Featured Counterfeit 1964 Kennedy Half - Finally able to see one..

I have seen chromed coins from charm bracelets from the 1950's and 60's that were attracted to a magnet, but perhaps they did have a nickel underlay. I never scraped one to check.
The online references to Chromium's magnetism, or lack thereof, are somewhat confusing.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Ok I got the new microscope and it doesn't work. It is my computer. Tried another PC and both work, go figure.

Anyhow, I am beginning to think it very well could be plated. It just does not have the silver 'ring' at all.

I will compare one after the other

Normal first



Suspect second...



















So I know I am not good at cameras but it can be seen that there is 'something' on the surface. It is a bit heavy, so the plating could account for it. Still I think a 64 would still have that distinctive ring to it...this one does NOT and sticks to a magnet. Others have stated that some materials could cause the strong magnet to stick, and to be frank I just do not know what it is. I must soon return it so I wanted to get some pictures.

I guess this is unsolved at this point, but the experts seem to think it is plated and I can not refute it.

One last one

 

It is 100% plated.
I'm amazed that this thread made it to the main page.

 

And why would that be? That what this place is for, to ask questions. I guess we all can not be experts.

 

Because you came in with the "This is clearly a counterfeit half" when it clearly was not.

I'm no "expert" but I do have a wee bit of common sense.
You should look at all the options(this coin is plated and not actually a counterfeit) before jumping to the most extreme conclusion (this is obviously a Chinese counterfeit!!!!).

I will be the first to admit that I have no love for the Chinese government or the counterfeiters who have gone and done whatever they can to make a buck (yuan?) off this hobby.

The fact that this post immediately came out and said that the coin in question is clearly counterfeit because it weighs a bit more than a silver half should AND it sticks to a magnet makes it counterfeit...without actually thinking of the other, more plausible, options...made it seem more like clickbait than anything.

I guess the only positive from this thread making it to the front page is that "hopefully" new people will read it and realize that perhaps not everything is what they think it is.

That is my final word on this topic.

 

Fair enough,

I do not in any way consider myself an expert. I had tried everything I could to see what it was and I did BELIEVE it was a counterfeit when it stuck to a magnet, I was 99% sure.

However, to the owner I wanted to run it by some folks a lot smarter than I so I did.

It clearly was 'Fake' to me, it was magnetic and I believed it.

So I will postulate a question, if you are buying junk silver and an item you were going to buy sticks to a magnet, what then?

I would not, it is a HUGE flag to me plus the sound.

So, how can a plated coin, fail the weight(explained in the plating), sound, and magnet test?

So I jumped the gun, but then again, still glad I came here and got some other opinions.

 

Since it upsets someone, and I can not change the title, can a MOD please adjust it so that it says 'possible' or something.

 

We still need to know the specific gravity.

 

Silver ring is not any kind of reliable or scientific test.
Forget about sound as any kind of proof.
If the coin is plated, it's not counterfeit, it's just a 50 cent piece
that has post mint damage.
If it looks exactly like a Kennedy and weighs the same as a Kennedy,
it's a Kennedy.
As for the magnet, only a few metals are magnetic.
Iron, nickel, cobalt. There are other alloys that are magnetic, but they contain 1 or more of these magnetic elements.
(There is a more complicated answer, but in regards to your coin, they don't apply).

 

OK I You Tubed how to do a SG test and I have the scales..
After a few tests, I came up with what worked for the known 64.



0.13 - String in Water

Real 1.32 ,1.19
12.6g =10.5882

Plated 1.42, 1.29
12.8g =9.9225

So it is close..

Could be my error but the string and all were equal.

 

There may be a practical use for counterfeit US coins.
Somewhere amidst the vast ant-heaps of Asia,
a modest untraceable economy in US Dollars is ongoing.
There would be a need for small change in modest transactions...

...that there is a market for them in the US is another matter.
(par example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimbabwean_bond_coins
...which are used for the US Dollar in the former Southern Rhodesia.)

 

That may be indicative of a 90% silver coin. May I suggest that you do SG's on 2 or 3 ordinary silver half dollars just to test how accurate your setup and technique are?

Back when I was an AUthenticator for ANACS doing SG's I figured that anything within 0.1 of the expected SG was close enough. The string may be a problem. I used wire. Also, a tiny drop of Ivory dishwashing soap in the water will help eliminate surface tension where the suspension device enters the water.

 

I did the same with a known 64, so there is that, it was the one called 'real'. I came up with 10.5 so it was in the ballpark.

I tried to account for the string and my scale was bouncing a little but I got close.

 

I also have 3 Kennedy 1/2 dollar and one is very noticeably thicker and heavier than the other. I’ve had it for over 20 yrs, so are you telling me that it was faked that long ago??

I also have 3 Kennedy’s and 1 is noticeably thicker and heavier than the others.

 

I also have 3 Kennedy 1/2 dollar and one is very noticeably thicker and heavier than the other. I’ve had it for over 20 yrs, so are you telling me that it was faked that long ago??

 

I also have a very noticeably thicker and heavier Kennedy half dollar that the others I have. I’ve had it for over 20+ years.

 

Oh so this means soon my 64 Kennedys will be worth hundreds of dollars?

 

Probably not for that reason , but 65-70 and WWII nickels would gain some premium.

 

The reason they are being faked is BECAUSE THEY ARE A CHEAP COIN. No one will suspect to find fakes in with junk silver. Go onto Facebook they are selling Chinese faked Morgan, Peace and silver Eagles on there. They use the same pictures and just keep playing with their names and reason they are selling them. Morgan dollars are being sold for less than $7.50 each. They are in fake slabs claiming to be MS 64 but the coins look like VF. I could go on because they are really pissing me off. So if you want to see counterfeit coins just go on Facebook there are plenty to buy. Facebook censers political opinions but, have no problem letting the Chinese scam Americans. Think About it. I'm just getting more pissed off writing about this so I must stop now.

 

Regardless, the coin the op posted is plated.