Cal Fractional Gold? Fake?

[Coindude]

I think it's a fake, but I'm no expert in this area. Anyone have a Cal gold book with all of them listed? Help please.

 

[Deerefan8420]

Some clearer pictures would be better. There are a lot of fake Califrnia Gold pieces circulating around. Most can usually be distinguished just by the price you paid for the piece. If you bought this Fractional Gold at a relatively low price, I would almost assume that it is fake. Not unless the seller did not know what he had. Another way to tell a fake is if there is a bear on the reverse.

 

But from the pictures you provided, this appears to just be a Non-denominated Token. And these tokens also have very little to no numismatic value either.

[MarkFeld]

Some clearer pictures would be better. There are a lot of fake Califrnia Gold pieces circulating around. Most can usually be distinguished just by the price you paid for the piece. If you bought this Fractional Gold at a relatively low price, I would almost assume that it is fake. Not unless the seller did not know what he had. Another way to tell a fake is if there is a bear on the reverse.

 

But from the pictures you provided, this appears to just be a Non-denominated Token. And these tokens also have very little to no numismatic value either.

 

I agree with the second part of your post - if there is no denomination noted on the reverse, that is a giveaway that the item is not a genuine Cal. Gold coin.

 

With respect to a buyer's cost distinguishing whether the coin is genuine or not - that can be a very dangerous assumption or rule of thumb. Are you saying that the crazier/higher the price someone pays, the grater the chances that the coin is genuine? I think not.

[Deerefan8420]

Some clearer pictures would be better. There are a lot of fake Califrnia Gold pieces circulating around. Most can usually be distinguished just by the price you paid for the piece. If you bought this Fractional Gold at a relatively low price, I would almost assume that it is fake. Not unless the seller did not know what he had. Another way to tell a fake is if there is a bear on the reverse.

 

But from the pictures you provided, this appears to just be a Non-denominated Token. And these tokens also have very little to no numismatic value either.

 

I agree with the second part of your post - if there is no denomination noted on the reverse, that is a giveaway that the item is not a genuine Cal. Gold coin.

 

With respect to a buyer's cost distinguishing whether the coin is genuine or not - that can be a very dangerous assumption or rule of thumb. Are you saying that the crazier/higher the price someone pays, the grater the chances that the coin is genuine? I think not.

 

I should have been a bit clearer or worded things a little better. What I meant by the cost of the coin is that if he purchased this coin at a lower price than what most California Gold pieces sell for, then the chances are that it could be fake. I've seen a good many of these "Gold Tokens" and other fake California Gold pieces sell on Ebay for less than $40 or $50. I've also seen these "Gold Tokens" and fake pieces sell for more than $200-$300. Most genuine California Gold pieces are priced accordingly to their market value from what I've seen. That being said, it is highly unlikely that someone can acquire a genuine Cal. Gold piece in a higher grade for a relatively low price when compared to market value.

 

[Coindude]

These are pictures from a person who called me who wanted to sell it. He's had it since the early 70's or so he says. So, I didn't pay anything for it. Just trying to get some info for the guy.

[BillJones]

Woolworth's five and dime used to sell pieces like this in the 1960s for $2 each. In view of the fact that Woolworth's coin prices were quite high at the time (a circulated 1939-D nickel was priced at $13), charging only $2 for these pieces was a giveaway that these pieces had no numismatic value. Any piece that has the word "eureka," or a bear on them without a clear statement of a face value is a modern fantasy item of little or no value.