What do you think of this half cent?

johnny50 · February 7, 2005 1:55PM

Do you think this "hit" is mint made?

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Sequitur · February 7, 2005 2:27PM

I don't know the seller or the series, but do you think the surfaces -- or even the coin -- are original? And look at some of his other photos. It could be weird photography/scanning, or perhaps something more sinister. I'd get input from some of the experts around here before purchasing.

Sequitur · February 7, 2005 2:40PM

Look at this seller's $1 gold piece pictures. I own a few coins from this series, and I am certain these photos are hiding flaws. I don't know if its photoshopped, overexposed, overscanned, or what, but no $1 AU gold bit looks like this.

Ryana · February 7, 2005 2:43PM

The fields look a bit porous, the luster doesn't look right. I'd say something isn't right.

Elcontador · February 7, 2005 3:08PM

My Rule #1 - if it's raw, I don't buy it.

Why isn't this coin slabbed? Is it because he's an EAC guy? More likely, it's because it it won't slab. That gash in Miss Liberty's cheek IMO is just plain nasty. I don't have a current sheet, but I think it's a $400 to $500 coin in AU 50, and without the gash, it would appear to be a nicer coin than that..

My Rule #2 - I don't have it in front of me, but I'd look at the Breen book about this series re attribution of this coin to see if it's geniune. I'm suspicious (though I'm suspicious of most things), I doubt it. These coins were not struck well, and typically have all sorts of die cracks, letters out of alignment, uneven spacing between the letters, etc., etc.

As a matter of first impression, the words STATES and AMERICA seem to be too far away from the rim.

Sequitur · February 7, 2005 3:35PM

A lot of sage advice in the previous post. I'd listen and avoid throwing your money down the garbage disposal.

Conder101 · February 7, 2005 6:11PM

It's genuine, may have been cleaned at one time, the marks in the field and the one on the cheek look to me to be mint made, not damage. The depression on the cheek is distracting though and will reduce the value. Still overall though I do think it is a desirable coin.

stev32k · February 7, 2005 8:04PM

I would email the seller and ask him if the coin is really that color in hand, and if it has been cleaned. He may have used photoshop to brighten it up so the details can be seen.

Purple73 · February 7, 2005 8:45PM

I dont know much about this series..better to say not at all.. But I do know Frankies and I do know about hits. I would guess that hit is post mint.The coin has wear which means it was used and I would say during its time in circulation it gained that hit. The coin also has old cleaning and has been retoned. Its too old to be that light without cleaning. Copper, I think,would be darker than that. With all of that said.....This coin is suspect. As far as it being a fake or attributing it I don't know.