Peru 1963 20 Centavos (Cu-Ni Thin Flan)
defcatnumismatics
Posts: 8 ✭
Going through some coin boxes (of coins purchased long ago and set aside for a windy day) and I've come across this Peruvian 20 Centavos coin from 1963. According to the original 2x2, it's KM 221.2c (Thin Flan).
It weighs almost correctly (3.9g actual weight vs. 3.95g Numista weight) but man, are those details shoddy. The rims are terrible, the devices are weakly struck and/or are missing details/depth, the edges are irregularly struck, and there are numerous planchet flaws (huge die chip on the portrait cheek, HUGE die crack running across the entire obverse from I in REPUBLICA through the base of the portrait, die chip under the 0 of 20, what looks like a bubble under the V of CENTAVOS.) There are also a couple points where it looks like there is brass underneath some sort of plating - on the edge and a couple high points on the headdress on the obverse.
So, my question is this - is this a counterfeit pretending to be a more valuable Cu-Ni version of this coin? (The normal coin is brass and should weigh 3.8g.)
If I can supply some more pictures, I'm happy to do so. I think at the very least I should share a pic of the edge?
Edge:
Thank you!
Comments
They probably just used the dies until they broke. And maybe the machinery wasn’t powerful enough for a good strong strike on the hard CuNi planchet.
Have you seen Mexican centavos of the 1890s? Many UNCs look just as bad, and they are softer copper.
Yes, good point about using dies until they break. That's why I was hoping someone a bit more experienced than I am with this series could chime in. Thank you!
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