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Lowest grade Columbian Exposition half dollar I’ve seen and what is it?
Vetter
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Got this in a small group of coins I picked up not knowing what it was till I took a closer look. It’s the lowest grade Columbian Half I’ve ever seen. Just the outline on the obv is visible and nothing on the rev. Must of been a pocket piece for a long time.
Next up is a cut Franklin half. I only have the piece shown. I figured it was a puzzle but the edges have me scratching my head. Anyone ever seen anything like this?




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Im wondering if the Franklin was used to adjust something like a flange of some type, its a start 🤔
That is the lowest grade Columbian half I have ever seen too.
The Franklin I believe is supposed to be held together with a hidden rubber band around the edge of the three pieces cut. A magic coin or something.
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The Franklin is a very specific item, a folding coin. I was going to predict that there was a groove on the edge before I scrolled down and saw that you had already included pictures.
See for example https://www.jamesriser.com/Magic/GeniiExperiment/Folding/Coin.html
Is there any sign of a date on the Columbian half, 1892 vs. 1893? It would be cool to have the most worn Columbian where you could still make out the date.
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Yes, that piece of Franklin came from a coin that was used for the "half dollar in a milk bottle" trick.
The Frankie looks like it would make an excellent soda or beer can opener.
I have a Wlking lib half with that same cut-out. It's indeed a "folding coin" with a hidden rubber band for magic tricks.
Come on, guys!
Please post "SPOILER ALERT" when posting such as this.