Athabasca Disctrict Chamber of Commerce dollar - 24k gold?
Pokermandude
Posts: 2,713 ✭✭✭
Anyone ever come across these? The nickel ones are quite common. Came across a couple of the silver ones, but I haven't been able to confirm a gold one. A friend of mine has one he believes to be gold, as well as a silver one. Neither coin/medal is marked, but he has the original boxes that say 24k gold and .999 silver respectively, as well as the original receipts from 1978. The original price on the gold one was $320.
Silver Athabasca dollar on Ebay seller claimed only 300 of the silver ones were minted. Sale price was $80.
If only 300 of the silver version were made, it's certainly possible that the gold one has a minuscule mintage. Even so, I can't imagine they'd bring much of a premium unless one found the perfect collector who really needed it. Given that it doesn't have the weight or fineness marked on the coin and there's no info out there on it, probably even a negative premium?
His pics of the likely gold coin:
Silver Athabasca dollar on Ebay seller claimed only 300 of the silver ones were minted. Sale price was $80.
If only 300 of the silver version were made, it's certainly possible that the gold one has a minuscule mintage. Even so, I can't imagine they'd bring much of a premium unless one found the perfect collector who really needed it. Given that it doesn't have the weight or fineness marked on the coin and there's no info out there on it, probably even a negative premium?
His pics of the likely gold coin:
http://stores.ebay.ca/Mattscoin - Canadian coins, World Coins, Silver, Gold, Coin lots, Modern Mint Products & Collections
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Comments
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
<< <i>Any markings on the edge? Could be gold plated. Without a specific gravity test I wouldn't assume it's gold. >>
No edge markings either.
<< <i>I agree with PerryHall...likely plated with 24K gold.... only testing will tell... Cheers, RickO >>
Gold plated was my first thought. When I get it in hand I will weigh and check out the specs to see if it could possibly be gold. Since the box claims it's 24k it should be pretty apparent by the weight/dimensions that's true or not.
If it's still inconclusive, I do have an acid test kit to use as a last resort. I posted here to hopefully get some more info before I take a chunk off the edge to test it.
<< <i>
<< <i>Any markings on the edge? Could be gold plated. Without a specific gravity test I wouldn't assume it's gold. >>
No edge markings either.
<< <i>I agree with PerryHall...likely plated with 24K gold.... only testing will tell... Cheers, RickO >>
Gold plated was my first thought. When I get it in hand I will weigh and check out the specs to see if it could possibly be gold. Since the box claims it's 24k it should be pretty apparent by the weight/dimensions that's true or not.
If it's still inconclusive, I do have an acid test kit to use as a last resort. I posted here to hopefully get some more info before I take a chunk off the edge to test it. >>
The acid test is a destructive test since you need to knotch the edge with a stone or file to break through any gold plating. It won't matter if you are buying it as scrap gold but a bad idea if you want as a collectable medal in which case a specific gravity test would be preferable. I would just weigh it and compare it to a silver version of the same weight to make sure it's smaller (gold is denser than silver). I would then do a ring terst
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire