My grandmother gave me this 1895 $20 gold coin and I have no idea what the purpose could have been of the thing that looks welded onto it. Any thoughts or ideas on this would be appreciated. The coin itself looks to my untrained eye to be in very good condition with no notable marks or scratches so I would think it was never in circulation. Thank you!
Yeah, it was probably put there to use it as a pendant, but it looks like there is rim damage as a result which might severely hurt it's numismatic value. Chris
Thanks for your reply. Thats what I was thinking it was too but seems strange someone would be wearing a $20 gold coin as a pendant/necklace. Maybe it was a fashion statement back then!
For many years it was illegal to own gold except if it was jewelry. By adding something to make it into a pendant it was legal to own.
This is untrue. It has been legal to own US gold throughout our history. The voluntary gold recall of the 1930s allowed gold to be owned by each person, but it suspended gold as payment in many transactions and specifically prohibited the hoarding of gold.
I over simplified my comment. It was illegal to own over 100 dollars face value in coin but jewelry was not restricted.
