Expert: PAPAJACK - 3/10/2007

Question
Found a gold coin dated 1855. On the reverse is the following: San Francisco, California Fifty. It is about 1 5/8" across. Is this one of the many repros that are out there? Is it Gold or brass? Thanks.

Answer
Hello Scot,    

Without seeing the piece I could not tell you what metal it is made from. There would be a weight difference.
Can you see any lettering on LIBERTY'S headpiece? What does it say? Id the lettering for DOLLARS spelled out or abbreviated?
There are counterfeits of this made. There are also re-strikes for collectors. The restrike has no wear as one clue and the image will look different from the original. The commemorative's design is slightly modified to differentiate it from the 1855 original. The ribbon in the eagle's beak on the reverse contains the inscriptions 'S.S. CENTRAL AMERICA GOLD' and 'C.H.S.' for California Historical Society. There is no inscription on the ribbon in the original design.

If you write back with your general location like the nearest large cities,  some local telephone area codes And some Postal Zip codes as well for your area, I can direct you to an AMERICAN NUMISMATIC ASSOCIATION MEMBER/DEALER near there. They are ethical and trustworthy.

Or there is help at most large coin shows.

I hope this information Helps.

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Thank You and Good Luck

PapaJack