My husband and I have an 1861 Confederate penny that we found while in college a few years ago (it was in the change from our groceries--go figure!). While it isn't an original, we can't figure out if it is a restrike from 1874 or a Bashlow. The coin is old and has significant wear (the edges have begun to change color), the marks from the restrike aren't as significant as the Bashlows we've seen, but again, we have only looked on the internet and by no means are experts of any sort; which is why we've posted here for help. Any and all responses would be GREATLY appreciated! Thank you all for your help!
Hi, The Bashlow copies were made in 1961 and they have the cracked die details on the reverse. The monkey wrench in the gears though is that this may be a cast copy of a Bashlow copy. I can't tell from the images if the coin was struck or cast. You might be able to see a raised line around the edge if it were a cast copy. It's definitely not an 1874 restrike.
Hi kt. Welcome to the forum. As for your question, the Bashlow "expert" (moreso the main person that I recall collecting them) hasn't been around in a while. That said, there are some starting points for us to determine if it's a Bashlow or a cast. First, it should be about the thickness of two pennies stacked together. Second, you can probably find on a Bing or Google search the weight that it should be. If you have a postal scale that does grams, great! Otherwise, I don't know how you'd check it. Maybe take it to a jeweler?
Here are 2 of my Bashlow ( on right) and when I saw your coin , I thought it looked mushy, maybe from wear or damage ( first thought) and then Foundinrolls remark about cast copies, reminded me that many unlabeled copies were manufactured and released in the various Civil War commemorative events in the 60s. Perhaps it is one from then. There are several threads in the archives on the Bashlow tokens.
