Hi everyone. I was wondering if 99% of 1787 small head Ct. coppers are contemporary counterfeits or electrotype. I live in Ct. and picked up a very nice example. Too nice in fact. I assumed it was an electrotype. The question I have is; what would an original weigh. Mine weighs 9.8 grams. Also what should one look for as a tip-off that a colonial coin is an original electrotype. I had seen some of the original electrotypes over 30 years ago and they undetectable. Thanks for any help. Bill
I am from Connecticut too. Best thing to do is to send it to a grading company for authenticity. Short of that take it to a coin show and have some experts look at it.
I don't think the weight on these is particularly consistent from coin to coin, but somewhere in the range of 140 grains, or 9 grams, was typical. Electrotype coins generally have a seem on the edge, from where the front and back pieces were put together, so check the edge. Your example does look a little too nice, I would be suspicious as well.
Paid $200 from a collector. There is a detectable uneveness on the rim. Also sounds cracked or hollow when dropped. I am convinced it is an electrotype now. I did get a $400 hongkong medal for $30 from him, so it is a wash. You gotta take a chance sometimes.
Ugh. Well, I hope you're not too disappointed. The reason I asked is that, if you had gotten it from an experienced collector, or a coin dealer, that person would have known that an original in that condition would be worth a great deal of money if properly authenticated. So they were likely passing you a copy. That's not to say the coin isn't authentic...it might be. But the context of the sale can give you some clues.
Sounds like an electrotype, that's the bad news. The good news is that they are still collectable, particularly if it's a rare variety. I would google around and try to find some colonial collectors and ask about it. I know large cent electrotypes from that time period can be worth a couple hundred bucks.
