Last Buy of 2005, or Have You Ever Seen So Many Chopmarks?

Stork

I got this a couple days before Christmas for a stocking stuffer for myself. I forgot we weren't doing grown-up stockings this year, so I guess I just bought it for fun!




and some close up attempts...







The close ups have the colors the best. A neato coin I found in the local shop I recently discovered close-by (thanks to another local dealer's recommendation).

gxseries

That's not "too" bad I guess, although I have seen one that's totally horrid. Hopefully you got it at near scrap metal bullion value

drjules

Very nice, I have always been a fan of chopmarks. I bet that coin could tell some tales of back yard dens and dodgy deals! I particualrly like the oval chop in the last picture, I haven't seen one of those before

Dr J

farthing

wybrit

<<>>

AuldFartte

That's a neat piece

shirohniichan

Nice chops.

The oval chop over "en" on the reverse is known as an "assayer's chop." Among chopmark collectors it is one of the most popular kind of chops. I've seen them in pairs on coins with no other chops, and they usually have solder on them. This makes me think they are also chops used by jewelers on coins used as decorations (one trade dollar I had looked like it may have been used as a handle on a piece of furniture).

Let me know if you ever want to sell it since I don't have that chop in my collection yet.

1jester

I know Shiroh explained the phenomenon to some extent, but what's with those dudes??? Didn't anybody trust anyone else's chopmark?? I mean, after 50 or 100 tests I'd imagine someone would eventually give the coin the benefit of the doubt.

Or perhaps they just loved to grafitti other people's coins?

gxseries

<< <i>I know Shiroh explained the phenomenon to some extent, but what's with those dudes??? Didn't anybody trust anyone else's chopmark?? I mean, after 50 or 100 tests I'd imagine someone would eventually give the coin the benefit of the doubt.

Or perhaps they just loved to grafitti other people's coins?

>>



If I am not wrong, chopmarks were made if they travelled to some other provinces or other countries, which can happen. Such countermarks on the coins wouldn't necessary guarantee that such coins were indeed genuine and hence, the chopmarks.

I most definately hate too much chopmarks, as it seems the coin is not trusthworthy although that is still an ok coin to me. Perhaps, to deter counterfeit coins in recent years in various countries, I propose the idea of counterstriking to test the genuinity of coins. Afterall, these countermarks were done by merchants or anyone who had such tools could have done it, right?

shirohniichan

<< <i>I know Shiroh explained the phenomenon to some extent, but what's with those dudes??? Didn't anybody trust anyone else's chopmark?? I mean, after 50 or 100 tests I'd imagine someone would eventually give the coin the benefit of the doubt.

Or perhaps they just loved to grafitti other people's coins?

>>



Since counterfeiters added fake chopmarks to their coins to pass them off on unsuspecting people, merchants and banks who tested coins came to only take coins with their own chops on them rather than trusting the chops of others. Sometimes the coin testers must have had too much time on their hands, because I have some coins with multiple imprints of the same chop.

satootoko

Somehow or other, I just can't get interested in chopmarks or chopmarked coins.

I do like the "gin" ("silver") countermark stamped at the Osaka and Tokyo Mints when the silver yen were demonetized in 1897 (only temporarily, as it turned out), on the other hand, perhaps because they don't cover any of the design. This one is the more common Osaka stamp. At Tokyo they put the countermark on the right.

1jester

Shiroh, great point that I'd overlooked! And by the way, that half dollar looks fake from here.

shirohniichan

That scan of the coin really makes it look fake. It looks much better in hand.

oldshep

Zowie!! That is one chopped-up coin - what interesting evidence of the history of that coin.
Shep

Stork

<< <i>Let me know if you ever want to sell it since I don't have that chop in my collection yet. >>


I have yet to really figure out the concept of selling a coin

I was wondering about that particular mark as it's so different from the other ones I've seen. Thanks!