if this coin was offered to you?. No?. Okay. What about generally speaking here, what would you pay for this coin?. To be specific, what kind of coin do i have here?
I think it's a counter token. The pic looks like aluminum which wouldn't be right, is it minted in aluminum? What size is it?
Well, There is only 1 1849 Double Eagle in existence, which is at the Smithsonian. I can be very sure that what you have is probably a fantasy piece. There is a chance it could be a store card or token though like the others said.
If it was a token to a military installation, on it, no hesitation. Same if it was a merchant token from my hometown. Would not buy if it was described as a U.S. coin. Looks unlike any coin I'm familiar with.
As has been indicated here, that is not a coin. If this fooled you and you actually thought it was a coin, please direct yourself to the nearest bookseller and purchase a copy of the Red Book. Study every page of it and learn what real coins look like - and please don't buy anything until you are sure. This may seem harsh, but I just don't want to see people make expensive mistakes that could be avoided with some education. If this was a joke thread and you are trolling us... well played, I guess?
To be pedantic, you don't have a coin. With a picture of the other side, we might be able to tell you specifically what you do have. Here's what the real one looks like. I took this picture a few years ago at an ANA show where the Smithsonian had it on display. [
Yikes! That poor thing is hairlined to death! I guess that would be a case where it doesn't really matter though, since 1) it's unique and 2) it's in a museum.
Yeah, it's a little nasty. If you look at the pictures that the Smithsonian uses and the one on the cover of the Garrett/Guth U.S. Gold Encyclopedia, the picture is taken with very flat, axial lighting to hide these. They can't hide the big whangus by the first star, though.
I've seen it in person as well. A few years ago in Fort Worth. It's horrible that someone cleaned it so harshly and handled it so poorly that it's pretty much an impaired proof. Still neat to see.
During the late 19th century and early 20th century, the Mint Cabinet was subjected to cleaning several times. Most of the coins which were in the collection have been cleaned. The collection was later transferred to the Smithsonian and renamed the National Numismatic Collection in the 1920s. After this, it was generally treated better.
Ohhh, so that is what those careless buggers did to valuables. thanks for informing us! Now, I don't feel so guilty for all the coins I cleaned over the years. Ha, ha, ha!!!
Cleaning coins was common practice in those days. People would store their coins in cabinets and when showing them off, it was common practice to wipe them to ensure they were shiny when handing them to an honored guest. Crazy to think someone would do that but that's how it was.