Bizarre Seated Half found in a junk bag; The big Kahuna 53-O no arrows (but is it?)
opportunity
Posts: 1,064 ✭✭✭✭
You know at shows how some dealers will have those little ziplock baggies with various type of culls in them. $10 pick your own or $8 each if you buy them all. That sort of thing? Well I found this in one of those bags, and obviously for $10 couldn't pass it by.
There is just no way it's the real deal, but I was hoping maybe it was some sort of contemporary counterfeit. Worst case some sort of clever alteration and I'm out 10 bucks minus the silver 
Early American Copper, Bust and Seated.
0
Comments
First, take a specific gravity test to see if it is silver. If it is, you can check the mint mark location from the Internet. If that checks out, let a TPGS do the rest of the work for you.
The shield on the eagle's breast just doesn't look right....I'm leaning toward counterfeit. But don't bet any money on MY opinion.
The "3" on your coin doesn't match the "3" on the genuine 1853-O No Arrows half dollar.
The "5", although unclear, doesn't look like it matches either.
Hope this helps.
An authorized PCGS dealer, and a contributor to the Red Book.
Can you post a picture of your rich and show him what you mean ?
11.5$ Southern Dollars, The little “Big Easy” set
Here is a pic of the VF-35 1853-O No Arrows half dollar:
An authorized PCGS dealer, and a contributor to the Red Book.
Very nice, want to trade? I guess that begs the question...contemporary counterfeit or altered 58-O? Looks sort of like it was dug or something?
Early American Copper, Bust and Seated.
Sold at ANA 2016 auction.
An authorized PCGS dealer, and a contributor to the Red Book.
The Op's coin is counterfeit, IMHO. The eagle appears to be incuse/sunken.
The eagle is raised.
Again, a weight and specific gravity test would end the speculation. It is probably not silver.
I don't have a way to measure either of those at the moment. If it is contemporary, what's it worth?
Early American Copper, Bust and Seated.
Here's a hastily constructed photo array with a VG-8 No Arrows photo from PCGS CoinFacts, your coin, and 1858-O from CoinFacts.
Your 3 doesn't look much like an altered 8. It looks a lot like the genuine 3.
A better photo of your coin might help.
Rich's coin has a slant 5 and the OP's coin appears to have a vertical 5.
good catch
BHNC #203
Good thread.... coin detectives at work....I enjoy these threads where an issue is dissected with photo's and commentary... always learn something...Cheers, RickO
I would suspect a old but maybe not contemporary counterfeit that was purposefully beat up.
Correct.
It has to either be an altered 58-O or a counterfeit. I'm leaning toward the latter.
How about a counterfeit based on a 58-O, then altered to 53-O....then beaten to within an inch of it's life.
It looks like the coin was in a fire and fused to another or to the bottom of a metal box or safe.
It was tapped on the obverse about 30 times with a blunt object to try to loosen it, two times with quite a bit of force. When this failed, it was pried free leaving seven marks on the reverse.
The bubbling/blistering could be from a fire.
Does it ring like a silver coin when placed on your fingertip and tapped with another coin?