Pete Smith wrote about a recent sale:
I recently became aware of a sale by Silver City Auctions, March 21, 2018, lot 147. The coin was described as an 1802 half dime in uncertified XF and sold for $2900. There are probably many diagnostics but I noticed the position of the first star near the hair curl. This is a very expensive fake.
Did this slip by the numismatic community unnoticed? Does the auction company frequently offer fake coins? I am not aware of any outrage published in the numismatic press.
Can any JRCS member identify the host coin, or is this a new fabrication? Will there be others out there?
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John Okerson wrote:
I am a collector and pre-1839 coins are of considerable interest because many have character - cuds, cracks and such. I worked on US Silver coins with cuds, cracks and curiosities before 1892 for several years, but there are so many items, it is tough to even collect their pictures, no less the coins themselves. CBRE halves is a 4 year series and even so, has over 30 coins that strike my interest. The 1836 RE and 1838-O are difficult and not likely to be added anytime soon. When I was offered an unattributed 1839-O GR-4, I couldn’t turn it down. Moving forward is not easy – there are a good number of coins available, but most are pretty, but not cracked pieces. Hopefully someone will have some and be willing to sell or at least share a copyright-free picture with me. I have Dick Graham’s book and it shows some of them though often in small size. I like pictures of 2 to 5 MB in size and high resolution. My plan includes reviewing Jules Reiver’s Variety Identification Manual for this series. As of now, I haven’t checked my Breen Encyclopedia for what tidbits may be hidden there.
Please feel free to contact me at johnokerson(at)gmail.com or leave me a phone message at 901-338-8999.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
John Okerson
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