1905 Halfcrown In hand pix

[Gary D 76]

Having looked in detail at both sides, and at your side-by-sides, I can say that the fake - as a starter, before getting down to specifics - just doesn't "feel" right, mainly with respect to wear patterns and definition.

• the legend on the garter should be the FIRST place to wear, yet there is none whatever

• the rim doesn't look right, I can't say any more than that

• the legend and shield beading look absolutely unworn and yet the crown and fleur de lys look severely flattened

• the Scottish lion looks blurred, more than merely a worn die would

• on the obverse, the wear pattern to the beard compared to the totally unworn legend, just isn't right (those coins don't wear that way)

• essentially, the coin is a patchwork of absolutely unworn features, compared with other features which are flattening more than a little

I suppose it's easy with hindsight - would I be able to tell if you hadn't told us it was a fake? I'm not sure. I can tell you this - on close inspection and comparison it doesn't look or feel right. But at a glance it would certainly pass muster.

I completely agree Peckris. The 'something not right' feeling for me, anyway, is the almost complete lack of marking or texture in the fields, compared to the obvious wear in the design. Presumably, in creating a die from an original coin the design wear would be replicated in a lack of die detail whereas tiny bag or handling marks in the fields would be flattened out. Nevertheless, it's much easier to spot these things with hindsight!

I beleive they were artificiely worn by rubbing across a piece of leather. I tend to wear the high areas leaving the low areas pristene.

[azda 979]

The signature and the colon after GRA are different, your signature seems to be nearly on the neck whereas mine is lower

I think the difference between the A of GRA and the colon dot is that your coin has lost the tip of the serif making the gap appear wider. What we need is someone in the know to come along and point out the differences. I do hope your coin turns out to be genuine all the same.

I think the serif Gary is minimal in relation to how near your colon is to the A, even if the serif on mine was there it still would seem further. What about the signature? Yours seems higher, nearer the bust compared to mine. This is a good and useful thread for anyone considering buying a 1905 HC

Edited March 20, 2011 by azda

[azda 979]

Just had confirmation from chris that the coin is genuine happy bloody days