RWB

Light oil only helps separate foreign material from the coin surface. Some sort of gentle prodding - maybe with a toothpick - is usually required. (You might improve the flavor by adding crushed garlic, ground pepper, and some lemon zest.)

Considering the dogmatic rejection of science by Florida State officials, one should not expect much improvement - if not regression - by January. That approach serves to lengthen the term and spread of the virus, which creates greater harm to businesses and individuals.

Brad adams Where do you see evidence of double striking? How would only one side of a coin be struck twice?

These things are "copies" only if they comply with HPA. Otherwise, they are blatant counterfeits.

The commonly quoted "store of value" attribute is equivalent to DeBeers' "a diamond is forever" conundrum. As Moxie 15 noted "value" is relative. The only gold value is if someone who has necessities will exchange for shiny metal bits. Collecting gold coins as a hobby, or maybe as something to emulate Scrooge McDuck and run your hands through cold metal is fine. But do not - ever - expect to feed your family with it.

Unfortunately, almost every that could be wrong about the coin is wrong -- even the edge reeding. If you go on-line and look at photos of genuine coins, it will save you a lot of angst and maybe money. Stacks-Bowers Auctions, Heritage Auctions, PCGS and NGC all have lots of coin photos you can examine for free.

True....But in times of severe crisis, people bury the stuff and hope to live to recover their hoard when times are better. Never heard of anyone burying a T-bone steak, hoping to come back in a year or two and have a meal. :) It truth gold, silver etc. and not "stores of value" but merely convenient tokens representing the utilitarian value of property.

GabeClark, now take a close look at the rim and denticles. See the differences? Compare the horizontal lines on the reverse of the genuine piece with yours. Look at the letter shapes and top surfaces -- do you see the "puffyness" of letters and numerals? Compare details of the reverse stars; authentic stars have internal relief, the fakes are just 6-pointed lumps. Notice the convenient gunk around most of the inscriptions on your piece? That helps hide defects. Look back and forth between the two sets of photos. They should be identical. The more you look, the more you'll see. BTW - US patterns are properly called "pattern pieces" not "coins." The reason is that patterns were never approved for legal tender use, and thus were never legal US coins.

GabeClark... Thanks for the photos. Here they are in one image. Below is a genuine pattern piece from a Stack-Bowers auction.

American and British soldier experiences in WW-I and WW-II are similar. A small town in Italy could become an instant safe-haven if a squad passed out cigarettes, K-rations, coffee, chocolate and liquor. Declassified Army medical records indicate that a lot of cases of VD, and town infections, came from 1 to 1 distribution of as little as one can of meat (including Spam), or a blanket, or something for children. My Dad was in India, Burma and China in WW-II - he had stories and photos of persistent solicitation by women, girls and boys trading sex for a few annas, or food, or cigarettes. As the US discovered in Vietnam, the pilot emergency kits containing gold coins were dangerous. Any local found with a gold coin was instantly shot, and the coins bought no rice or pilot protection because of the scarcity of food and the fear of death. Gold bugs tend to be attracted to shiny things -- much like crows and ravens -- but are equally devoid of assessing real value.

RE: Demand for gold has significantly increased over the last six months as investors look for ways to diversify their portfolio through “safe haven” assets such as precious metals. Demand might have increased, but the "reason" is specious. The only safe havens are food, shelter and protection. Gold, silver, platinum, etc. have arbitrary values - not utilitarian values.

RE: "Just pulled this one out of my cigar box that has a lot of vintage, but not valuable stuff." That is possibly one of the most useful parts of this hobby - the vicarious time travel that comes with shadows of ordinary life; valuable beyond mere money.

Also ---- focus. The photo is too fuzzy to be much help.

The design is real - a US pattern piece. Can't tell from the photo if it is authentic, although it has defects common to counterfeits. Can you post a reverse and edge photos?

All you would do is increase your cost for the coin. If you really want them in a plastic holder then buy 'em that way in the beginning. (One of the greatest risks of damage and contamination comes from removal of the coin from its original holder. That increases the time exposed to air, dust, moisture, chemicals, handling, etc. -- so why do it?)

Historically, margin on medals was about 20%, less for gold, much more for bronze due to the low cost of metal. Here's a summary table from FY 1898 showing Medal Department profits. The overall profit was about 17.7 percent. Notice the 372 percent gain on bronze medals.

Please follow Bill Jones' suggestions. If you post some photos, tightly cropped, of the coins/albums, etc., members will be better able to help. Look for items in 2x2 paper coin holders or that are in plastic holders. Also anything with a price on it or that is made of gold.

The margins on nearly all of the US Mint "coin products" are much too high. Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin wanted "full cost recovery" taken down to the employee benefits level. This makes the US Mint operate like a private corporation as far as revenue and expense, but without the ability to adequately control employee and overhead costs. Congress also sticks it's nose into things by demanding expensive equipment (see the 5-oz "quarters" and others) but not paying for it. The results are inflated pricing, idle equipment, grinding production without innovation.

Yes. Bright blue-white light but harsh due to the tiny point of origin. The Philadelphia Mint had them in the M&R Department and Coining Department used them in the Rolling and Cutting Department area. The lights needed a lot of space surrounding them in which to dissipate heat and vapor.

"Inglorious Bastards" --- maybe ?

Well, that has a certain "bucolic" lilt to it....A little "Green Acres" twang. Ultimately, TPGs and product makers will do what they want.

The photo does not have enough detail, such as dimensions, die number, etc. to authenticate from a photo. The modern US Mint never legally releases uncancelled working dies, hubs, masters, etc. If it is authentic, then it had to have been stolen. If we presume the obverse die is authentic, the medals do not have a reverse from a US Mint die. Since a "restrike" has to be made from original, official dies, the medals are still not true restrikes -- at best they are hybrids, or mules, or bastards.

None of the "standard sources" have any data backing up the estimates - they are guesses based on dealer observation and assumption. About all that can be said is they present a very rough order of availability. That's not a "ding" on the authors. They certainly did their best with what they had. This also reinforces previous comments about improving the quality of published information by better and more expansive research. For example, if we correlate coin production, shipping, NYAO inventory/receipts, payout, commercial and bank shipping reports, ExIm data with foreign central bank records, it might be possible to trace specific production years/mints to recipients. Of course, the question becomes: "What do we do with the results, and are they of any real economic or numismatic value?"

The US Mint does not contract testing with anyone. Original MW test dies are strictly internal under Mint control. They were certainly not used to make the little medals advertised as "restrikes." That part of the advertising is fraudulent.

Few were able to hold cash in any form very long. Gold, silver coin and US currency were common holdings. Deeper into the frontier lands barter goods were better currency than coin - just a matter of necessity. I've never seen any even remotely reliable "survival rates" for Liberty DE. 19th century gold transfer journals might be one source, but the amount of work would be vast and the reward minimal.