Vintage counterfeit coin detector
dcarr
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I've seen several different vintage counterfeit coin detectors in various configurations. Most seem to be for gold coins and silver dollars.
I had not seen one like this before, so I bought when I saw it at the recent Colorado Springs coin show. It is interesting to me because it is for silver dimes, quarters, and half dollars (unusual because of that), and it is also in the general size and shape of a silver dollar (made of brass).
The front has inscribed circles for comparing the diameters of sample coins to the genuine standard:
The three slots are for measuring the thickness of sample coins.
It took me little while to figure out what the three cut-out triangles were for.
They are used for weight testing.
This picture shows a test on a vintage counterfeit (cast lead) 1877-S half dollar (note: out of balance):
This picture shows a test on a genuine silver half dollar (note: balanced):
Comments
Interesting, nice find !!!
Ingenius! Peace Roy
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That is an interesting piece. Very clever
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Thanks for sharing. Very cool.
Sweet! Fascinating lil guy there!
Well isn't that clever. I would not have guessed what it was for if I saw one....Thanks for showing us Dan....Cheers, RickO
Very very cool. I want one ..........
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Nice...I never knew that stuff like that was ever made.
Excellent stuff, bet those would sell.
That is a very useful tool~
Counterfeit coin detection devices appeared mostly after the Civil War and were typically made of brass. Most were rocker designs. The piece depicted was manufactured by J. W Sutton to whom a US patent was granted in 1877. This one was issued in nickel-plated brass, and likely was designed for use with a pen knife or piece of string. George Mallis wrote a couple of articles for The Numismatist in 1974 and 1980 on these kinds of devices. Eric Newman and George Mallis later wrote a book that is a good reference: 'U. S. Coin Scales and Mechanical Counterfeit Detectors'.
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That's a very nice find, something seems odd though. If the counterfeit (cast lead) coin weighed too much, shouldn't the scale go the other way?
Never saw that type before.
Thanks for showing that. Interesting find.
The counterfeit coin may be pewter or some other pot metal that weighs less than a real coin.
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"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
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Cool find Dan!! Where did you find the instructions on how to use it? ha.
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Way nice! Thanks for sharing .
That is way cool!
rainbowroosie April 1, 2003
Go to eBay and do a search for "counterfeit coin detector" and you'll frequently find them. There were literally dozens of different styles and designs made for use by bankers and merchants.
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
Cool
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Never seen that either one Dan. PLEASE let me know if you ever find out when that was made and I would be happy to add it to my list of counterfeit detectors and associated patents (which goes beyond the Newman and Mallis book). I would guess this is some sort of turn of the century, if not as late as a 1930s style of detector given its art deco design.
This detector is in the US Patent and Trademark database, available online. Patent number 188,982, dated 27 March 1877. It is not a 20th-century design.
RMR: 'Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich denn aus der Engel Ordnungen?'
CJ: 'No one!' [Ain't no angels in the coin biz]
Cool piece, thanks for sharing.
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Yes, the counterfeit that I tested with is lighter than a genuine coin (9.1 grams).
It is probably lead pewter, but it has a significant quantity of lighter metals (tin, zinc) in the mix.
The genuine test coin is 12.5 grams.
Thanks - I actually had an error in my database and had number '188,892' instead of '982'; this was either a typo on my part or was in Newman-Mallis (I don't have the book anymore to double check).
Excellent, thanks for the information.
Wow, that is ingenious for sure. I had never seen anything like that before. A really well thought out counterfeit detection device.
Thanks for sharing it.
Donato
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