1776 Continental Curency - fake?

[pendragon1998]

Hi all,

 

This is my first post here, so I hope I'm doing everything correctly. Below are two images of a coin I found about 15 years ago in the dirt basement at my old house in Georgia. The house was build in the 1970s and the property used to be part of an old plantation - we were always finding old clay bricks, bits of metal, etc.

 

Anyway, my mother (I was 10 at the time) cleaned (I know, I know!) the coin, with soft scrub, I believe. This pains me to this day. Can someone take a look at these photos and tell me what you think about the coin? I know the photos are not the best quality, I can get access to a scanner and make them better if there's demand.

 

Thanks!

 

[Bruceswar]

Hello and welcome!

Here is a quick list of things to check for.

1. The word Copy on the coin, even on the side of the coin.

2. Look for a seem around the coin on the edges.

3. Since you cleaned the coin already, this will hender the surfaces of the coin and have lost all orginality, but this seems that if real it would be the pewter variety and could be worth upwards of $22,000.00

 

Now for my opinon. I think it is a cast replica coin. These are really common for this coin. I also don't like how the devices on the coin line up. Does not look real to me, but I could be 100% wrong. Looks to centered for me. I would say it is replica from the pictures...

 

Attached is a picture of the word copy on my coin that I own which is the same coin as yours.

 

 

Hope that helps.

[Hoot]

I'd agree that the piece looks like a cast copy, and likely does not have COPY stamped in it anywhere. If it does, then it's relatively recent (post-1973). The surfaces have a granular appearance that's indicative of a cast piece and the devices are mushy. Like Bruce said, it may have a seam running around the edge, or it may have a point of detachment from a mould. Also, you can hold it on the tip of a finger then strike it with a pencil. If it goes "thud", then it's a fake, if it rings, then it may have been struck, but that does not mean it's real. If you want confirmation, then send it to NGC and have them authenticate/reject it. You can likely find a dealer in your area who is an NGC registered dealer.

 

Hoot

[pendragon1998]

Looking at my coin, I do not see any evidence of the word COPY or of a seam. I'm not entirely certain in my interpretation of the "thud" vs. "ring" test, so I'll set that one aside for now. As for the mould detachment point, I see a slightly raised area along the edge, visible in the above photos between the A and L in CONTINENTAL, as well as just counter-clockwise to the 6-o'clock position in the second photo. The edge of the coin is quite smooth and is variable in thickness as you move around the perimeter.

 

Some other things I've noted about the coin are the offset in the strike, which can be seen in the beading in the top photo, particularly. Also, when comparing my coin to photos of a declared copy (first two photos below), notice the difference in the positioning of the 6 in 1776. In the fake coin, the 6 is in contact (or very nearly so) with the outer, center ring. In the real coin, as in my coin, the 6 is visibly separated from that ring. The 6 on the real coin is also narrower and angled more clockwise than on the fake. Finally, on many of the fakes I've looked at online, the copies are quite bold and unworn and are struck more on-center compared with my coin.

 

(Oh, and I should mention, those photos are from eBay, and I'm only going by what the auction said when I state that the second two photos are of a real coin. It was going for close to $300.)

 

I'm not trying to disagree with you guys, merely enjoying the discussion and exploration!

 

Fake:

 

Fake:

 

Real:

 

Real:

 

[Bruceswar]

The pieces you post are more obvious fakes. By the thump test he means take the coin and hit it lightly with a pencil and it will make like a chip sound, almost like a cheap plastic sound. If it is metal piece it will make more of a "Ping" sound. A few things to note about your coin is the heavy presense of the Dots around the coin, which on the original pieces I have seen don't seem to be as prominate. Some of the older copies are very good and only in hand can they be checked for authenicity. Have a dealer look at it. I am sure you will find a good one in Goergia. Good Luck with it. Feel free to ask away.

[Bruceswar]

Comparing your coin to an oringal piece, you will notice at 3 O clock on an original piece the ring should read Maryland... Just look for the D in which the ring above that one appears to say Maryland on your coin.... There are 13 Rings for 13 states, each with a different name on them. Hope this helps.

[Bruceswar]

 

Fake:

 

Fake:

 

Real:

 

Real:

 

I would say both are fake. How do you know that the silver one is real?(Only 2 known) Almost every real one known to exist is in a slab, just becuase of such debates as this one. Also one last piece of infomation.... There are 3 types of metals used and 2 types of writing used. Brass, Silver, Pewter. Currency, and Curency, and a odd spelling Currencey. Silver is the rarest of the bunch and Pewter is the most common.

[pendragon1998]

I'm only basing my statement that the silver coin is real on the fact that the auction claimed that and the price was already head-and-shoulders above the fakes. That said, I take the authenticity of that coin with a grain of salt. If you want to look at the auction for yourself, it's Item number: 8391180975 at eBay, but it's ending in 15 hours.

 

Honestly, I think that my coin is probably not authentic. However, I can't help but be a bit intrigued by the way it came into my posession, found in the dirt of the natural basement of our house and given the location of the house.

 

I have also been waiting to mention another fact because I didn't want to skew the opinions first. I took the coin to a small dealer in GA around a decade ago. He also told me it was a fake - but then he offered me $60 for the coin. That made me wonder a little about his honesty, and I suspected that he thought he could pull one over on a kid.

 

Does the possibility exist that this is one of the much older copies? I remember reading something about these being made for the 1876 centennial.

[Bruceswar]

Ok with what the dealer told you and if that coin you posted as real came up in auction, it would not be on ebay. It would be at a major auction house. I bet the dealer did not want to rip you off of your coin, but dealers will buy fakes just as something to have to compare with . If there is no copy on it it is Pre 1973 as to what Hoot said. How far back is anybodys guess. Sounds like the piece holds some value to you as just to the story you bring with it. I would keep the piece and get a nice holder for it and display it proudly....

[James_OldeTowne]

This not a real coin. It's a souvenir copy.

 

James

[pendragon1998]

Sounds like the piece holds some value to you as just to the story you bring with it. I would keep the piece and get a nice holder for it and display it proudly....

 

Yes, it really does have a special place in my heart. It's a piece of the home I grew up in as a child. Even if it isn't worth $20,000, it's valuable to me. I think it's a beautiful design, and the quality of the fake is impressive to me.

 

Actually, all this talk about this coin has made me feel the itch to start collecting again. I haven't really done much with the hobby for the last 10 years or so, but I've got a pretty interesting variety of US coins, some of which are pretty old and in decent condition. I was definitely operating on a budget when I was 13 :-) I think I'll go out and get a few rigid plastic mounts for the last of my better coins not already protected...and definitely get one for my favorite little counterfeit dollar.

[Bruceswar]

I think many of us here know what it is to work on a budget when buying coins Stay around, you will find this place very usefull

[paperchaser-migration]

Here's the deal -- if you want it -- GO FOR IT. Then send it off to be AUTHENTICATED! Hopefully you'll have some recourse if indeed it's fake! If not then you've got a winner (if the price was right)

[Bruceswar]

Here's the deal -- if you want it -- GO FOR IT. Then send it off to be AUTHENTICATED! Hopefully you'll have some recourse if indeed it's fake! If not then you've got a winner (if the price was right)

 

The price was for all purposes free.... Read his first post.... I would not waste any money sending it off if it was me....

[TomB]

It is a modern copy made by the thousands, if not tens of thousands, and sold for a few dollars each over the course of many decades.

[drwstr123]

Just happened to photo this today-1962 Bashlow Restrike: