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Coin and Paper Money Collecting/Reproduction Saint Gaudens

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Expert: - 4/13/2009


Question
I have what is obviously a reproduction Saint Gaudens $20 gold coin, but what I don't know is where it came from and how it was stamped, layered, etc.  It is year 1933 and the only stamp it has is on the back side on the bottom, below the "in God We Trust" is COPY # RR1200.  Other than that it is identical to the original coin.  There are no other stamps on the front or side.

Thank you for the help.

Tarry

Answer
Tarry,

There are several private companies out there making these gold plated replicas, like National Collector's Mint, American Historic Society, Gallery Mint, American National Mint, and several other official-sounding fly-by-night organizations that wish to remain anonymous.

Somebody just took a mold of a $20 gold piece, changed the date, and made some dies for stamping out these things.  They are either silver or worthless base metal, electroplated with about 10 cents worth of gold.

Just do a search on eBay for 1933 gold and you'll find dozens of them at any time.


I hope this helps,

Dan

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Dan Moore

Expertise

My strong familiarity with all U.S. Mint coins, extensive reference library, and close relationships with many other dealers allows me to identify just about any coin made in the USA. I receive regular updates to all the current price guides -- both wholesale & retail -- to provide accurate values. So, with a good description or pictures, I should be able to identify and value any U.S. coin you have.

Experience

I've been a coin dealer since the 1980's and a coin collector since the 1960's. I specialize in U.S. Silver Coins and have an active online website -- The Working Man's Rare Coins -- http://www.workingmancoins.com -- offering information and inventory in U.S. coins.

Organizations I belong to :
American Numismatic Association Member #187770
Michigan State Numismatic Society Member #8255
Florida United Numismatics Member #19710
Monroe Coin Club Treasurer
Lincoln Coin Club Board Member
WINS Member #14
CoinMasters Member #1814

Frequently Asked Questions :
I have created a Frequently Asked Questions page on my website, where you may be able to get an immediate answer to your question. You can find the page here :
http://www.workingmancoins.com/FAQ/index.htm


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