What is this? Found in attic of my parents new house in upstate NY?
NumisOxide
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My wife and I visited my father's house he bought in Scotia NY. House was built in 1890. I went up to the attic to look around and found this lying on the floor.
Don't think it's a coin, uniface impression. Any idea? Replica? Part of furniture?
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Perhaps a button?
Profile reminds of the Joker wearing an English wig
Did your father plant this there just to keep you out of his hair and busy for a while?
Definitely some writing there. Can you get better pics, more straight-on? I don't know if that will help to try and figure out the writing.
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Nah no way. I doubt he even went all the way up to the attic yet. He's 74 and not in the best shape. I do plan on metal detecting the backyard in the spring though!
The first thing that came to my mind was an old Pope Paul III satirical medal.
I remember seeing one years and years ago. I googled an image just for a food for thought image.
Not sure it's the same but may be pointing you in the right direction.
https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=239141
Well there is some lettering to ponder. Peace Roy
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I’m also going to go with a button.
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I don't think it is a button. As others have said, figuring out the lettering is the key to the mystery.
Dang. Can't make out the writing. It almost looks like someone was hammering a piece of copper over something else trying to copy it. The rim makes it look like it's 2 layers?
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Its one layer of copper. It looks like it's embossed. Maybe I can make a pencil etching of it.
Don't think it's a button. My wife went to FIT and she said its not. Lol
Just a guess here, but the photo of the object next to the dime has a Sphinx look, in profile. Or the breast area seems to display a rib cage.
Good thread. I like a little mystery.
What it is I don’t know, but the bust reminds me of the bust used on some Spanish gold coins late 1700’s. Maybe some sort of play money?
Halloween mystery. Spooky.
The more qualities observed in a coin, the more desirable that coin becomes!
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I'm guessing that it may be some foreign coin that may have been used in colonial America.
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Because the reverse appears to be the indented image of the obverse, I would say it is a game token of some sort...Cheers, RickO
Possibly could be. Still trying to make out the lettering. The pencil etching I made didn't help.
i don't know what it is, but i don't think it's a button...how would it be attached to clothing? i guess it could be part of a button maybe
Good mystery, how fun!
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How thin is it?
I can't think of any US coin or Colonial that this looks like. You should post this on the World and Ancient forum to see if anyone there recognizes it.
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Just lying around on the floor? Wow, weird, but doesn't seem like it can be much of anything. To me it looks like something that feel off a piece of antique furniture.
Well whatever it is , I think its one sided.
May be some kind of ID for a farm animal or product.
I give up !
Here is a similar piece on eBay right now.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/203156246071
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Great find GoldenEgg!
Cool, I found some King John medals that have a similar looking hair line. But Golden Egg nailed it.
Looks almost Roman or Greek to my eyes.
bob
how did you FIND this?! wow - incredible
Impressive sleuthing indeed.
I could barely read this thread for the eBay link popping up constantly.
My phone finds things like that automatically.
No, the ebay link popping up is because GoldenEgg posted it. Otherwise you wouldn’t see it.
CN eBay
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I think it’s a “hobbyist” made electrotype, probably 19th century. This can be confirmed two ways: an electrotype will not “ring” when dropped. An electrotype, by analysis will be pure copper, Any struck or cast coin will be an alloy.
Hmm possibly could be.
I'm going throw this out as a 100 to 1 shot, the cover photo.
Do you have a weight and diameter? Does it have a ring drop?
The reverse looks like an unfilled electrotype. I’m speculating it’s a 19th century game speilmark. This could account for “more than one”, as well as laying in an attic (where old games go). Electrotypes were invented in 1838, so it’s later than that, if an electro. If a cast contemporary counterfeit colonial copper, the head is proper for George I, I doubt it is. Curious item
It weighs 2.11 g
When balanced on my finger and tapping the edge it rings out.
Dropping on a wood table it sounds like a coin. I think it is a gaming piece.
Yup. That’s a ring for sure. Well let’s see what the eBay piece is like when I get it. The weight I’d say is right for an unfilled electro shell....I remember them as Not ringing, I’ll have to find one of the shells I made and try. Yours is from NY, That one comes from Texas. Most game pieces I’ve seen were gilded. I made a GIF of the two and very obviously the “die” matches. Yours has a few nicks the other one lacks, and that one has some pitting (bad planchet? Corrosion?) where yours does not. Call me crazy but in Numismatics, presently, things like this are all that grips my interest. Question being: can we find records of Another?? Lettering makes no sense even with stacked GIF. Doing an XRF would be nice but I lost touch with my contact.
They are very interesting pieces. It's a real mystery to solve and yes the lettering is not legible.
What I find odd is the curvature of the edges look exactly the same. Thanks for the interest everyone.
Hopefully next time I go up to visit the house I will find some other coin related stuff. Probably take my shop vac and suck up things out of the crevices between the attic floor boards.
Yes, that is what I referred to above.
“> What I find odd is the curvature of the edges look exactly the same. Thanks for the interest everyone”...................................I noticed that too. It’s possible....electrotypes made by impressing the “die” into beeswax multiple times. This would account for that. I don’t think it’s a direct copy of a coin, rather a “created” die.
•••••But, honestly, there’s a Ton of numismatic experience on this board and we have turned up two identical items from far different areas which no one can identify, or have seen before. I can understand yes, finding this piece on eBay (the source of many untraceable items) but Finding one in an old attic too? Kind of dispels my initial thought as a hobbyist electrotype. So What could it be???
So....THIS comes. I’m Pissed.
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Oh man...hate when sellers do that
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