Finally a decent coin shows up on ebay

[rrantique]

Happy April Fools Day!

The above-story is fiction. It is not intended to contain criticism of President Jackson, Emperor Xuanzong, or any other government official, living or dead. All quoted statements above are fabricated. As far as I know, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has not issued any statement regarding a rare U.S. coin, nor about U.S. Proof Sets from the 1830s. Likewise, I am not aware of a Professor David Jones who is a specialist in Chinese history. If anyone named Jones has ever made a statement that bears resemblance to my fictional quote in the story, it is just a coincidence.

 

[James_OldeTowne]

The Werner/Ostheimer "1805" Draped Bust Dollar

Lot 541

"1805" Altered from an 1803 B-6, BB-255. The Werner/Ostheimer coin. Sharpness of VF-30 but altered date and cleaned. Please note the story of this famous pair of alterations on the previous lot which discusses how they came about, and how they fooled several known experts, including Milferd H. Bolender for a time, and Alfred Ostheimer, III, who formed one of the greatest bust dollar variety sets of all time. Both this coin, and the 1804 just offered, survived a battery of tests which confirmed that they were struck coins from the Mint (they are), and that the dates had not been altered, the tests were obviously wrong on this count.

Yep, that's the one!

 

[braddick]

Normally altered coins like that shouldn't go for much, but the workmanship is so fine on that "1804" I can see why an enthusiast would step up.

[Conder101]

The Ostheimer 1804 and 1805 dollars aren't that valuable because of the fine workmanship of the alteration. The are valuable because of the story and history that go with their discovery and subsequent history. If a previously unknown altered date 1804 or 1805 dollar turned up today even with great skill in the alteration, they wouldn't bring that much money because they have no history to them. (There are other altered date 1804 dollars out there, some of excellent workmanship. But they wouldn't bring what the Ostheimer coin would. And frankly I think the Ostheimer coin would be worth less if it isn't paired with the 1805 coin.)