Mini coin?

[Wetgreenie]

What are the Mini coins all about? do they have any value?
you'll notice it among the others as being the smaller gold 1915 $5.

None were found detecting.
I don't know a lot about them and hope to get a coin book soon. Helloooo hear that Santa!
Let me know if you see anything particularly interesting here.

56D Wheat 54D Wheat
57D Wheat 1915 $5 Indian Mini
59 Half 41 Merc
44 half 1895 cent
43 half 43 wheat

1968 Mint set.

 

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[idahotokens]

I suppose there are some people who collect the "mini coins", but I have never heard of any active interest in them. ?They can usually be found for sale in novelty shops, sometimes called "inflation coins" refering to the fact that with inflation, money is worth less (buys less) than it used to. ?When inflation was high, these were more widely seen. ?Of course they have no official status and are of variable quality. ?I'm attaching a picture I snagged from the current eBay auction 8353711954.
John in ID

 

[jeff of pa]

WHY are you calling it a "MINI COIN" ?

did someone tell you it's FAKE ?

IF REAL it's The right Size.

a 1915 GOLD INDIAN in VERY FINE is woRTH $200.00.
? ? ? ? Does it have a MINT MARK ?

IF it has an S it's worth $240.00

 

[Wetgreenie]

the reason I call it a Mini is that the Packet that it came in called it a 8K gold 1915 $5 Indian Miniature, plus it cost me $8 back somewhere 79-82ish at a coin shop. so I only assume it's some kind of reproduction as I have never seen a "real" one.
anytime I looked in a book I found no reference to the diameter of thickness it should be.
This coin is very thin. and doesn't seem to have a finished/grooved edge.
I'll look for more markings just in case though.

I found this pic on Ebay thinking these may be the same thing but mine does not look as cheap as these.

 

[jeff of pa]

OK, Now I Understand.

Repro.

Maby I'm Wrong about that Being the Same Size Also then.

Thanks.

 

[Wetgreenie]

* Dang * Ya had me dreaming there for a bit.....

 

[idahotokens]

Ahh - now I understand too! There was quite a shortage of small coinage in California after the gold rush and private mints made dollar, half, and quarter dollar gold coins that circulated. It was not long before counterfeits were made that looked about as good as the gold ones. The only way to tell for sure was to weigh them. Later, souvenirs were made as replicas of the gold pieces. There are 800 some varieties of brass or plated pieces along with the real ones. The whole series is called "California Fractional Gold" and there is a book on the subject. Lots of these show up on eBay. "Let the Buyer Beware"... John in ID

 

[Wetgreenie]

I don't see them as something I really want to collect but have always been curious.
Basically I bought this coin when I was a kid, I mostly just wanted something gold.


Sounds like Satan Claus might be cool with setting me up with a Coin Book.
Are they all pretty good or might I be better off asking for a specific one?

 

[idahotokens]

The first coin book on everyone's shelf should be a reasonably new edition of "A Guide Book of United States Coins" by R. S. Yeoman and published by the Whitman Coin Products division of Western Publishing Co. in Racine, WI. Commonly called the Red Book, it has been updated annually snce 1947. It is now available in soft cover as well as the traditional hard cover versions. Besides a wealth of historical information, it illustrates most of the varieties of U. S. coins, has an overview of grading, lists the mintage of each date and mintmark, and gives values for each in a range of conditions. The valuations are explained to be what you would expect to pay for the coins at a dealership, so don't expect to be able to sell for that amount. The Red Book can be found at most larger bookstores and from a variety of online sources. At under $15 it is well worth the price. John in ID

 

[MUD(S.W.A.T)]

I have a real one, they are called Gold Eagles. The large ones are double eagles, the smaller ones are quarter eagles. I have a 1912 quarter eagle I think... Hold on let me get my Red Book. Ummmm here it is, yea I have a quarter eagle $2.50 coin. Next is Half Eagles $5.00 coins, then eagles $10.00 coins, and then double eagles are a $20.00 coin. I paid $185.00 for my quarter eagle it is in AU condition. You could have the real thing it is still possible.

Keep @ it and HH!!