What are your thoughts on this coin? 0

[ldhair]

[bsshog40]

I'd pass. Looks like it has holes in it and I think I see cast spots in it. I don’t know anything about these but this coin just does not look right to me. 

[Sandon]

    I don't like the look of this coin and am of the opinion that it is probably counterfeit.  I have this opinion notwithstanding the commentary in the Deluxe Edition or "Mega" Redbook (7th ed. at p.1122) regarding Panama-Pacific Exposition half dollars stating that "[m]ost are satiny in appearance with the high parts in particular having a microscopically grainy finish. Many pieces have an inner line around the perimeter near the rim, a die characteristic.  On the reverse of all known coins, the eagle's breast feathers are indistinct. . .."

   This piece has many raised lumps that cannot be characterized as a "microscopically grainy finish" in a number of places, such as along the sides of the rays, in and around the second "O" of EXPOSITION, and on the child's back.  These lumps do not appear on photos of genuine coins I've checked, nor on genuine coins I recall having examined.  Many fine details, such as the flowers that Liberty is tossing, seem less distinct than on photos of certified examples.  The apparent doubling on the mint mark doesn't match that on either the FS-501 or FS-502 varieties either. The color of the coin looks unnatural as well.

[Coinbuf]

I am not much into the commems, but as already noted this has an "off" look and I would question its authenticity.

[J P M]

I shop for the older graded Commemorative's all the time and many of them look like there was never any quality control on the strikes. It is almost like it was more important to get them done and over with and out of the basement. I bet this is being sold as a MS64.  

[Walkerfan]

Pass.  I’m not crazy about the surfaces as they look lackluster.  The little amount of toning that is there is not that attractive, either.

Edited February 12, 2023 by Walkerfan

[RWB]

Miss Liberty might consider changing her underarm antiperspirant / deodorant....

[ldhair]

I Bought the coin about 30 years ago as a counterfeit. It was only a few dollars. It's actually a well known counterfeit. The mint mark is another give away. For all these years, I thought it was a cast fake but have been told that it's actually a struck coin on a cast blank. I trust that is correct.

 

[RWB]

Striking pressure should eliminate most surface defects on a planchet; how did the dies get grainy?

[ldhair]

I don't know. I'm open to any thoughts. 

[Sandon]

   Counterfeit coins, including die struck ones, are often identified by the presence of lumps or other raised areas that don't appear on the genuine pieces. I recall reading that the "spark erosion" process of creating counterfeit dies usually results in depressions on those dies that appear as lumps on the counterfeit coins.

[CIII]

Fascinating stuff.  I'll be extra wary when looking for Panama coins.  Used to live there.

[Henri Charriere]

As you may know, I do not relish the thought of passing judgment on other members' coins, but now that you've disclosed it's counterfeit, one more comment won't hurt.

All of the other comments, notwithstanding, there is only one thing about it that irks me: the suggestion, coincidental and unintentional, of an apostrophe in STATE'S. I find its perfect placement to be a distraction.

Not to take you away from your long-standing obligation to monitor the Forum's longest running thread, but what was it about this coin in particular that prompted you to acquire it? You know what I collect, and why. I am just curious.

[MorganMan]

On 2/14/2023 at 7:50 PM, Tigerbait said:

Fascinating stuff.  I'll be extra wary when looking for Panama coins.  Used to live there.

It is not a Panama coin. The coin (the real one) was struck at the US Mint as a Panama Canal commemorative coin.

Edited June 26, 2023 by MorganMan

[ldhair]

I thought this thread was dead but I'll add a bit more. Fifty something years ago I became good friends with a local dealer. I'm sad to say he passed about 10 years back. We had a lot of fun. When the shop was really busy, I would help out behind the counter. Some days he would ask me to just hang out as a customer and help with security. The shop was always buying large collections. I had the fun of sorting and putting anything of real value in a proper holder. I got first shot at some really cool coins but there was much I could not afford at that time. 

My dealer friend had a nice collection of counterfeits that were not for sell but he trusted that I would never put them on the market as real. The OP coin came in the shop with a bunch of junk silver. It was easy to decided, it was a modern counterfeit. I believe I gave about $5 for the coin.

I took the coin to Fun a few years ago for a friend to image. Some cool folks looked at the coin but we never understood if it was cast or struck or both.