Can anyone help with information?

[wingsandblooms]

I have come across an 1863 coin that looks like a dime. (There is no letter beside the date.) It was given to me 4 or 5 years ago as a dime as part of the change from a store cashier.

But I noticed that something looked like it was wrong with it so I just tossed it into my "collectibles" can.

There is a face or head on one side that looks like a crown or an Indian headdress or something. It does have United States written on it and the date of 1863. These markings are pretty clear even though it could stand to be cleaned a little.

It is the other side which is different. There is nothing on the other side. It is smooth with no markings on it at all.

Is this a real coin that perhaps misprinted? Or could it be a fraudulent duplication of some kind?

How can I find out about this coin? Can anyone help me?

Thanks.
Beth

[wavysteps]

Hi Beth and welcome to the CONECA forum.

From the sounds of it, you may have an Indian Head Penny, although you did fail to mention the color of the metal.

As to the smooth reverse. It was a common practice back then to make "love tokens" from various denominational coins of the U.S.A. What was done was to smooth one side of the coin and then engrave your sweethearts initials on the smooth coin face. The coin was then either holed or a ring attached so that it could be worn as a remembrance.

In your case, this could have been the beginning of such a token, however, that is just a guess. Either way, the smooth reverse was accomplished outside the mint and since it is not engraved, its value is greatly diminished.

BJ Neff

[diamond]

I would agree with BJ. It looks like a dime because the composition of Indian cents in 1863 is copper-nickel, instead of copper with small amounts of tin and zinc.