1853-O Half Dollar- No rays or arrows.... My redbook shows a total of 3 known. ?? http://www.ebay.com/itm/1853-O-SEAT...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
It would very difficult to counterfeit a worn coin, and I can tell you with all certainty the coin ITSELF is real. Now whether or not there was tooling done to modify the date, that's a different story. Not exactly sure why this coin sold for so little. PCGS estimates only 5 were struck. We are talking a level of rarity right up there with the 1913 Liberty Nickels. If the seller knew what he had, surely it would of been certified, as it would greatly increase it's final bid. Even with the condition this coin is in, it's worth at least $10,000
Ok. I compared the ebay coin to a real 1853-O no arrows and rays. The auction coin is infact a tooled coin. The real date is on top. As you can see, it's not even a match. There is no variation, as all of those coins came from the same die pair.
Like I said, someone is going to be very disappointed when they find out this is an altered 58-O. Paying over $300 for a $25 coin is pure stupidity (or ignorance) at it's finest. Chasing the impossible dream on eBay is tantamount to finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
I have seen many scams where the buyer was happy and has no idea they got scammed. I recently found one with CC morgans and he has sold many and lots of great feedback.
This may well indicate the seller realized it wasn't the real deal and seller did not give them any problems with refunding their $$.
Or, as in most instances, the buyer is oblivious to the problem. I read once (I believe it was on the CFe boards) that approximately 90% of buyers that purchase fakes do not realize their coin is not genuine, and post glowing feedback. And, as stated many times before on this forum, that is the problem with the feedback system.
Yes that is a very real problem, but terms such as "honest" and "honorable" in feedback typically indicate a compromise rather than an oblivious buyer.
Quick and on the money. There are a surprising number of altered examples out there, and most that I've seen have had the arrows and rays removed; most were rather crude, but others skillfully done. I do think the OP example cool for the obvious alteration it is, but worth nowhere near the end price. If anyone is interested in seeing the genuine article, Rich Uhrich has the (IIRC) recently discovered 4th piece available on his site. http://www.richuhrichcoins.com/category.php?cat=8
