Contemporary Counterfeit 1844 Liberty Head Half Eagle. Platinum. About Uncirculated.
8.24 grams. This is a particularly well executed, die struck piece with all design elements sharply to fully rendered. Apart from the metallic composition, in fact, the overall appearance is remarkably similar to that of the regular issue United States Mint product that this counterfeit imitates. The bright silver-gray surfaces are quite smooth overall in hand, although there are a few shallow scrapes over and before Liberty's portrait. These may be the result of someone's "testing" of this curious "half eagle." Closer inspection reveals wispy hairlines which, when taken in conjunction with a somewhat glossy texture, point to an old cleaning. While we have handled a number of platinum counterfeits of Spanish colonial gold coins in recent years (some gilt), this is only our second offering for a counterfeit of a United States gold coin in at least a decade. The first was a more crudely executed 1869-S "half eagle" that was marred by several prominent obverse scratches; it realized $660 in our November 2020 Auction. This piece is far finer and should fetch a stronger price. It is an intriguing specimen produced at a time when platinum was less valuable than gold.
Collector envelope included.

Estimate: $3000