What is this?

http://m.ebay.com/itm/261958590172?nav=SEARCH

It's appears to be an obverse die, but somehow I wouldn't be surprised if it was fake. Thoughts on it?

 

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I sent the link to a friend of mine on the NGC forums. I'm waiting to see what he has to say.

Chris

 

Now this is one I'm actually interested in. Not a lot of feedback, but all positive and all as a seller. Seems to have sold a lot of error type coins.

 

I contacted a friend on the NGC forums, and he has his doubts about its authenticity but is not 100% sure. Besides the stars, shank and detail of the head, he also thought the lack of the two digits of the date was strange. He suggested that you might want to contact Fred Weinberg since he has apparently sold a lot of older dies.

Personally, the stars and the shank don't look right to me.

Chris

 

I don't know either, but for this to be a die, seems weak and worn detail in hair, etc.

 

Is that the proper cylindrical shape for dies of that era? When did they switch to steam presses? I think that cylinder looks too "machined". These are just gut reactions mind you. But I'm definitely interested nonetheless.

 

Those dies that I've seen have a shank larger in diameter than that part which has the die.

Chris

 

It's a Counterfeit die, just my humble opinion.

 

Hey that looks similar to the one I bought from China to make my own counterf..... COUGHCOUGHCOUGHSPLUTTERCOUGH. Sorry had something in my throat. But it all seriousness I have no idea if it's authentic or not.

 

I'm going to take a guess that if it was a legitimate die that it wouldn't be for sale on ebay. Plus the stars look too blobby and not sharp.

 

My gut feeling as well. It appears to be a modern steel cylinder, which does not show even close to the amount of oxidation you would expect after nearly 200 years.

 

I'm surprised they didn't go for the "first year of issue" angle and make it 1815, overlooking the fact that the only 1815 die got overdated into the 1818/5 die.