Off-center Bar Cent on eBay

jonathanb

I couldn't convince myself that this was legit. Based on the bidding, I guess nobody else could, either.

But I can't convince myself that it isn't legit either.

Does anyone recognize this for sure as a known counterfeit?

eBay listing

ColonialCoinUnion

That seller has a long history of selling copies and restrikes on ebay, always described as "from an old estate", or "not marked copy" or some other vague suggestion that it is genuine, even in cases where the items were obvious copies.

ambro51

The sellers feedback is most interesting. HOW does he get away with all this fakes and copies..right there in the listing heading, no mention of copy etc etc.

A very dangerous seller...

FredWeinberg

It certainly doesn't look
good to me, whatsoever!

keets

aren't there die chip diagnostics in the Bars(though they are probably in the area that is off the planchet)?

LanLord

I don't understand the striking process for these, but why does the unstruck portion (left) have dentils along the rim when the dentils appear to be part of the die as it appears there are some showing up in the field?

Seems like an odd piece to me.

truthteller

Many new kinds of Chinese counterfeits are making it into the US numismatic market. There was an article in Coinworld a year or so ago about Chinese counterfeiters making all sorts of US early coinage errors, such as half cents, large cents, colonials. Most are made in high grade unc, then artificially worn down to an acceptable level to look authentic. I have seen several at major and local coin shows. A dealer got taken on a few early date Mexican Republic off centers. He paid good money for them. This was very recent.



TRUTH

johnny9434

<< <i>I don't understand the striking process for these, but why does the unstruck portion (left) have dentils along the rim when the dentils appear to be part of the die as it appears there are some showing up in the field?

Seems like an odd piece to me. >>

very odd

Timbuk3

Very nice coin !!!
To bad it isn't real.

lordmarcovan

Really cool.

Really scary, too, 'cause I'd have been clueless and probably wouldn't have suspected anything was afoot (aside from the sheer unusual aspect of seeing an error Bar cent... let alone ANY Bar cent, on eBay).

crypto79

Has the look of copper after people try to make it look older then it really is. It reeks of fake age to me but to be fair nothing else jumps out at me as dead wrong

CaptHenway

Looks bad to me.
TD

relicsncoins

One many fake error coins coming out of China. I often see off center flying eagle cents also.

Hussulo

Here's another fake that has been holed to make it appear older and used:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/290620754579?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%3A80%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_nkw%3D290620754579%26_sacat%3D11116%26_odkw%3Dtest%26_osacat%3D11116%26_trksid%3Dp3286.c0.m270.l1313%26_fvi%3D1&_rdc=1

telephoto1

The Asian fakers are cranking out off center examples of a lot of different things...colonials, large cents, dollars, etc. This is just another example, chemically helped to look the part.

Bigrig52

Fake for sure

NewEnglandRarities

As CRO said, this seller is well known for selling error fakes of colonial coins. Some of the die variety collectors have purchased a few of them just as association pieces as the errors are somewhat cool. But, definitely a counterfeit.

seanq

This post reminded me of this auction that I saw over the weekend. This seller claims his bar cent is a known restrike from the 1860s, though if such a thing exists I'm surprised others on the thread haven't mentioned it before. The coin in the linked auction is heavily corroded, so I don't know if you can make out any markers to compare it to the O/C example.


Sean Reynolds

NewEnglandRarities

<< <i>This post reminded me of this auction that I saw over the weekend. This seller claims his bar cent is a known restrike from the 1860s, though if such a thing exists I'm surprised others on the thread haven't mentioned it before. The coin in the linked auction is heavily corroded, so I don't know if you can make out any markers to compare it to the O/C example.


Sean Reynolds >>



Hi Sean,

The piece that you linked is not a John Bolen restrike from the 1860s as he claimed but a recently made museum copy worth only a few dollars. The John Bolen restrikes are rare in themselves, actually in most cases John Bolen restrilkes are rarer than the original coins. The Bolen Fugio's all have very distinctive markers, such as the obverse is always struck off center towards 3 oclock and does not show all the denticles around the obverse. Also, on Bolen restrikes the A of USA passes under the S not above it as your linked coin.