What's Wrong With This Coin

I thought this would be a fun thread. I saw this coin online a while back and I thought it was among the most interesting coins I have ever seen.

Something is wrong with this 1831 Capped Bust Dime. Can you see what the error is?

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it says 2 1/2 dollar?

 

Not just 2 1/2 dollar, but more like a quarter eagle stamped on a caped bust dime planchet. The whole outline of the bust just looks wrong.

 

Looks like an attempt to counterfeit a quarter eagle to me.

 

I'm not much on dimes, but I noticed the 13 stars are continuos with equal distances between them.. The red book shows a separation between the 7th & 8th stars.

 

Aside from the fact that it is not a dime, what are you looking for? It has the layout (or a close approximation thereof) of a quarter eagle.

 

What this coin is...is a 1831 Quarter Eagle on a dime planchet. This coin sold for $46,000 at last years Long Beach auctions. I just thought it was a really cool coin that you guys would find interesting. NGC graded it a G6.

 

Well, it must be real them. I figured that it was a counterfeit.

 

So did I. If we had read the OP a little more closely we would have realized that it was not counterfeit. I doubt the OP would list a counterfeit as one of the most interesting coins he had ever seen.

We should really pay more attention.


Then again, I think if I ever saw a Soviet Dime, it might qualify as one of the most interesting coins I had ever seen.

 

Now, that would be something to stumble upon in an old cigar box!

 

I don't understand.

 

The Soviet Dime refers to 1923-D & 1930-D Mercury Dimes. The Denver mint did not strike dimes during these years. It is widely believed that these coins are expertly made counterfeits with origins inside the Soviet Union.

 

OK, I got it. I didn't know the reference. I knew that those dates existed as counterfeits only...but I had never heard of a Soviet reference. Is there any evidence to that belief? If so, what would have been the reason for making them?

 

Doug,

I am on vacation in Mexico and don't have my reference materials available. It is discussed at length in David Lange's book. I believe we have also discussed it in a previous thread on Cointalk shortly after I joined. I promise I am not making it up. The 1923-D is the more common of the two counterfeits.

 

Here it is

http://www.stellacoinnews.com/index.php/mercury-dimes-ch-4-counterfeit-altered-coins/

 

Okay, per Lange, Mercury Dimes, 2nd edition, see pages 55-58.

"In conclusion, the combination of excellent die work, and an egregious blunder (of a non-existant date-mint combination) points to a foreign origin, very likely the Soviet Union, which has a known record of counterfeiting U.S. silver conis during World War II."
Cited with Breen & Taxay as sources.

There is far more, but the above is a tiny citation.

but, I am more amazed that Doug never heard of this!

oops, sorry, I missed that Matt posted the link above.

oh, well....

 

The 23-D and 30-D dimes do show up on ebay from time to time.