Expert: Dmitry Livshits - 11/15/2009

Question
QUESTION: I bet you are like will this guy get through going through all those coins in the box? LOL  Anyway, I have found out through research all the other coins except this one. I looked up identical coins on Ebay but the writing on the back of the coins were different in the ones on ebay. This one is the size of a penny. Has a man on the obverse facing left. "GEORGIVS V DEI GRA BRITTOMN REX FID:DEF:IND:IMP:" is along the rim of the coin. On the back is a soldier looking right holding the 3 forked thing that I cant believe I cannot remember what it is called in his left hand and a shield with a cross in his right hand. This is where the coin defers from what the other coins had printed on the back. This one says " FARTHING". The date, 1919 is under the mans chair.

What is this coin and how much is it worth? It is in MS 66 condition easily.

And the only other coin I have no idea about may not be a coin. It is dated 1737. It appears to be copper or bronze and has the following written around the outer edges of the coin: " THE VALVS OF THREE PENCE". On the back is what appears to be either 3 pistols or hammers with flowers, hats or crowns above them. The top one looks like a crown. And has the words " CONNE TICVT." THEN THE DATE 1737 with a flower or star to the left of the date.
This coin is in rough shape to say the least and I had to stare through powered lighted magnification lenses to get all the details. Is this perhaps English. Spanish or maybe a colonial type of coin? If it is a coin, what is it worth?
That about does it for the box I bought yesterday. I have spent 2 whole days sorting and catergorizing all these coins. Thanks so much for your time.

ANSWER: Hey Todd,
I certainly do love going through a box of old coins!
I'll give you a quick summary of the farthing, since I really would like to get to the second coin you mention.
The 1919 coin is farthing, as stated, from Great Britain. The farthing denomination is 1/4 of a penny. These coins are fairly common, but an MS66 example would be quite rare. A typical lustrous uncircualted coin of this date brings about $10. However, a coin graded and certified MS66 by one of the three recognized companies (NGC, PCGS, ANACS) can bring as much as $100.
The second coin... if it's genuine you are extremely lucky to have it. This is a Higley (also known as Granby) copper, an early and very very rare American colonial coin.
A genuine coin in very rough condition, such as you describe, starts at a whopping $5,000. Grading on these is quite liberal and what many people consider a G or VG coin often grades in the F-15 to VF-25 range. A VF-25 coin sells for $50,000 to $60,000.
I would strongly suggest having this coin certified by one of the three big grading companies. This process will likely cost you close to $100.
If you wish, I can look at the coin out and give you an opinion of whether it's worth sending in or if it's a novelty replica. The replicas are common.
If you have access to a digital scale, this coin should be right around 130 grains (8.4 grams). You can e-mail me pictures at BetweenEarthnSky@yahoo.com - the more clear and large pictures the better.
Usually the fakes are pretty obvious. If this one is not obvious it can be either the real thing or an antique circulating counterfeit, either of which will be very valuable.
Thanks again for the question! =)

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The image you provided is dead on the money. I was very shocked to read what type of coin this was from your answer. I really thought this was some more junk in this set but really it is all coming out to be quite impressive. I sat a lot of the coins to the side not really to interested in them since the amount of US coinage was really what I was interested in. The foreign coins are turning out to be better than what I thought. I am going to have to really go through all of the coins very carefully when I get time later in the week. I am out of town at the moment and have the coins locked away in my safe. As soon as I get back in I will get a macro lenses shot of the coin and get it to you. It will hard pressed with the right light to get a good photo. I had to look at it real hard through a lighted 30x to get what basically is the images off of the metal. I also have called a local expert to look at the 1739 spanish dollar that I believe is fake along with this one. Thank you again for the surprising information and you now have me wanting to go through every coin now and do some further research. I will let you know.  

Answer
Todd,
I have a feeling this Higley copper may in fact be genuine.
Considering the age of the collection and the extremely rough condition I would be extremely surprised if it turned out to be a novelty piece (old counterfeits are not known). Usually the people creating replicas make it their business to make sure the details are clear. There is little point in making a fake coin in such poor a condition.
My guess is that this coin probably spent a good 200 years in the ground and was eventually dug up. This would cause a lot of pitting on the surface and nearly obliterate the details. Considering this fact, the coin would not fetch the $5,000 of a G grade coin. I still think it may be the most valuable coin in the group though. Even in very poor condition you would easily get a thousand or more for such a rare and desirable coin.
Looking forward to more interesting question, thanks! =)