Is this 1913 $2.50 Gold Indian Head fake?
RedstoneCoins
Posts: 217 ✭✭✭
Opinions wanted. Not claiming it is or isn't. Basically just running a poll here.
Is this 1913 $2.50 Gold Indian Head fake?
This is a private poll: no-one will see what you voted for.
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Comments
It appears real but has lived a hard life. This design type does not have a raised rims so the fields are unprotected and are easily worn and receive fine scratches.
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
Thanks for the votes, guys. My curiosity is mainly about the bumps inside the incuse relief. And the possibility of tool marks around the eyes. Are those striations normal on the obverse?
That one has led a tough life. Appears OK. Many fakes will have tooling in the recessed part of the back of the neck. Not sure what those are near the eye based on the amount of scratches across the entire coin. Those lines are not a marker of counterfeit to my knowledge.
Weight and content good? It's just couple bucks over bullion to me in it's condition if it checks out.
Mark
Not super experienced with coins (and indian 2.5/5s are hard to grade) but it looks suspect for sure. I voted fake, the stuff with the hairband is sus
I don't like it. I voted fake. The wear pattern and details don't seem right to me, You can sometimes tell by the bumps on the in protected area of the Indian's neck. This doesn't seem to have that problem, but the whole coin still looks wrong.
If it's made of gold, in that condition, it does not matter than much. The value is pretty close to melt if it is real.
There appears to be tooling near the eye which leads me to believe it's a counterfeit.
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
The gold content is probably ok.
Genuine or not, it appears to be ex-jewelry.
So either way, it is valued as gold only.
From the pictures, I would be inclined to call it a 1960s Middle-East production.
Weighs 4.12 grams and comes up as genuine Gold on the Sigma Metalytics. So I don't question the Gold content. But the bumps apparent inside of the incuse relief are not present on a single known authentic example that I can find graded by NGC or PCGS.
You all have me concerned now. I have a 1925 D $2.5, NGC slabbed, that has tooling marks all over the obverse and the reverse.
Tonedeaf is a nickname given to me in reference to my guitar playing ability.
What you are calling tool marks is probably die polish. NGC does a very good job detecting counterfeits.
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
Yes, I need someone to talk me down! lol The NGC website states that a good marker of a counterfeit is tooling marks around the fields. That caused me to be concerned. Thanks for the comment @PerryHall.
Tonedeaf is a nickname given to me in reference to my guitar playing ability.