COUNTERFEIT OR WHAT BUST HALF ?

GOLDSAINT · December 6, 2003 1:27AM

O.K. my friends what do you think about this bust? It is ate up but the die breaks are not in Overton.
anyone have in ideas. Is this a counterfeit? Pics below. One of you experts please post the pics.

Veep · December 6, 2003 1:42AM

The images aren't super clear, but my first reaction was that it looks like a rough cast copy. The rough surfaces, lack of detail and stray blobs of metal are indications of a coin that has been cast instead of die struck. If you have the coin in your possession, you might carefully check around the rim for evidence of a seam or tooling to remove a seam. My second reaction was that the coin has unnatural color (might indicate an off-metal). A scale and/or specific gravity test could help determine that.

GOLDSAINT · December 6, 2003 2:19AM

Veep
There does seem to be lettering on the edge and no cast marks. There is a single leaf under one wing.
Sorry about the scan, there is so many cracks and bumps it just does not scan well, thnks for your help!

grip · December 6, 2003 2:26AM

Weigh the coin,as Veep suggested.

Rittenhouse · December 6, 2003 2:26AM

Either one of the nastiest corroded & scrubbed coins I've ever seen OR equally nasty cast countrfeit. My guess: #2.

Baley · December 6, 2003 2:32AM

ditto what Rittenhouse said. That "coin" is pretty ugly.

I much prefer ones that look like this:

also, here's a dipped "white" O-107, with heavy clash marks:

(no, I didn't dip her, but she is rehabilitating herself for a decade or 2 in my album!)

Newmismatist · December 6, 2003 2:42AM

cast counterfeit - probably of far eastern origin (maybe china)

nepbrs44 · December 6, 2003 8:21AM

Hard to tell from the scan by my guess would be a nasty cast countrfeit

Conder101 · December 6, 2003 10:50PM

Weight will probably be the key factor but I also think probably a cast fake. The "Bogus Busties" book does list a crude cast counterfeit of O-103 for this date.

Dollars · December 6, 2003 11:24PM

My understanding, and please correct me as all I have is what I have heard, is that some of the "fakes" are worth more that the real deal. Is this correct.

BillJones · December 7, 2003 12:22AM

The thing looks like a cast counterfiet to me, and a pretty crude one at that. If it is real it spent a lot of time in an acid bath. Primitive as it was, the first mint issued better looking coins than that on a very consistent basis.

Conder101 · December 7, 2003 1:17AM

Depending on grade, yes. A circulated comtemporary fake bust half can sell for more than a genuine piece in roughly the same grade.

MacCoin · December 7, 2003 1:22AM

<< <i>COUNTERFEIT OR WHAT BUST HALF >>

what ever it aint a keeper

BillJones · December 7, 2003 1:34AM

<< <i>Depending on grade, yes. A circulated comtemporary fake bust half can sell for more than a genuine piece in roughly the same grade. >>

Yes contemporary counterfiets can be worth as much as the real thing, but given how crude this puppy is, this is not one of them. Usually the execution on a contemporary counterfeit from this era needs to be half way decent to make it worth a decent price. Some of those pieces dated in 1830s that came from Germany might work despite the fact that Ms. liberty had a nose that was as long as Pinochieo.(sp).

Barry · December 7, 2003 1:42AM

Hey Baley, is that first one a copper pattern?

dorkkarl · December 7, 2003 9:27PM

<< <i>My understanding, and please correct me as all I have is what I have heard, is that some of the "fakes" are worth more that the real deal. Is this correct. >>

be careful! a fake bust half is worth more than the real thing if it is a STRUCK counterfeit. cast c/f have very little premium value. i'd put that cast at $10.

K S

GOLDSAINT · December 7, 2003 11:18PM

This truely is an ugly coin! I have a bad habit of buying weird examples of these bust that I cannot find in Overton's book. I need to stop that and save money for all the coins I need to fill holes!

Baley · December 8, 2003 12:20AM

Hey Baley, is that first one a copper pattern?

Naw, Barry, it's a silver coin. that brown stuff is something we ole timers call "toning"

it's a name we gave to "tarnish" to make it sound like a positive thing.

Conder101 · December 8, 2003 2:44AM

<< <i>I have a bad habit of buying weird examples of these bust that I cannot find in Overton's book. I need to stop that and save money for all the coins I need to fill holes! >>

If you are buying STRUCK counterfeits you might try selling them. There are people out there that collect them by die variety.

COUNTERFEIT OR WHAT BUST HALF ?

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