I have been trying to learn from the all experts here at coin talk. Now for a test..... Is this coin tooled? I would guess yes. Any thoughts? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8379298063&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT&rd=1
I'm not sure about that one but here's two authentic Bust Dollers that were tooled or reengraved to mask the coin's wear and make the detail more pronouced.The hair on Liberty and the eye on the eagle are both unrealistic,more deeply engraved that on even an unc Bust Doller.Tooling like this is considered a type of counterfeiting as it deceptively attempts to make a coin into something it's not. B12
Here's another authentic Bust Doller that has been deceptively reengraved to mask wear,with Liberty's hair & eye being the most dead give give aways.I hope these help. B12
I'm not sure where you think there is tooling, which I understand to mean artificially enhancing the design elements, particularly at their edges. I do see strong evidence of cleaning and scratching on both sides, particularly on the obverse, under the chin and to the left and a little below the star at 3:00.
To me, the hair looks a little too sharply defined. I looked at several stock photos online and even in MS, perfect examples, the hair on the head is not that defined or raised.
B12, thanks for the post. In fact, that bust dollar is the coin that got me thinking that this one on ebay might be tooled. Its the "spaghetti hair" example. This gold coin has the same type of thing going on....
I'm by no way an expert on tooling but that coin looks ok...I would say that it is a well struck coin with great detail. Speedy
No way an expert either....but comparing the ebay photo's to any others I've come across, the ebay one looks doubled. Check out the first image...and you can see a 2nd eye and coun't the rings in her hair closely and you'll see the doubling....clearest is the one on her shoulder, should just be a single strand. So, its either a double die, or a fake in my book. Experts please weigh in.
Look at the very first lock of hair (the on her forehead). It seems to stand out more than the others. That also caught my eye as tooling. I never considered that it could be fake.... This is what it should look like. http://www.coinfacts.com/quarter_eagles/classic_head_quarter_eagles/1836_quarter_eagle_varieties.htm
Well I'll tell ya, I wouldn't have bid on it. But not because I think the coin was tooled - I'm pretty sure it's a fake. If you take the time to examine the details closely, they are quite different from genuine examples. In small ways to be sure, but different nonetheless. And then of course we have this - On an $1800 to $2000 coin ??
GDJMSP After you said that you thought it was a fake I put photos side by side of the one on ebay and the one on CoinFact...and as normal you are right on the money....there are things on the coin on ebay that just aren't right...but it took a side-by-side look to find them.... Speedy
GDJMSP, thanks for the help. I didn't bid, the coin just didn't look right. Gotta love ebay, someone just lost 1800 bucks.....
Hey...give the learner a bit of credit too.....called it first Just kidding...I only had a hunch....nice to have one more experienced confirm it though. Glad you didn't bid on it quartereagle. As the bidding just ended today, I notified the winner and advised him to contact the seller prior to paying? We'll see what happens.
It was a little too pricey when I first saw it (so I really wasn't going to bid). But I can thank coin talk for saving me some $$--reading all the postings has helped me to learn a ton in few short months. Thanks to all. From the buyers perspective, all you need to know is that the coin is altered. And that coin looked altered. I don't care if its fake, tooled, etc, I'm not touching it.
