not part of the coin's date? I was thinking hard times token but I have a problem with that initial digit looking like a 9. Perhaps the 47 is not part of the coin's date. Perhaps it is part of a coin's legend wording like 470 grains or something? Very best regards, collect89
Collect89, The only coin I'm familiar with like that is the Trade Dollar -- and it's 420 grains, not 470. That said, I wonder if one of the commems has numbers like that (and commems are a series I'm not very familiar with)....Mike
The only half cents minted with a date of 1847 were proofs, and that doesn't look like a proof - or even an impaired proof.
Clue No.4 [answer tomorrow] I purchased this coin on ebay from a seller in France who alluded that it was a product of the Monnaie de Paris (Paris Mint), which I seriously doubt (see clue no.1). Another was sold through webid.com auctions, one was seen in Iraq and one is known in Contra Costa County CA.
Please post your ideas to help solve this puzzle Of course we know that a coin is a piece of metal stamped and issued by the authority of a government for use as money. Therefore some government is backing this piece which may have been minted in Paris or the US. (Of course, a lot of coins were minted in Paris & the US for various governments). There are three or more known examples. It might be made of aluminum or some other light alloy. It might be dated 1947. It has a 4 that is styled more like an 1846 issue than an 1847 issue. I'm having a little trouble getting the answer to this one. Does anyone have any additional ideas? There are actually a bunch of coins made of aluminum in the 1947 timeframe. Please post some of your ideas & maybe it will help someone come up with the answer. Very best regards, collect89 P.S. Perhaps it is significant that one example is located in Iran?
Answer OK, remember I never said this was a real coin, just a US design... I suppose the origin was China but there are very few others known so who knows? It may just have been a test piece to verify whether casting was a viable way of production. Based on this one, I'd say that production casting wasn't a convincing method. The details are fairly good except for the missing denticles and the graininess of the fields. I can't imagine why a mold would be made of a real coin but then change the date to an impossible one, unless it was never really intended to be offered as a copy or counterfeit. It could have been made specifically as a fantasy piece. Based on its weight, I'd say it appears to be made from zinc. It's just a little heavy for aluminum.
The logic escapes me too, but we have all seen 20th Century Trade Dollars, 18th Century Washington Quarters, etc., etc., so somewhere in the twisted mind world of the Chinese Fake Factories there is a reason.
If it was a contest it might have been unfair. However, it wasn't a contest and no prize was offered; I just wanted to see who actually reads posts. This coin has been discussed and mentioned in previous threads. Is it a coin? Could be, according to the dictionary - Clue 1 tells you it probably isn't really a U.S. Coin as we usually know them to be. Clue 2 tells you it is exactly the same diameter as a U.S. Dollar, narrowing the field of possibilities down drastically and giving you a further clue as to what it may be. Clues 3 and 4; with these clues you could have used Search to look for past references.
