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Old 04-14-2024, 06:03 PM
CTDean CTDean is offline
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Maryland
Posts: 136
Default My thoughts

Quote:
Originally Posted by jonathanb View Post
The first three words of US code title 18, section 331 are "Whoever fraudulently alters..."

There is no fraud here.
+1 - No fraud with this coin and the code itself is outdated.

When the code speaks of diminishes, scales, or lightens that relates to the shaving gold or silver off of a coin. This was a problem in the 1800's and into the 1900's. No problem with that now.
The terms fraudulently alters and falsifies would cover things like taking an 1883 V Nickel with no CENTS and giving it a gold wash and then passing it for a $5 gold piece. This was a first year coin so people were easily fooled. They quickly added the word CENTS to the coin.

The line ends with "or any foreign coins which are by law made current or are in actual use or circulation as money within the United States; In 1857 the United States passed a law that no longer allowed foreign gold and silver coins to circulate as currency in the United States. Another law allowed the mintage of the 1857 Flying Eagle Cent which was used to buy up foreign gold and silver coins no longer allowed to circulate.

The missing T on the reverse. The missing T and the problem with the S looks like a "filled die" mint error to me. The die doesn't always fill evenly, and you get marks where an element is missing. If you check eBay there is an 1865 2 cent piece missing the T and S.

I like the engraved 2 cent piece a lot. it looks like 1800's work but would be quite hard to prove. If it was pure fantasy, I think an 1860's date would be added.
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