A friend of mine was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan while we were in the service. He returned with hundreds of coins and some paper notes that he got for pennies from a merchant in Iraq. I was given about 50 of these coins and some notes. Neither of us knew anything about them. I question their authenticity although some of them genuinely appear very old. With your help I'd like to figure out what they are. I'll start with this one. Thank you for any and all help
I post this only since the OP brought up authenticity: From the Fort Campbell Leaf Chronicle: (The article is no longer online) Soldiers returning with fake U.S. coins Afghan merchants sell counterfeit money on bases By JAKE LOWARY, The Leaf-Chronicle, June 1, 2010 Everett, owner of Tiah’s Coins and Currency on Fort Campbell Boulevard, has accumulated more than 550 seemingly rare coins brought in by soldiers returning from the two countries who’ve been led to believe they’ll make money selling the coins back in the U.S. "They’re not realizing they’re committing a felony", Everett said. The coins are counterfeit, worth nothing more than the 22 grams of steel they’re made from. Of particular concern for Everett is the small stack of 1804 silver dollars he’s collected. Only about 15 legitimate coins exist, with some valued at more than $4 million. "The 1804 dollar is one of the most publicized rarities in the entire series of U.S. coins", says the "Red Book", the official buyer’s guide to U.S. coins. Everett has 10 of the coins himself, all of them counterfeit, all of them brought in by soldiers returning from combat. "These guys are getting ripped", Everett said.
He may have been ripped off. If he was he may still have a pretty neat albeit counterfeit collection. None of his were anything I've ever seen but that wouldnt take much. I lost touch with him. At any rate here are a few more.
Yeah, I'm inherently sceptical of any coin originating in that part of the world, and as far as I am concerned, they are guilty until proven innocent. Although the 'coins' are often quite common, they still command a relatively hefty premium over their intrinsic worth, so even the common stuff can be subject to counterfeiting...
many unsuspecting people who's knowledge of numismatics is extremely limited are conned into buying rubbish masquerading as coins every day, spain is a notorious hot spot for this, i was offered some "roman" coins in tarragona by a market vendor and if i hadn't been a collector and immediately spotted they were counterfeit i would have easily been fooled into buying them.
