Hello everyone! This is a re-posting of an older thread I started last year. I never received any answers, so I thought I'd throw it out again here! Maybe the people that have information missed it back then! Anyhow, I purchased two "coins" from another site. They were advertised as copies, and I purchased them with that knowledge knowing I could never afford the real deals. Anyhow, I picked up a Continental Dollar, and a 1652 XII Pine Tree Shilling. The Continental Dollar is of the Becker series from the 1960's, and has BECKER stamped into the RIM. Picture of the dollar. Pretty neat specimen... Love to add it to the collection. Anyhow, with that dollar coin, I also received a 1652 XII Pine Tree shilling. The seller believed it was also a Becker copy, but wasn't sure. I've searched and searched for Becker information on line, and have gotten exactly SQUAT on it. I then researched real Pine Tree designs and variations looking to see which variety was used to make this coin.... I'm just not having any luck with this darn thing. In the end, no doubt, it's a fake.... The chances of me finding a legit Pine Tree for under $10 is slim to none... i realize that. I'd just like some more info on it if anyone can help! Is it a Becker copy? If so... was it the 60's run? OR... could it be some copy from an older source? Where COPY is not stamped into it, I know it's pre 1973... Help please!
I can't tell you anything about the Continental Dollar restrike, but there were restrikes and medals produced for the 1930 Massachusetts Bay Tercentenary. Maybe this link can lead you to additional info. http://www.coinpeople.com/index.php?/topic/19477-massachusetts-bay-terecentenary-1930/ Chris
Thanks for that reply Chris. Very informative. Didn't see my coin, but still great information. As to Treashunt's question.. "Why ask?"... Honestly, I just want to learn more about the coin/token/copy so that when I put it in my collection for my kids/grandkids, the information is there for myself and them. That is all. Trying to get a proper ID on it as well as educating myself at the same time!
Well, I hope you still check this forum, here is some more information- he also did quite a few ancient coins, it appears. Carl Wilhelm Becker (1772-1830) was one of the most prolific and accomplished counterfeiters of the 19th century. As early as 1806 he was engaged in the practice of manufacturing false coins and other antiquities, apparently as a adjunct to a trade in genuine antiquities. His market was the wealthy princes of Europe, who filled their cabinets of curiosities with Becker’s work. Although Becker was periodically accused of forgery, he defended himself by claiming his productions were “instructive” in nature, and never sold with the intent to deceive. Notes found in his diary after his death suggest this was not quite true. Becker’s death in April 1830 left his family with little money and a quantity of forged coin dies. From these dies, sets of coins were struck in a lead-tin alloy (actually a poor quality pewter) and sold to collectors and institutions. At some point Becker’s family sold the dies to the Saalfeld Museum, from whence they finally were given to the Kaiser-Friedrich Museum in Berlin in 1911. Here is a link: http://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=97894
