Gold coin Identification help
Redglobe
Posts: 657 ✭✭✭
Can you help on the identification on these two coins.
A friend of mine sent me these photos.
Rob
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Redglobe
Posts: 657 ✭✭✭
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Not a specialist in these, but there are LOTS of fakes out there.
These are tokens, not coins. They are also much more modern than their dates and were sold as souvenirs. Some of these can be gold, but if I recall correctly they are typically 10K gold if they are gold. Beware, they are not worth much.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Here is the lot he sent me.
That is a very interesting lot. Tell your fried first of all DO NOT CLEAN ANYTHING!
For a quick and relatively inexpensive way to authenticate these, it would be good to send them to ANACS. www.anacs.com That way you can get them authenticated for less than $20 each and have a fairly quick turnaround time. I wouldn't send in the California tokens.
The California pieces are indeed tokens made well after the dates shown on them. Depending on when they were made and what they were made out of they might be worth in the neighborhood of $25 each or only a dollar or two,
What does your friend want you to do for him/her?
Echo the don't clean anything.
The smaller ones are tokens meant to emulate the fractional gold coinage of the mid- to late-1800s California gold rush era.
They are likely tokens made later. If they have any gold (unlikely) it is low purity. They aren't worth very much.
The other pieces look to be genuine gold at least. Their authenticity (there are fakes made from real gold for some of these), and their grades are difficult to discern from these images. You might consider our hosts for that determination.
--Severian the Lame
Out of seven coins, two are fantasy tokens and the other five are all highly desirable. Especially that 1850-C half eagle. WOW! Very cool.
PS - second what @CaptHenway said about not cleaning anything.
I told him to join PCGS Platinum Club and with the vouchers along with another coin send in for authentication/grading.
Pictures are just that...pictures,the other coins look original,so I said you need to get them graded.
He's been dabbling in coins for a while (varieties,RPD's mostly lincoln's) and these where available to him.We've talked coins many times in the past and as soon as he sent me the photos he called me soon after and I told him they looked original and not to clean any of them.
I really liked the look of the 1850 $5 piece.
Getting responses here will really help me to help him.
"What does your friend want you to do for him/her?"
Good question
He wanted me to give my opinion on value.
He went to a local coin shop to get their evaluation
For what it's worth my value and the shops value was almost 2K apart
I told him to get them authenticated/graded first and for most.
Now, except the tokens
If he wants to sell them, suggest that he send them to Great Collections. They can get them slabbed and then auction them for him.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
P.H. thats what I told him,but I mentioned to grade them himself (join PCGS)
@Redglobe If he wants to sell the coins, then @PerryHall has the best suggestion. It will be cheaper and faster to have @ianrussell grade the coins and sell at auction. Your friend could then buy a whole ton of Lincoln cent varieties with the money.
Numisma thanks for the laugh!!! That was funny
This guy is very savvy he showed me his silver stash very impressive
I'll mention that to him,see what he thinks/says
Overall, some nice gold coins (except the tokens)... If your friend is only interested in selling, then the above suggestion for Great Collections is a good one... If he has plans to keep them, then the PCGS route is fine. Cheers, RickO