone counterstamping it in and if they did they would have stamped the number in as well. Your R stands for Replica.

 

fake

 

The R does not stand for Ryder, that makes no sense at all, it marks the coin as a replica.

 

I think it stands for "retread" since the most recent post prior to today was 6 months ago.

 

About that 1788 cent . I have 1 but my R on back of the coin is located on left lower side. Ive had my coin for over 48yrs. I would like to know...more about the cents.

 

Nothing more to know, as fully explained in this thread your coin is a fake coin, marked with an R for replica.

 

If you want to learn more about the Mass. cents, look here: https://coins.nd.edu/ColCoin/ColCoinIntros/MA-Copper.intro.html
Notre Dame has excellent resources on early us and colonial era coinage. enjoy!

 

During the American Bicentennial nearly ALL colonials were reproduced and sold. Some were marked with an R and others weren't. Later the HOBBY PROTECTION ACT made it illegal to offer unmarked copies. At that time the word COPY was used.
I gather up these fake coins and some folks have begun getting them slabbed. I have no idea what they sell for. I buy them from dealers token tubs for about 20 cents each.

 

The Bicentennial was three years AFTER the Hobby Protection Act. There were illegal colonial copies made and sold during the Bicentennial though.

 

I was overseas in Army during the Bicentennial. My memory of laws is flawed therefore. Your facts trump my opinion.