Suspicious 1861 quarter eagle on eBay

tjkillian

This quarter eagle on eBay looks like it has problems. Cast?

Tom

RYK

100% of all our items are estate finds, therefore they are sold as is. Just because we are selling something doesn't mean we are experts.

Yes, and with a disclaimer like that, I know I can buy with confidence.

Blade

Might be fun to have a counterfeit but I wouldn't pay much. Looks like gold, but who knows?

nankraut

YIKES! That is a poorly made, cast counterfeit. Has anybody emailed the seller yet?

K6AZ

100% bogus, and looks plated to me.

Unless you are buying from a dealer you trust, never, ever, buy US gold in anything other than PCGS, NGC, ANACS or ICG holders.

MrEureka

I think it's real but ex Jewelry. I just bid $31.

darktone

I think Andy's right that it's real. Looks like it took a trip through a rock polisher to make it all shiney. mike

291fifth

While I'm no gold expert the coin looks real. However, it was obviously used as a jewelry coin for many years.

MrEureka

I should point out that although I believe that the coin is probably real, there may be no way to PROVE it. All of the diagnostics have probably been destroyed. BTW, that's probably true of more low grade, polished and repaired coins than many of us would like to believe. It's kind of a scary thought..

snapmohr

I think if you just unwrap the gold foil you would find chocolate

snapmohr

BillJones

I think the coin is real, but it has been "sweated." As such, as a common date, it’s worth little more than the value of a lump of gold.

tjkillian

BillJones - "Sweated" - that is a new term for me. What does it mean? I'm looking for genuine, low grade civil war gold with which to play.

Tom

Conder101

Sweated coins which have been placed in a bag or box and shaken for an extended period. The abraision of the coins against each other would grind off tiny flakes or gold dust off of each other thus lightening the coins. Later the dust and flakes would be recovered. It is kind of like clipping but it occurs over the entire surface of the coin and is therefor not readily apparent. It get the name sweating from all the sweating that the person shaking the bag or box is doing because it is hard work. Some enterprising sweaters learned to do it the easy way by puting the coins in a box attached to the wheel of a carriage. As the carriage traveled along the coins were tumbled without any effort exerted by their owner.

BillJones

Yes Condor described the term correctly. After the coins had been tunbled in the bag for while the crooks would cut the bag apart and recover the gold dust from it.

Sometimes coins have been sweated so much that they can't be authenticated. Back in the '80s a dealer showed me a Templeton Reid $5 gold piece that had been worked on so much that the grading services refused to call it one way or the other. Back then if the status of the coin could have established it would have worth $15,000 to $20,000

RiffRaff1967

Sweated coins! Well, there is my "learn something new everyday" for today! Thanks for the detailed description Conder101!

tjkillian

Thanks, I"ve heard of shaking coins like you described, but not heard of it being called "sweating". Thanks

Tom

Baley

As the carriage traveled along the coins were tumbled without any effort exerted by their owner.

but what about the jingling sound?

doesn't it call out to scofflaws, "Steal Me!"