I wonder how much this is going for? I know I'm not going to bid on it! LOL https://www.greatcollections.com/Co...898-Gold-Liberty-Half-Eagle-83g-PCGS-Proof-66
Why on earth would PCGS certify something like that? The bad vibes coming off that coin I can feel here in Canada. Hmmmmmmm can you feel the mint worker sneaking in and doing this?
100%, there is also one struck on a Canadian quarter and on a Barber quarter that I'm aware of, and others wouldn't surprise me.
The buyer’s fee is hefty… but, I would like to get it! I collect 1/4toz gold coins (World, Ancients, Pre-33, and Bullion) Personally, I feel modern mints do this on purpose to create PR and collectors buzz…
My opinion? . . . that is no more than a steaming pile of contrived crap! Oh, and roughly a quarter ounce of gold.
This may be one of several known errors in 1970 that were intentionally created by a worker(s), but the security was such that they could not remove them, so they dropped them in with other proofs. I love this quote from the story at the link below: "Mint error? Sure it is a mint error. The mint made a big error letting a couple of clowns fool around on the presses" MORE ON 1970-S MINT "ERRORS"
Not sure if it's an actual error but as a regular GC bidder, it's likely gonna go for thousands. Only one question: how in the name of James May's patience does a quarter get struck on a $5 gold.... which is from 1898? Answer is likely tomfoolery. But, I'd give melt for it happily.
Why blame workers? An “error” this blatant was willfully done by much higher up. This “error” creates huge potential buzz and PR for the Mint to sell product. Small price to pay… hey, we are all talking about it now, aren’t we? Hats off to the Senior Staff at the mint to come up with this conundrum coin! Way cool!
When it comes down to it being contrived or a natural origin error you have to consider the realms of “possibility” and “probability”. This coin is smack dab an improbable abomination, and it ruined a perfectly good gold piece…IMO…Spark
The bigger question for me is... how on earth did PCGS determine that it was 1898? Let alone that it wasn't an 1898-S instead. I don't see any evidence of the original coin anywhere, let alone a date or the absence of a mint mark. Did it come with a letter of unauthenticity from the 1970 equivalent of Israel Switt?
Certainly does smell like a clandestine mint job. I wonder how they attributed the date of the host coin. I can't see any of the host coin details, even ghostly, on there. Somebody must've seen something, though.
The date is visible on the reverse above quarter dollar, under the branch. Pretty obvious what it is, no stretch as to how it was made, many were done that year so I'm pretty sure the mint knows exactly who was responsible.
OK, I see it, or at least 89. Maybe in hand they can definitively tell that there's another 8 there. I guess it doesn't really matter what year or mint it was struck on.
Now, see, there's no way to prove that. The original gold piece could've been harshly cleaned or scratched before the Mint fraudster vandalized it.
