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Wilkinson 1790 Iron Master half penny

laurentyvanlaurentyvan Posts: 4,243 ✭✭✭
in World & Ancient Coins Forum
I would appreciate value and attribution on this piece. Anyone's expertise or comments are welcome!

I purchased it quite by accident with a group of world coins a few months ago.

image

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One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics
is that you end up being governed by inferiors. – Plato

Comments

  • WritersblockWritersblock Posts: 1,196 ✭
    Modern counterfeit made some time in the 1950's. Very common. I see a lot of these sold as the real thing. I hate to say it but yours is actually in worse shape than most of them I see.

    Value, Maybe five to ten dollars or so as a novelty.
  • lordmarcovanlordmarcovan Posts: 43,658 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Huh.

    It might've fooled me.

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  • laurentyvanlaurentyvan Posts: 4,243 ✭✭✭
    It might've fooled me.

    Well, with the evident wear it fooled me and maybe a few others. I was even entranced with what looked like luster around a few of the devices-should've been my first clue I guess: not going to find that with a 217 year old coin without plenty of others becoming aware of it first..

    Now that I think back, this piece was presented to me in a very off-hand manner; almost: here, look, but never mind. I paid $6.50 so I guess I'm all right.

    Ahem, look for an upcoming giveaway...image
    One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics
    is that you end up being governed by inferiors. – Plato
  • TegTeg Posts: 135


    << <i>Modern counterfeit made some time in the 1950's. Very common. I see a lot of these sold as the real thing. I hate to say it but yours is actually in worse shape than most of them I see.

    Value, Maybe five to ten dollars or so as a novelty. >>



    Hi,
    I am sure you are right about it being a counterfeit. How do you tell it's modern rather than contemporary?
    Why did someone in the 1950s make such a poor copy of a common cheap token?

    Laurentyvan, does it have an edge reading?

    Teg
  • laurentyvanlaurentyvan Posts: 4,243 ✭✭✭
    Laurentyvan, does it have an edge reading?

    Plain edge.
    One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics
    is that you end up being governed by inferiors. – Plato
  • WritersblockWritersblock Posts: 1,196 ✭


    << <i>I am sure you are right about it being a counterfeit. How do you tell it's modern rather than contemporary? >>


    Two ways, one it has the same physical appearance of a group of tokens that was struck in the 1950 or early 60's. If you see it in hand it has an oddity to how it is struck. The edge is plain and where the edge meets the reverse rim it is sharp and squared off. But on the obverse the fields just flows into the edge with a rounded curve where the rim becomes the edge. It's almost like they were struck on a sheet and then the coin was punched from the strip with the same blow somehow. Basically, materially it is totally unlike any of the tokens or coins made during the late 18th century.

    The second way is that these have been known for some time and they started showing up in the 50's.



    << <i>Why did someone in the 1950s make such a poor copy of a common cheap token? >>


    I have no idea who made them or why they did so. Possibly as a souvenir at a historical site in England?

    One final thought, these appear to be a bronze alloy not pure copper like the contemporary pieces. From the color of some I've seen I'm thinking 85 - 90% copper and the balance tin. I haven't run any specific gravity tests on them though.
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