I bought this off of e-bay for $20.00 It was advertised as a pendant/coin. It just looks, in person, so mirror like. Kinda fake. Feels right and is the right size. Just dosen't look right to me. Maybe the way it was cleaned or something?!? It has the writing on the rim edge and all. I just never owned a bust coin and thought it would be kinda cool to wear around. What ya think? The D and S are closer than others I have seen. The D on United and the S on States I mean. Anyway, I couldn't capture the mirror like look to it in the photos but here they are anyway. Thanks for any input. Jim
I don't have my Overton book yet, so I don't know if the closeness of the letters would be diagnostic of an Overton variety. However, I can tell you that if it is genuine, it should weigh 13.48 grams. With the hole, yours would weigh in slightly under that. There's probably a way to measure the hole and figure the percentage of the coin that is missing and subtract that percentage from the weight.
It's likely real, Jim. I can't see anything that would make me think otherwise. It has likely been polished, to give it the "mirrored" effect. (just a guess) Cool coin. Enjoy it.
Fake or Real Jim, To be honest I am a little suspicious about this coin. First the obverse and reverse dies don't match up. It appears that one or the other is rotated. The wear factor is wrong. As well as a weak strike. Under normal circumstances the eagles breast, wings and the words E. Pluribus Unum will show wear or show as a weak strike. This piece shows the left leg of the Eagle worn or weakly struck. I believe that Jody hit the nail on the head. The coin was drilled or punched to wear around the neck. People who do this will also polish it to make it look better. Now having said that it still can be real. Such problems as this happend during the early Bust production. Remember these coins were produced on a screw press. There have been books written about the Bust half dollars. They didn't use a master hub. Whatever engraver cut the die left his own style on the coin. This gave a tremendous number of varieties. I don't recall this being a coin and date that has been know to have been counterfeited. I would say that the piece is real based on what you said and the photo's you added. Hope this helps you understand why it may seem a little strange to you. It is a nice example. catman
