Home U.S. Coin Forum

Questions about Goloid Dollars...

MrEurekaMrEureka Posts: 24,513 ✭✭✭✭✭
Which is rarer: J-1626 (Goloid) or J-1627 (Silver)? How do you know? Which is worth more?

image
Andy Lustig

Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.

Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.

Comments

  • RegulatedRegulated Posts: 2,994 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Sounds like a trick question. If I had to make something up off the top of my head, I would say that the reported rarity for silver examples is WAY off - I would guess that real silver pieces are probably R-7 (as opposed to R-3, which seems to be listed in all the books), while the goloid pieces account for most of the J-1627s. They seem to sell for the same amount, but if I had one that I knew to be 90% silver, I would just put it away and wait for the others to get analyzed.

    What is now proved was once only imagined. - William Blake
  • librtyheadlibrtyhead Posts: 1,116 ✭✭✭
    I LOVE those!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • CladiatorCladiator Posts: 18,306 ✭✭✭✭✭
    what the hell is goloid?
  • mine isn't imaged yet.

    a real neat piece, i have the J-1626 pr 62 ex pittman!
    Nick
  • MrEurekaMrEureka Posts: 24,513 ✭✭✭✭✭
    If I had to make something up off the top of my head, I would say that the reported rarity for silver examples is WAY off - I would guess that real silver pieces are probably R-7 (as opposed to R-3, which seems to be listed in all the books), while the goloid pieces account for most of the J-1627s.

    Why would you guess that the 1627 is rarer? I'd guess just the opposite. But my reasons later.
    Andy Lustig

    Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.

    Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
  • RedneckHBRedneckHB Posts: 19,839 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I used to own this coin. ANR

    For the price realized it really didnt seem like a very rare pattern.
    Excuses are tools of the ignorant

    Knowledge is the enemy of fear

  • RegulatedRegulated Posts: 2,994 ✭✭✭✭✭
    My guess is based upon the fact that other off-metal variants are R7 or higher. Of course, then I would have to assume that they had a fair amount of goloid on hand, because if they ran out, they would probably have cheated and used silver.

    What is now proved was once only imagined. - William Blake
  • MrEurekaMrEureka Posts: 24,513 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I figure that the Goloid specimens are true patterns and the silver pieces were just restrikes made for collectors. I don't expect they were made much later - it might be a matter of only months - but then again the same could be said about the Stella restrikes.
    Andy Lustig

    Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.

    Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
  • RegulatedRegulated Posts: 2,994 ✭✭✭✭✭
    That seems sensible, but most of the 1626/27s are around 216 grains or over. I would guess that the lightweight (215-gr and lower pieces) are silver, while the heavier ones are goloid, with the heaviest pieces struck on blanks intended for J-1754.

    At this point, I am just making things up.

    edited to add: the statutory weight for these was just a hair over 216-grains.

    What is now proved was once only imagined. - William Blake
  • Neat pattern!

    Goloid, huh? At least the reverse explains what it is!!!

    Andy, why are you asking questions when you already know the answers?
  • MrEurekaMrEureka Posts: 24,513 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Andy, why are you asking questions when you already know the answers?

    Just for kicks, although this time I really don't know the answer.
    Andy Lustig

    Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.

    Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
  • It's been a long time since I did any real study on patterns, but is it possible that the silver pieces are not restrikes, but silver pieces struck from the same dies to demonstrate that the Goloid alloy was not practical and could not be told from standard silver? If I remember correctly the mint officiers were vey much against the scheme and found the detailed treatment steps that the developer of the goloid alloy insisted be performed on the planchets in order to give it the distinctive color it was supposed to have. (And the treatments didn't work. The goloid still looked like silver.)
  • JulianJulian Posts: 3,370 ✭✭✭
    I believe that the J-1626 is rarer, for the reason that you stated, Andy. The silver ones (1627) are almost certainly made after the goloid coinage.
    PNG member, numismatic dealer since 1965. Operates a retail store, also has exhibited at over 1000 shows.
    I firmly believe in numismatics as the world's greatest hobby, but recognize that this is a luxury and without collectors, we can all spend/melt our collections/inventories.

    eBaystore

Leave a Comment

BoldItalicStrikethroughOrdered listUnordered list
Emoji
Image
Align leftAlign centerAlign rightToggle HTML viewToggle full pageToggle lights
Drop image/file