Coins of the Colonies

fooswolf

Hi, I am evaluating my deceased fathers coin collection for sale after I have graded and determined reasonable prices. I have photos of some coins that I am having difficulty grading. I would also appreciate any information regarding the "Coins of the Colonies, a Fourth of July memento from TIME, The Weekly Newsmagazine".

Also what is the best way to photograph coins? Do you use a flash, or just a well lighted coin because lighting affects color and tone? Obviously the Macro mode is preferred. What about image size for Internet posting?


















Although not a Coin of the Colonies, I included the following image for comments also.



Thanks
Dan

1jester

Welcome, Wolf! None of your pictures are showing for me. You can upload them to the PCGS uploader, with a max of 50kb per image.

fooswolf

Thanks for your response jester. These images are somewhat larger than 50 kb each. I used the "IMG" html tags for the photographs. The images display on my web page, but I did not attach the files. Do I need to attach the images so that you guys can see them. If so I will probably have to reshoot and reedit the images so that they are less than 50 KB each.

Dan

ccrdragon

the images are currently linked off your C: drive, so nobody here on the boards will be able to see them. I recommend using this site to upload the pix:

tiny pic

I have loaded many pix up there and have had no problems accessing them from any place on the web.

coachleonard

Hi Fooswolf
though i haven't seen the pictures, I am guessing your 'Coins Of the Colonies' set consists of modern copies. Generally speaking, genuine colonial coins, due to their scarcity, are sold individually as opposed to being sold in sets. Unless, possibly, this is a very old Time magazine promotion back in the days when such coins COULD be obtained cheap enough to promote them in sets.

fooswolf

Thanks ccdradon, if the pictures show up in my posting it means that I used the www.tinypic.com website correctly.

Leonard, I believe that the coins are authentic, although I’m no expert, because some of them aren’t in the best of condition. I do think that this is an old promotion, but how old I don’t know. Now let's see if I can get the images displayed so you can see them.

Dan

Time Coins of the Colonies


Spanish Milled Dollar Pillar


Pine Tree Shilling


Higley Granby Copper


Virginia Halfpenny


Continental Dollar


Fugio Franklin Cent


Although this coin is not part of the Time promotion, I'm interested in your opinions.
1893 Columbian Exposition

ajaan

The 1893 Columbian half may be authentic, but I don't think the other ones are. If they are, you just became a lot richer.

Aethelred

Dan, Ajaan is correct, none of the colonial coins are real and as such have no value to a coin collector. I see a ton of these in my line of work.

fooswolf

I'm 99% positive that the Columbian is authentic, it did not come with the Coins of the Colonies. I do not know where my dad obtained it though.

Aethelred, you sound pretty sure that they aren't authentic. How can you tell? How can I find out more information from TIME to determine if the coins they sent out were authentic or not? I figured that they probably were authentic just because they look like they have seen circulation. I thought copies would be in much better condition. Also the text in the TIME coin layout does not mention that these coins are copies, however it also does not mention that they are authentic. Do you guys know of any Coin Guys in Lincoln Nebraska who would be able to determine authenticity in person?

Thanks for all of your help guys

Dan

ajaan

The coins sell for thousands of dollars, maybe tens of thousands of dollars, if authentic. It is unlikely Time would be giving away this much.

fooswolf

Thanks guys for ruining my vacation plans, lol.

For now I will assume you are correct ajan, your suppositon about Time literally giving away money does seem a little far fetched.
But I am going to try and find a Coin guy here in Nebraska so he can get a look up close.

Dan

Aethelred

<< <i>Aethelred, you sound pretty sure that they aren't authentic. How can you tell? >>



I am utterly and completely sure that they are not genuine, I would bet my life on it! They are cast copies, I can tell by the soft, fuzzy way they look. I was not talking about the Columbian Half, it is real.

coachleonard

i will say this-- they are awful realistic-looking copies. Much more so than most colonial coin copies I've seen. But I don't say that to raise hopes, because genuine pieces like these range from super scarce to super rare

tbirde56

Perhaps these copies were made prior to the Hobby Protection Act of 1973 which mandated that the word COPY be put onto replicas.

