Any chance this is real? It's 10mm and very thin. There is a number on the 2x2: I-211 What do you think? Thanks Darryl
Darryl: Okay, here's the bad and the good news: 1) Nope, not real. the good news: They were made of real gold, as collector items. The real ones have a denomination on the reverse. Probably still collectible. How much did you pay?
Too much I think. Description was very poor along with blurry photos. Price was a little above what's noted below. I thought I had seen where the denomination had to be on the reverse to be legit. Is the size about right? I would think that more than $10 to $15 and you lose??? Not much gold in a coin this size not to mention who knows what the purity is. Wonder if I can even tell if it's gold or a cheaper copy.?. Thanks for the bad/good news . What would you think the top price for a fake should go? Darryl
GDJMSP: I was referring to the 'collectible' gold 'tokens' that were made in the 1870's and 1880's. Jewelers made them for the public for jewelry etc. Those were generally made of gold, not the modern replicas, that are usually gold plated (at best). This one looks pretty good and may be an early one.
USS656, I know you probably don't want to hear it, but with these California fractionals, I'd recommend buying certified coins unless you really know what you're looking at. Fakes are very common for these issues. To me, these are so hard to authenticate anyway because most of them are so crude.
Every now and again it's good to learn a lesson the hard way. Thanks for the feedback!!! When I saw it, I just had to laugh it was so small. I really suspected is was a copy due to the lack of a denomination. No harm done and I suspected it was a fake when I bid so cannot really blame the seller as I should have been more educated prior to bidding. If the size is authentic, then it's a neat copy of an token from an interesting era of American history. Best Regards, Darryl
I agree......It doesn't appear to be a gold plated and modern copy. I've seen these, in gold, sell for 30 to 50 dollars. But, make no mistake. It IS a charm and not a coin. Paul
Hey Darryl, I just ran across this and figured you'd like closure on it. It's a 1856 Wreath 4a, Indian #1, 13 stars, with a berry over right stand of N. You can see it here: http://www.calgoldcoin.com/wreath4a.htm As to value, they do run from $25 to $50 and I just sold two (similar to yours) for a hundred bucks ($50 each), but they were scarce ones so if they are more scarce, the price can go up. The buyer was willing to pay $75 each but he was a friend so I lowered it a bit to make the deal more friendly. Ribbit Ps: They are Charms and not the true Fractionals but the Fractional Collectors also collect them. :thumb: Also, most were minted in the early 1900's and later.
Thank you! That makes me feel better - I think I paid less than $20 for it so I guess that isn't too bad. It is an interesting piece - all be it small.
I just bought a group of 5 of them for $25 each so you did good! :thumb: You should easily be able to get $30 or more for it on Ebay, with the proper write-up. Ribbit
