Need Help with US 1878 100 Cents Coin

I am thinking of purchasing a 1878 US 100 cents coin from Craigslist. My question is can the usual coin detection methods work (magnet test, grams test). Below are pics of the coin in question. Can anyone offer any knowledge on this coin and if you suspect it to be a replica/fake?

Thank you in advance.


2

 

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Counterfeit.

 

Just so I know for future reference when possibly purchasing a coin, how are you able to tell it is counterfeit?

Thanks for the reply btw Tom.

 

If I'm not mistaken that's a counterfeit of a pattern dollar, correct?

 

Did he say how much he wanted? It's certainly not a regular issue coin produced by the US mint.

 

If it's real, it's a pattern. I'm not sure how to tell if these are counterfeit though. The alloy is almost too close to distinguish between goloid and a traditional 90% silver 10% copper coin.

 

The person is asking $500 for it.

 

When researching the coin this is what I found out about it;

It is a replica of a US Goloid Dollar. If it were real, it would be worth several thousands of US dollars. The replica is worth a few dollars. Values for genuine coins are tucked away in coin catalogs and range from $2500 to $1000 US dollars. You can find a picture of the genuine coin atCoinAucstionsHelp. The nice-looking genuine coin at HeritageAuctions sold for $3700.

The first test of authenticity should be weight. If your coin weighs 14.25 grams, it may be real. If it does not weigh 14.25 grams, it is fake.

Now, according to those Smarty Pants over at Answerbag:

'Goloid is an alloy of silver, gold and copper patented by Dr. William Wheeler Hubbell on May 22, 1877. The alloy, in varying proportions (sometimes slightly out of these specifications), was used by the United States Mint to strike pattern dollars, sometimes called 'metric dollars' (some were marked with 'metric' in the coin design, while all had metal proportions and total coin weight as design features) from 1878 to 1880. Patterns of the same design were struck in other metals, including aluminum, copper, normal coin silver, lead, and white metal.

In the end, goloid was rejected as a coinage metal because it could not be distinguished from the normal U.S. 90% silver coin alloy without chemical analysis, thus inviting counterfeiters to use silver-copper alloys alone to make lower-value copies.'

 

You probably won't be able to tell by weight if it's a fake on a 90% Silver planchet. There isn't enough of a difference to be able to tell between the alloys on a circulated coin. If you had the coin in hand, I'd say check the surfaces for signs that it may have been cast. These would have been struck as proofs.

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What's the story on it? Where did the person say they got it?

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Grandfather passed it down.

 

Don't like the denticals, the lettering is too rounded and mushy especially on the rev, these coins were struck as proofs and the stars on the obverse aren't sharp especially on the left side.

 

I stumbled upon a replica recently. I studied the genuine coins and the replicas quite closely to determine which one I was in possession of. I was heart-broken from my realization but thought I'd share the most distinct difference between the two. THE JAW LINE!! The genine coin illustrates a prominent jaw line from chin to ear. The replica has a faint jaw line from chin to lower cheek. Hope this helps

 

Shereeses, this topic is 4 years old. In the future, please try not to bump very old topics.

Almost replied to this one with detailed info about the counterfeit, then realized it was 4 years old.

 

I've been necro threaded. Touche.

 

The OP was last seen Apr. 4, 2014, which was the day he joined!

 

Comments on old topics benefit people who are looking for information.
Forum Nazis are as welcome as any Nazis. Cross talking is the appeal
of Coin Talk to my mind.

 

I apologize. All of this is new to me including the topic. I came across the thread while doing my own research on the same topic so I figured if somebody else came across it doing the same thing, my info might help. You're completely understood!

 

The only reason I posted that is because I had written one or two paragraphs about the counterfeit, to help the OP. Then I saw the date the thread was started, and I edited my post to say that. Not trying to be a forum nazi here.

I shouldn't have said what I said in my earlier post. Usually, if someone bumps an old topic with relevant information, it's considered okay. So you didn't do anything bad.

 

I never knew a line of these type of coins/tokens existed - I don't recall them in my RedBooks.

Something new to learn from this thread popping back up from necroworld.