Hello all, We are hoping someone out there can help us to identify what we have. We purchased this coin at an estate sale. To us, it feels like it is made from lead but we really have no idea. It appears to have the image of a Barber Half Dollar back but nothing on the front. The edges are kind of rough and it weighs approximately 26.8 grams which is more than we think a Barber Half Dollar should weigh. Anyone have any ideas? Any help is much appreciated.
Yes, there were quite a few contemporary counterfeits of Barber coins struck from lead or other base metals. However, one struck from lead shouldn't weigh much more than one of silver -- lead's only around 10% more dense than silver, but a normal silver half is 12.5 grams, and yours is more than double that. I suspect someone might just have been playing around -- press a half dollar into clay or something, then pour molten lead into it. Welcome to CoinTalk!
