Not certain because I can't make out the legend on the reverse, but I have seen a few "scalloped" edge Conder tokens like this that were "silver washed" or gilded.
IF it is a little short of 4.1750g, and a shy 22mm, it just possibly might be a damaged 1/2 guinea KM#608, .9170 gold, .1230 oz. AGW, probably scalloped by someone after a few smidgens of gold.
The 1788 is listed in the 18th Century Krause 3rd Ed. at $100 F, $125 VF, $225 XF, and $500 Unc. With that badly abused rim, it's probably not worth much over bullion - in the $50 neighborhood.
Gold coins I see don't normally corrode like that, thus it is not likely that it is gold (unless they were debasing them a lot then). I have some gold ancient coins over 2,000 years old that were dug up that look a lot better than that. In 1788 it was supposed to be .917 pure gold, but to me the amount of corrosion and pitting doesn't seem right, if the copper or silver impurities leached out. The only 1788 dated coins in my Krause book, are gold guineas. On the other hand it could be silver, which if was dug up, as part of a small lost hoard, the rim being eaten away like that along with the other corroded effects would be about right. But I didn't see any silver coins in Krause dated 1788. Then of course like the others noted, someone may have filed off some bits of metal from the rim, then lost the coin, and then it was subsequenctly dug up again. But then the seller stated that it was found outside a old English Castle wall, so it could be very likely a authentic coin. Just heavily corroded. Humm. . . it could be a Chinese copy that was artificially aged in an attempt to make it look authentic. I am inclined to beleive that it is a fake or counterfeit of some sort. If someone can get a fake to pass through several hands including dealers over a number of years, it starts to gain an air of authenticity.
But for $10 it isn't a bad risk to have a grading service authenticate it. That would make it pretty neat and cool then.
kamehameha00
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Tom, formerly in Albuquerque, NM.
The 1788 is listed in the 18th Century Krause 3rd Ed. at $100 F, $125 VF, $225 XF, and $500 Unc. With that badly abused rim, it's probably not worth much over bullion - in the $50 neighborhood.
I have some gold ancient coins over 2,000 years old that were dug up that look a lot better than that.
In 1788 it was supposed to be .917 pure gold, but to me the amount of corrosion and pitting doesn't seem right, if the copper or silver impurities leached out.
The only 1788 dated coins in my Krause book, are gold guineas.
On the other hand it could be silver, which if was dug up, as part of a small lost hoard, the rim being eaten away like that along with
the other corroded effects would be about right. But I didn't see any silver coins in Krause dated 1788.
Then of course like the others noted, someone may have filed off some bits of metal from the rim, then lost the coin, and then it was subsequenctly dug up again.
But then the seller stated that it was found outside a old English Castle wall, so it could be very likely a authentic coin. Just heavily corroded.
Humm. . . it could be a Chinese copy that was artificially aged in an attempt to make it look authentic.
I am inclined to beleive that it is a fake or counterfeit of some sort.
If someone can get a fake to pass through several hands including dealers over a number of years, it starts to gain an air of authenticity.
But for $10 it isn't a bad risk to have a grading service authenticate it.
That would make it pretty neat and cool then.
1788 "coin"