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How did this happen? Edge photo added

Why isn't it copper?

image

The best I could do:

image

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'Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery'

CU #3245 B.N.A. #428


Don

Comments

  • That is weird, is it possibly on a Lira or 2 Lira planchet?
  • coinkatcoinkat Posts: 22,721 ✭✭✭✭✭
    do you have access to the coin?

    If so, does it have the sound of silver?

    Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.

  • ajaanajaan Posts: 17,071 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Yes, I have the coin right here. I could never do that drop for silver sound. All coins sound the same when I drop them.

    DPOTD-3
    'Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery'

    CU #3245 B.N.A. #428


    Don
  • I just 'flip' it, like doing a coin toss, do the same with a silver coin of similar composition and a copper coin and see if you can hear any similarities. I've been wondering if there is a better way to do the sonic test for expensive coins that we don't want dings in.
    Still thinking of what to put in my signature...


  • << <i>I've been wondering if there is a better way to do the sonic test for expensive coins that we don't want dings in. >>

    Try Tarn-X. image
  • coinkatcoinkat Posts: 22,721 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Do you have a scale? Check the weight

    Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.

  • lordmarcovanlordmarcovan Posts: 43,194 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>I just 'flip' it, like doing a coin toss >>

    Yep. You flip it in the air, allowing your thumbnail to hit it pretty hard as you flip it. (This sounds horrible, but your thumbnail is not gonna hurt the metal of a coin, unless you're Freddy Krueger or somethin'.) If you're worried about missing the catch, you can do the flip while holding the coin over your bed, so it has a soft landing if you miss. In any event, "flipping" it is less likely to damage a coin than dropping it.

    I'm pretty adept at coin-flipping, and can do the "ring test" pretty well without missing the recovery catch.

    Are you sure this piece is all white metal, and not plated? With that degree of circulation, it's obvious it wouldn't have been plated when new, because it would show where the plating had worn off. But could it have reached that degree of circulation and then been plated with something?

    The reason I ask is because it sort of looks like there might be copper peeking along the upper rim, around 1:00-2:00 on the reverse? Or is that just the way the image was cropped?

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  • ajaanajaan Posts: 17,071 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Good eye Rob. It looks like there is a cut on the thirs side of the coin and copper is underneath. I never noticed that before, I just 'rediscovered' the coin recently. I'll see if I can get an image later.

    DPOTD-3
    'Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery'

    CU #3245 B.N.A. #428


    Don
  • ajaanajaan Posts: 17,071 ✭✭✭✭✭
    added new image

    DPOTD-3
    'Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery'

    CU #3245 B.N.A. #428


    Don
  • TwoKopeikiTwoKopeiki Posts: 9,528 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Neat-o counterfeit-o!
  • lordmarcovanlordmarcovan Posts: 43,194 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Hm. Looks like it was plated. After seeing some circulation. Odd. Wonder what the motive was, there?

    Did somebody hope to pass it off as a Victor Emmanuel silver piece of similar design, sort of like the US "racketeer nickel" thing? They'd have to hope their mark wouldn't be able to read the word CENTESIMI if that were the case. And what would they be passing it off as? Was there a what, 1-lire or 2-lire piece of the same approximate diameter, in silver? (I've got a 5-lire and it's a big dollar-sized sucker).

    The next theory would be some kind of jewelry function, but then I'd expect to see a hole or traces of a mount or loop of some kind.

    'Tis an intriguing headscratcher, this one.



    << <i>Neat-o counterfeit-o! >>

    One would think so, if it were a silver-plated copper coin masquerading as a higher denom- if it said LIRE, for example, on the reverse. But it plainly says CENTESIMI. So who'd be bothering to counterfeit a copper coin, then plate it with the wrong colored metal?

    image

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  • SYRACUSIANSYRACUSIAN Posts: 6,445 ✭✭✭✭
    I think that it was plated to be passed as a silver 2 lire. No way to know if the culprit succeded or not, but not every merchant spends time to read the reverse, if the obverse and the diameter look alike... That, or a crazy collector who enjoyed experimenting. image


    Super neat find anyway.
    Dimitri



    myEbay



    DPOTD 3
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