How much is this coin bezel worth?

opportunity

So, I want to rescue the coin from its cage because the coin has sentimental value...but I want to scrap the holder for as much as I can. Strange thing is, I can't find any sort of markings on it. I know little about scrap metal, so I don't want to get taken...can you guys help me out with the best way to "rescue" the coin and to figure out what I'm dealing with on the bezel? The person who had it done claims to have paid a few hundred dollars for it, presumably enough years ago to where PM prices were lower.

edit: maybe I should have posted this in the Precious Metals forum...if that's a problem for the mods, please move it.

jmcu12

weigh the entire thing and then subtract the weight of the coin from it. Then use the difference to determine the scrap value.

As for rescuing the coin; if it were mine I would try to bend the bezel away from coin (gently) until you can liberate the coin effectively without causing more damage.

I have done this before and have been successful. Of course I have also scratched a coin doing this - so there are risks.

opportunity

<< <i>weigh the entire thing and then subtract the weight of the coin from it. Then use the difference to determine the scrap value. >>



Seems logical, but do you suppose I'm dealing with .999 gold? How would I calculate?

bronco2078

Most bezels seem to be 14k that I've seen

jmcu12

The gold type is irrelevant as the weight will be grams to grams. The coin, BTW, is 90% not .999 and the bezel is most likely 14k.

Unknown

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lostincoins

Just go to a pawn shop or jewelry stor and have them test the bezel as that is easiest. You can notch the prongs then bend them back out of the way and not damage the coin.

BStrauss3

I think you have to assume the worst, that the bezel has probably damaged the coin. 14kt is harder than 0.900 fine (and if the bezel is plated it will be harder still) and so the coin will have taken the worst of the rub marks. If it's been shielding the coin from the environment, there will probably be differences in tone.

I would take it to a GOOD jeweler and be positive in your communication that the interest is in the COIN, you are going to scrap the bezel.

numisma

Looks like 14k, but it would be easy to test. Take it to a jeweler and ask them to (please) test it for you, and ask them what they would pay.

It appears to be a custom bezel and probably from the 1920s +/-. It could be marked somewhere. Did you check it with a 15X loupe? Sometimes the mark is worn or in a strange location.

My experience is that if you sell something like that bezel on Ebay and provide the weight and the purity, you will get more than the melt value. The melt value is likely less than $150 if 14K. It would be a shame to melt it, considering that it can be used with another half eagle, and the antique will continue to bring joy to someone else.

opportunity

Well hang on, if the bezel is that magnificent, maybe I will leave it in tact....does it really look that old? I will be the first to admit that I have no taste in jewelry whatsoever. And yes, I have looked around it with a loupe...not sure if it's 15x though.

coindeuce

The bezel would have had the karat fineness marked somewhere on the suspension loops if anywhere. May have been worn illegible from use. There are non-destructive ways to test the bezel composition, including scanning with a hand held mass spectrometer. If the bezel is 14K, expect somewhere in the range of $30/pennyweight. My WAG would be that this bezel would weigh about 5-6 dwt.

numisma

A good jeweler can estimate the age and value. You can tell the jeweler than you want the coin for yourself, but you would sell the bezel as jewelry (not scrap gold). Most coin bezels are the screw-top type, and not very attractive, imho. I would never melt a bezel like the one you own. I would sell it as jewelry. What's the history of the piece?

opportunity

It's just a family heirloom (the coin) that was put into the bezel under mysterious circumstances a number of years ago (less than 10, probably). I do have other heirlooms, though, so if I were to find out it would bring some sort of ridiculous money as-is, I may could deal with the loss, lol.

BillJones

My guess is the sharpness grade of the coin is probably EF so long as the piece has not been polished with jeweler's rouge or some other brightener. The problem is with the prongs on the bezel. If they have left a mark on the piece, you are looking at the a coin that is worth close to melt. Unless there is a screw that is holding the bezel shut, which appears unlikely, removing this thing without damaging the coin further is problematic. Sometimes it's better to leave pieces like this alone and use them for their intended purpose, jewelry.

ms70

Maybe a jeweler would have the touch to remove it without hurting the coin. Since it was put in there only about 10 years ago you might want to see if the jeweler that did the
work is still around.