Need help with a 1/4 California Gold with bear. Is it real?

[nemo656]

Hi All, I was going though a box of coins from my father, the box was labeled to be checked. According to my dad the box has not seen the light of day for 40 plus years. In there was a 2x2 flip labeled 1/4 Calif Gold with bear 1856. I looked in the books I have and could find nothing about this coin. He said he was not convinced it was real. I'm not convinced it's real either due to the color of the coin. But then again I know jack about gold coins. Is there someone out there who could tell me something about this piece and is there a way to tell if it is real? See attached pics. Thanks! Have a great day - Jim

 

Oh btw the coin is about the size of a pea.

[MarkFeld]

Sorry, it is a replica and not the real thing.

[nemo656]

Hi there Mark, what is the tell tale sign it is a replica? Just curious. Thanks!

[MarkFeld]

Hi there Mark, what is the tell tale sign it is a replica? Just curious. Thanks!

 

Perhaps the easiest way to tell is that genuine examples do not have a bear on them.

 

Edited to add: Another is that a genuine one would not just have "1/4" on the reverse, without the word "DOLLAR" also being included.

[nemo656]

Ahhh, ok, thank you for the info! - Jim

[TomB]

The presence of a bear and the absence of a denomination are what to look for in terms of a quick identification method for base metal tokens.

[PerryHall]

"If it has a bear, beware."

[PerryHall]

Another is that a genuine one would not just have "1/4" on the reverse, without the word "DOLLAR" also being included.

 

Sometimes it's an abreviation such as DOL. or D. or CENTS.

[mkman123]

Thats too bad its not real

[JKK]

Yeah, there isn't much of a bear market. *ducking*

[nemo656]

! Thanks for all the comments it is appreciated. I mean thank you bear'y much. I didn't think it was real but thought I would ask.....

 

Have a great day folks!

Jim

[nemo656]

On there other hand there were two other coins in the box that caught my eye, and these I know are real and I found them in the books. They are common but still very cool.

 

see attached

[BillJones]

According to my dad the box has not seen the light of day for 40 plus years.

 

Woolworth's was selling these for $2.00 each in the early 1960s so your time line of 40 is about right right.

[James_OldeTowne]

They are novelty replicas and were sold in sets for year, I believe sets of 12? I have seen many many many of them over the years, including yesterday, when a family brought in their treasure, hoping to collect a nice reward.

[BillJones]

I don't like to be the bearer of bad news, but I have doubts about the authenticity of the $5 and $2.50 gold coins you posted. The $5 appears to have "fatty letters and lumps of metal on the letters. The relief of the obverse also looks off to me. The $2.50 appears to have the wrong relief. It is not crisp and clear like a genuine coin would be.

 

If these pieces are the same vintage as the imitation Cal fractional gold piece you posted, they would have been acquired when Lebanese counterfeiters were making copies of U.S. gold coins.

 

Here are pictures of two genuine pieces you can use to compare with your pieces. The final word would come from NGC is you chose to have them authenticated. NGC has or at least used to have some bargain certification prices from common date U.S. gold coins.

 

Five dollar

 

 

Quarter Eagle

 

[HULLCOINS-migration]

What about the Minerva Bear series? Or are they considered replicas because they were from Hart's Set? Aren't they also made from gold? Just curious..

Best, Henry

[CyberspaceVoid]

Yeah, there isn't much of a bear market. *ducking*