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Thoughts on this Pine Tree Shilling's authenticity

I started a thread on this coin originally asking about conservation. Some members shared concern regarding authenticity. So I wanted to start a a new thread strictly on that topic. Once again, this was found by a good buddy of mine in grounds surrounded by salt water. I will guarantee he found it, and he has not tried to artifically age it - only clean it.
One concern was the raised oval near the date. I had not seen any with die cracks in my limited exposure, but someone was able to find an image of one that had very similar die cracks (image below).
One concern was that the coin looked thicker than it should. I would assume that's due to the encrustation from being buried for a long time. I found a coin last year - a "cookie coin" - that looked twice as thick as a regular dime. When I broke it open, it was a Merc. I've included pics of that below. So I'd assume that once all the "stuff" was removed, the planchet would be thinner than it appears now.
The brownish coloring he says it due to the particular soil in that area. He said he's found other brown silver coins in the vicinity as well.
My buddy is requesting to be a member here, so he will be able to chime in as soon as he's approved.
Thank you all for any input you have.





My "cookie coin" from salt water.

One concern was the raised oval near the date. I had not seen any with die cracks in my limited exposure, but someone was able to find an image of one that had very similar die cracks (image below).
One concern was that the coin looked thicker than it should. I would assume that's due to the encrustation from being buried for a long time. I found a coin last year - a "cookie coin" - that looked twice as thick as a regular dime. When I broke it open, it was a Merc. I've included pics of that below. So I'd assume that once all the "stuff" was removed, the planchet would be thinner than it appears now.
The brownish coloring he says it due to the particular soil in that area. He said he's found other brown silver coins in the vicinity as well.
My buddy is requesting to be a member here, so he will be able to chime in as soon as he's approved.
Thank you all for any input you have.





My "cookie coin" from salt water.


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JK, I am going to opine "real" but I have little confidence in my assessment.
It could be real.
It could also be fake.
I see nothing in the image that makes me instantly want to condemn it. I will also say that I've seen a lot of salt water coins, and most do not collect that kind of encrustation.
If seeing the coin in person is a possibility, send me a PM. I could probably tell one way or another in 2 minutes with the coin in my hand.
Oh, and tell him no more cleaning.
Betts medals, colonial coins, US Mint medals, foreign coins found in early America, and other numismatic Americana