sylabyss Posted May 13, 2008 Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 I bought this half at a local estate auction After getting home i realized this coin has either been cleaned or is a fake > Im leaning towards counterfeit. http://thriftdrop.com/DSCN5884.JPG http://thriftdrop.com/DSCN5886.JPG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobh Posted May 13, 2008 Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 Im leaning towards counterfeit. Why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottishmoney Posted May 13, 2008 Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 I myself am leaning towards a harshly cleaned original proof. From 1879-1891 these SL half dollars were minted in rather diminutive numbers, with a larger portion of that, about 20% of the mintage being proofs. In 1879 5,900 halves were struck in Philadelphia, and 1,100 of them were proofs. This coin appears to be one of those 1,100 proofs, that someone at some point decided needed to be harshly cleaned. As such it's value takes it down into the mid circulated grades for this piece. Here is an image of my 1880 in proof for comparison:1880 Proof Half Dollar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiho Posted May 13, 2008 Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 It looks real to me, but has definitely been cleaned. Depending on what you paid, it's still a very nice coin though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostDutchman Posted May 13, 2008 Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 I agree.... an original coin... and it may or may not be a proof... Its hard to tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sylabyss Posted May 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 The reason i feel its a counterfeit is some oddities i noticed , like the leaf of the eagle at the 8 o'clock position is missing also the drape near her elbow is incomplete . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpnyc Posted May 13, 2008 Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 Genuine. Its a cleaned proof made from heavily polished dies. The squared off rims give away the proof status. The drapery under the elbow is the first thing to go when the dies are polished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostDutchman Posted May 13, 2008 Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 thats what i was leaning towards from the pics.... good score... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sylabyss Posted May 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2008 ok thanks for help . Sad tho some one cleaned it .Looks like a steel wool job =O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vfox Posted May 14, 2008 Report Share Posted May 14, 2008 The question is, did you pay the price of a proof...even impaired proof for it? They list for around $3,000 is PR-65. Obviously this would be well below that because of the damage though. Perhaps impaired PF-60 since it is still UNC in terms of actual circulation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpnyc Posted May 14, 2008 Report Share Posted May 14, 2008 Its still likely a $300 coin in this condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sylabyss Posted May 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2008 I bought it with other items, but it still cost me around 400.00 So im not that bad off . Next time ill bring my glasses =) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vfox Posted May 15, 2008 Report Share Posted May 15, 2008 Toss it on eBay and your likely to double your money lol. People eat that stuff up regardless of condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyd Posted May 15, 2008 Report Share Posted May 15, 2008 I agree with gp & Dutchman -- but did you weigh it? Chinese counterfeits (that's almost being redundant) usually weigh far less than the real deal... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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