Cladiator

Can you take them out of the holder and see if there is a seam along the edge's of the coins?

1jester

From the scan (and that's nothing to go on), the coins look very real. However, if real, they are worth many tens of thousands of dollars. I'd be willing to bet Aethelred's life that they are fake.

Cladiator

<< <i>I'd be willing to bet Aethelred's life that they are fake. >>

Yeah why not...me too

fooswolf

I don't see any seams on the side of the coins. I am going to take the coins to a local numismatist who is by all references very knowledgeable in the coins of the colonies. I will let you guys know what his conclusion is after examining them.

Dan

skingspan

I have attached below pics of my my pillar dollar (which is real) and my fugio cent (which I assume/hope is real). This should give you something to compare

1jester

I've asked in the US Coin Forum about these coins. There are many experts over there who can help give info on diagnostics of the real McCoys.

Personally, they look like cast copies to me.

fooswolf

And now the results from the numismatics expert I consulted. They are genuine authentic fakes. They might as well be Pamela Anderson's mamalian protuberances.

Because I am a newbee I did not notice the name on the side of most of the coins. The name indented into the side of the coins is "BECKER". The only coin not to have this mark is the Spanish Milled Dollar, but he & I both believe that it is also a copy that was issued in this package. Therefore Aethelred's life is now secure, lol. I'm not sure when this set was issued, probably before 1973, but not to many years before that. Thanks guys for your help.

Dan

Aethelred

<< <i>Therefore Aethelred's life is now secure >>



I'm sure glad to hear this! Sorry that the coins were not real!

newsman

<< <i>

<< <i>Therefore Aethelred's life is now secure >>



I'm sure glad to hear this! >>



We could always have a neck-stretching party anyway.

sumnom

mamalian protuberances

FZ

newsman

<< <i>mamalian protuberances

FZ >>



I think hers are more siliconian.

1jester

Aethelred's dead anyway, so it really makes no difference!!

Aethelred

<< <i>Aethelred's dead anyway, so it really makes no difference!! >>



Yes it does, I don't want my dry, dusty bones damaged.

Gemini

<< <i>And now the results from the numismatics expert I consulted. They are genuine authentic fakes. They might as well be Pamela Anderson's mamalian protuberances.

Because I am a newbee I did not notice the name on the side of most of the coins. The name indented into the side of the coins is "BECKER". The only coin not to have this mark is the Spanish Milled Dollar, but he & I both believe that it is also a copy that was issued in this package. Therefore Aethelred's life is now secure, lol. I'm not sure when this set was issued, probably before 1973, but not to many years before that. Thanks guys for your help.

Dan >>

Gemini

[q)

Because I am a newbee I did not notice the name on the side of most of the coins. The name indented into the side of the coins is "BECKER".

Dan >>



Carl Wilhelm Becker was a counterfeiter who faked some 360 designs. He did most of his work freehand producing dies and did not use casting methods. There is much on him if you do a search.

1jester

In a thread about counterfeit coins on the Liteside, Julian said that counterfeits made by Bolen are valuable. I personally don't know anything about Bolen or the counterfeits he made. I wonder if these fakes made by Becker might also have some kind of collector value? Although it's doubtful.

lordmarcovan

I have heard of Becker copies before.

There is a possibility that, though inauthentic, those pieces are collectible in their own right. It's certainly a handsome display, and they are better-than-average replicas. That Higley copper is pretty convincing.

I'll bet that set would fetch a decent price on eBay, even with the full disclosure that they are copies.

lordmarcovan

I did a search on Carl Wilhelm Becker, as Gemini suggested.

Becker the Counterfeiter (PDF file)

But he was born in 1772!



This article mentions a forger known as Charles "Scratch" Becker, and even includes a small picture of him:



But he looks more late-19th century. Surely not the same fella?



Here's a page on fake ancient coins, with a sample of Becker's work.

Conder101

No, not the same fellow but both men did make fake coins. The early Beckers fakes are highly desired, the latters less so but they are still of some interest. Many people tend to get these two counterfeiters confused. I have seen Charles' fakes being sold as Carl's before.