Is this the real deal?

[Bruceswar]

Do you think this Mass Cent 1788 is real?

 

Here are some pics...

 

[Bruceswar]

back....

 

[Bruceswar]

side....

 

[braddick]

Trust me, NOT the 'real deal'.

Nice contemporary counterfeit, but NOT real.

[Bruceswar]

why do you say that?

[gmarguli]

Looks fake. I have one that looks just like it. It's got a "modern feel" to it.

[Bruceswar]

OK I will tell you that this one has been deemed fake.... after I sold it once to a collector.. It came back as fake..... Couple of things to key in on... First off the word Common is way to far out on the coin.... should be more towards the middle. Secondly.... If you will notice that on all the "real ones" even the lower grade ones the arrows are much more spread out... Thirdly, the leaf in his left right talon should have a curve in it. And last but not least.. the letters in Massachusetts should be thicker and the placement is also off. The placement is from the 1787 but dated as 1788.(Notice where the M and the S are compared to the 87 and then look at an 88) But with all that said... this coin would still fool alot of coin buyers due to the fact the sides look good(No Seem) and the color seems right... coin feels ok... and if someone was buying it and had nothing to compare it with .. they might not reconize some of the things mentioned above..

[JadeRareCoin]

You have an modern cast copy. It's actually a poorly done copy, since it was not cast from a host coin, but rather hand engraved. The seam is not on the edge, but rather on the junction of the edge and the face of the date side (eagle side) of the coin. Everything is wrong with the details of the coin. The eagle is especially inaccurate. Also, notice how the details are washed out. I am guessing the 1950-60's as the time frame this piece was cast. It has a value of $15 in my opinion. We buy this type of material at every opporunity. I once sold a Connecticut electrotype for $150. The reason being is that was created from an actual coin (M.1-E) and was high grade. We traced it back to the 1890's. Most are not worth that much.

 

Here are the classifications for coins that are not genuine:

 

Contemporary Counterfeit: made at the time that the subject coin circulated. Usually struck, but some are cast. Colonials were heavily counterfeited, as were bust halves. Contemporary counterfeits can sometimes be very valuable and even worth much more than the coin that they are a copy of (i.e. bust dimes).

 

Modern Copy: A copy that is not meant to deceive. Usually done for promotional purposes, etc. Most are cast using low tech methods. Often underweight and will show a seam. Should be marked "copy" somewhere on the coin. These are not made from a host coin, but rather made from hand cut dies. Electrotypes are a sub-catagory of modern copies, and can be valuable.

 

Forgery or Modern Counterfeit: Usually created to decieve. Typically created with the same technique of the host coin (struck on rolled planchets, etc.). Many are made with high tech processes, such as EDM or spark-erosion technology, using a host coin. U.S. gold is typically heavily counterfeited, as is certain key date coins (1909-S VDB, 1916-D dime). Ancients are also heavily counterfeited.

 

 

There are more catagories and sub-catagories, but you get the picture.