1935 Arkansas half ,is this real or reproduction?

Hi ,I got this coin on eBay and it was very cheap so not sure if its the real thing or reproduction coin of some sort.Any help from experienced coin folks much appreciated and if it's the real deal what grade would it be ?

 

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How cheap was it?

 

It looks real but worn.

Some 1920's and 1930's commemoratives were released as circulation coins.

 

It's listed in the "Red Book" under COMMEMORATIVE, 13,012 were struck by the Philadelphia Mint.

 

It was £6

 

Yeah i've got that book thanks

 

What grade is it do you think?

 

The price alone seems suspect to me. I'm not an expert by any stretch though, just overly cautious. What does it weigh and diameter check would be helpful for authentication.

 

Arkies, of which there were 16 years/mint/types, are among the least loved commems. Some were carried as pocket pieces, not because they were loved, but as something unusual to show folks. These got worn. It's impossible to say with complete confidence that this coin or any coin is genuine by examining pictures. Only an expert can do that with coin in hand. I don't see anything that would indicate it's a fake, but I'm not an authentication expert.

The '39 Arkies are among the lowest mintage coins produced after 1933. Yet, they are relatively inexpensive because of lack of demand. '35 are the most common and least valuable. Arkies are noted for lack of luster even in high grade. Probably because the dies weren't highly polished, but there could be other reasons.

Cal

 

There are thousands of fake classic commemoratives on eBay at any given moment. The odds of getting a real one at a "bargain price" are negligible -- and I say that as a long-time eBay "bargain hunter" myself.

Here's how to tell whether it's a fake, starting with the easiest tests:

1) Where did it ship from? If China, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Russian Federation, etc., you lose.

2) Does it stick to a magnet? If so, you lose.

3) Does it weigh 12.5 grams? If it's much lighter or heavier, you lose.

4) Is it the right diameter and thickness? If not, you lose.

5) Does the design match example images from the Internet? If not, you probably lose -- but trying to decide whether it matches can be hard.

All we have to go on so far in this thread is the last one. I don't see the most obvious signs of a fake -- bad lettering, design sinking into the field, outright design errors. Commemoratives from this period are tricky, because the real ones have a lettering style that looks crude by today's standards.

 

Hi I think it was from the UK ,I bought it about three months back.It 12.54 grams.To me the coin looks real ,it slides down my rare earth magnet slow so should be silver.It was so cheap I just wasn't sure if fake or not.Thanks for your reply

 

Hi,thanks for your reply

 

Hi,its the same diameter as a barber half and is 12.54 grams.Thanks for your reply

 

I feel like it is a fake. Look at all the little bumps and marks next to the S and L and inside the C in Arkansas Centennial, all through the lettering actually. None of that should be there.

 

Interesting,I didn't notice that !

 

Well-spotted. That's another classic sign of a contemporary fake.

If the coin passes the weight and magnet-slide tests, it could still be struck in copper and silver-plated. Copper's electrical characteristics are close enough to silver that the magnet test won't distinguish them. It would need to be about 10% thicker than a silver coin (copper isn't quite as dense as silver), and that small difference is hard to catch.

I posted a thread here about a pair of coins I recently bought on eBay with a similar story -- close to silver melt price, correct weight and magnetic characteristics, but still showing clear signs of being fake. In my case, the coins didn't match the auction photos, and they did turn out to be slightly thicker than genuine examples.

There are a lot of fakes on eBay right now, and it seems like they're especially common among classic commemoratives.

 

Good eye. I checked images on Heritage, and no past sales have the bumps and marks.

Cal

 

Can we know the country it was shipped from?

 

Thanks Jeff.im going to go look at my coin with a loop and check the how thick it is

 

I bought it in the UK