Questions to you.. Where did you get it from? How much did you pay? That can answer your question also. Besides that, take it to a coin shop to verify gold content.
my 2004 Krause 4th edition has this coin weighing in at 32.2580 grams or .9334 oz. KM#19.1 .900 gold, mintage- 579 grade/value F-$2,000 VF-$4,500 XF-$8,500 UNC-$16,000 your coin looks mint state ? expensive coin for sure. real life values may differ than Krause values.
Only way to tell: Third party grading. NGC is recommended in this particular case. B.t.w. this coin looks real to me.....but without having this coin in my hand, I'm not definitely sure.
Bear in mind that the coin would pay a years cash wages for a live in domestic servant at the time, and would be virtually useless as a circulating coin due to its high value. A comparable would be the British gold £5 coin, another coin minted more for display and never found in circulation as far as I know. EF or better would be a normal state.
Have it authenticated and graded. It really does look too good to be true but I hope you hit the jackpot on that one.
That's a beautiful coin and I am pulling for you that it's real. I definitely agree with the other posters that you should send it to NGC.
Go to their website, fill out a submission form, follow the directions and send it REGISTERED/Insured. I would insure it well.
I believe that the op's coin is fake. The portrait obv. and the shield rev. look good but the lettering does not match. This coin sold for 16,450 Heritage, For one the L. 100 does not match nor does the r (mm) to the left. nor does the initials to the right.
The op's coin and the example from Pickin and Grinin do NOT look alike. The goatee looks different to me, right off. other things as I look closer.
The differences could be the result of minor engraving variations between different dies (especially if the OP coin is a proof). That said, it gives me a red flag vibe. Even if they weren't previously faked, they very well could be now.
Yes I actually just noticed the reverse side is incorrect for this year. No 1864 had an R mint mark, they were all T. In following years, some were made in R but not till later. That and the weight being slightly off. 31.4 grams. Its real gold at least!
The portrait looks a bit off and a bit too frosted for my comfort for an 1864 dated coin. My guess is that it is really gold but was created for a very limited collector market in the mid-1950s - ie Lebanon.
