Need your opinion! Real or not????

I ran across this 1823 Half Dollar on eBay and was interested in it, until I saw the blob on the rim between the 1st and 2nd Stars behind Miss Liberty's Head! Click on link below. What do you all think, real or not???


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8335431284&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT&rd=1



Thanks...Frank

 

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I'd say real

 

At first I was going to call it an 'odditie', but then thought better of it and decided that it has been hanging in a benzel for the last 70 or 80 years as a neckless for some nice young girl.

 

Why would people wanna wear a coin? lol

 

Frank, It looks like it is an O-111 (a common die marriage), but the "blob" between S8 and S9 had me stumped, as it would have been included in my manual if it was a die marker. Since it wasn't listed I was leaning toward counterfeit until I read the other opinions that it was damage from being in jewelry; I agree with those opinions. I think it is a genuine 1823 O-111 Bust Half with damage from being in jewelry. If you wanted to confirm this you could ask for a good cloe-up photo of the "T" in Liberty. If it is O-111 then there is a small "dot" of metal in the upper left part of the crossbar of the "T". Like this:


Actually I think the area near star 13 (lowest on right side) that I originally though was a die crack is alos similar damage to the other.

 

If that 'blob' was solder used to attach the coin to a piece of jewelry, I would think that it could be easily removed since the melting point is so much lower than the coin metal....

 

There will always be residue, though.

 

"Why would people wanna wear a coin?"

My wife likes her gold chain necklace with a 1/10oz gold Eagle in the bezel.

The half dollar is a bit large, IMHO, but large, gaudy jewelry used to be in fashion.

 

I got an 1834 half dime in a bullion lot that has a 'blob' of what looks like solder on the face, otherwise the coin is probably F-VF as all of the detail is very clear. A sacrificial lamb maybe?...

 

I don't have a wife yet

 

Thanks everyone for you insight! I will keep an eye on the coin and might just bid on it! It appears to be EF to near AU but the blob concerned me and I did not take into consideration that it may have been a Jewelry piece.

Cave Troll...I assume the O-111 is for the broken 2 & 3 Variety or is it other? I do not have any books on halves (older or new) but think that may be the Variety per the Seller's description.


Thanks...Frank

 

"I don't have a wife yet"

I wish my wife preferred SILVER jewelry!

 

read or not

it looks like it may have rim damage at 11o...two of the 9 morgans i brought this year on ebay had rim damage but wasn,t posted as such, i checked the auction pictures again after i recieved them and then indeed saw they had rim damage and it showed in picture, i got in a hurry and didn,t look at pictures like i should have...

 

My attribution as O-111 is based on the relationship of the stars' 1, 7, 8, and 13's position in relationship to the dentils and the T/I alignment on the reverse (how the second T in ststes lines up with the I in pluribus). The 1823's are all made from dies with irregular looking 2's and 3's in the dates. Actually, O-111 has one of the most normal looking dates for that year and so the die marriage cannot be determined solely from the shap of the 2 and 3 in the date. I enlarged the seller's pictures and it looks like there is a small blob in the crossbar of the T of Liberty where there should be for an O-111, but I was saying a close-up picture would lay to rest all doubt.

Aside from the spot you noticed it is a very pretty coin!