Yes I know that this half is a details coin but with pcgs giving a surviving pop of 150. I couldn’t pass it up.
Really? Okay I will say it... @NorCal your coin is fake. Check out this link to start: https://coinweek.com/counterfeit-coin-1883-half-dollar/ Next, most Chinese fakes exhibit darker edges with lighter colored centers of the so called coin. Also, notice how sharply defined all the central details are for a so called circulated coin. Overall, it has a very unnatural look... I am 99% sure this coin is fake. Sorry.
You may be right. The coin is non magnetic. Here is a pic next to a genuine coin. To me everything looks good except the head. Looks like the head on a fake trade dollar. Maybe an expert will chime in. In any case I’m glad I have this coin. It will help me spot fakes in the future.
The denticles, stars, and mint mark are often giveaways on a fake. They look pretty good on yours. But I'm far from an expert, or even a competent amateur.
I tried to attribute the obverse and reverse to known dies in Bill Bugert's book on the SF half dollars and could not do so. My guess is the OP's coin was made from the die transfer process using probably an 1859 P-mint obverse master coin and a common date S-mint reverse master coin.
I thought the S looked huge. Not much different from the real one though. I think it's a fake as well. Bring it to a coin dealer that can test what it's composition is. Would be interesting to know.
