Hey gang! I get lots of EMail and questions about these pieces. So far I have NEVER gotten one that I thought had a chance of being a good one. This coin could be one of the older reproductions but it's definitely not of the quality of the fakes we usually see. I have asked the owner for a weight on it. These are the pictures I received from the EMailer. I have their permission to post them here. Thoughts?
Well, it doesn't look like your typical fake. Any idea of the weight? It appears to be die pair 1-B which my limited references do not list in silver and only two specimens in tin. Does it have a chance? Well a lot better chance than most of the ones I've seen.
Tough call, I'm kind of inclined to say cast myself, but it could be a ground find. Thing is, if it was then it should be a lot more corroded than it is, especially if it's tin.
I would vote with the crowd as a cast before I could see it in hand. Its not the porosity as much as the soft details that should be there in the devices if a struck original. It could be a ground find, but until proven otherwise, (always a smart move with these types of coins), I would assume a good cast. I read once where these were extremely hot in the beginnings of the major US coin movement, (late 1850's), and many such desired coins were restruck and/or cast then. If it is a very old cast it could still be collectible in its own right. Chris
Honestly for one of these the details appear close to correct for an original. This was one of the things that intrigues me about this piece. I'm thinking because it does appear to match a known die pair I might just have the owner send it in.
Looks better then the cast's I have seen but the rim still looks cast to me. Let us know what proceeds. Thanks Matt
Cast, you can see the line along the rim in the last photo. These are the type of coins you get at revolutionary war souvenir shops.
Except those typically look pretty crummy and do not reporduce the details anywhere near as well as they are on this piece. My first thought when I saw it was whether or not it might have been one of the reproductions made by Dr. Montroville Dickeson during the Centennial celebrations in 1876. But the die pair combination was wrong for that. Dickeson used obv 2 for the "restrikes". How exact is that 25 grams figure. The weights I have been able to trace on the genuine silver specimens have run from 23.5 to 24.3 grams. A lead based pewter would be around the 25 gram range though. Does it look like a lead based pewter?
she said it left a mark when she moved the edge across a piece of paper... so I would assume some lead content.
Lots of people use that test but it isn't a good test. Other metals, including tin and aluminum, will also make marks when drug across a piece of paper.
I think I would take the chance and send it in..There are perhaps more variables which could make it go both ways.. I guess if I had a batch going for grading anyway I would just add it in.. My opinion...
