1776 Continental Currency- I have one. Maybe?

KevyKevTPA

OK, well, I DO have one, but, wisely I think, I question whether or not it's authentic. So, before I send it off to a professional, I figured I'd ask here, to see if there were any tells that might imply possibly real vs. absolutely fake. Here's what I can tell you about it.

1- It's the one allegedly designed by Benjamin Franklin, but never actually used in trade, though a limited number of samples were printed in pewter, silver, and gold. Mine appears to be pewter.
2- It has existed since at least the early 1970s, when my parents kept it in their box of "valuables" on their dresser. I used to play with it quite often as a kid, which may be responsible for at least some of its degraded appearance. I know nothing of the history of it before that.
3- I've looked at pics of the "official" 1962 restrike, and those look to new and "pretty" for it to be one of them. But what do I know.
4- Similarly, I've looked at pics of the few real ones that have popped up on EBay, and while the obverse looks pretty similar, the reverse looks like it might be more poorly struck, and there is an area of distorted imprint, almost as though it took some sort of impact like on the corner of a table at some point. That said, it looks quite similar to an original.
5- Needless to say, it does not have the word "copy" imprinted on it anywhere.

Thoughts?

JBK

Without photos it is impossible to tell what it is.

My guess is that it is one of the many copies/replicas that were made over the years.

lcutler

These are definitely one of the most copied coins of all time. They were very common in gift shops in historical sites and museums in the 1960's and 1970's. While yours is almost certainly one of these, pictures are necessary to say for sure.

gumby1234

As other members stated above. Pics needed, but most likely a replica.

ricko

@KevyKevTPA.... Pictures please, or a link to pictures. Without pictures, we can only hypothesize.... Cheers, RickO

jmlanzaf

It's a copy. The vast majority of them don't say "copy".

matt_dac

Copy….

TomB

It's a modern replica. These were sold everywhere there were historical sites or museums throughout much of the 1960s and 1970s. They typically do not have "COPY" anywhere on them and were not really meant to deceive knowledgeable folks. They were often also bundled with replica paper currency or you could buy multiple different colonial era replica coins at one time in a single packet.

dunkleosteus430

Some advice.
Weigh it, see if it weighs the correct amount -- 15-19 grams is correct, if not then it's a replica. Even if it weighs the correct amount, it still might be a replica.
Use a caliper to measure it if you have one. Should be around 38 mm.
If the surfaces have mushy or grainy surfaces, it might be a cast replica.
If you can't find out for sure if or if not it is a replica, try to find a local coin shop and get a free appraisal. If they don't know (coin shops don't always know everything) then consider sending it to a TPG.

KevyKevTPA

Thanks, guys, I'll try to get a few pics to post soon. I doubt it's real, but every once in awhile, you run across one of those stories where someone found say a mint state first issue Babe Ruth card up in their attic that's been sitting in great-grandpas old desk for decades. It would be so nice if I could be one of those stories lol...

Though I'm nowhere near wealthy, I'm not hurting for cash ATM (though if the stock market doesn't turn around, I may be!), so even if real I'd probably keep it for the time being.

JBK

It's fake for sure.....but.....a few years ago someone who carried what he thought was a replica in his wallet found out that it was real.

Oldhoopster

Somebody wins the lotto, just not you and me.

As others have said, incredibly unlikely but post some pics and put it to bed