The E-Sylum:  Volume 8, Number 44, October 16, 2005, Article 19

ON FAKE CONFEDERATE ID DISCS

Alan V. Weinberg writes: "The Confederate ID discs with
engravings on them (seated Dollar and seated Half Dollar)
are not even on real coins. Even the "coins" are casts as are
the facsimile engravings on the obverse and reverse. I've
examined close to a dozen of each type. They first appeared
perhaps 10 years ago. One was featured and pictured early
on in one of Joe Levine's Presidential Coin & Antique Co.
auction catalogues - I caught it and Joe withdrew it.

At approximately the same time none other than John J. Ford
called me to inquire about one he'd just received on approval
from a prominent coin dealer. John asked me ( ! ) if it was
genuine. I told him no, they'd been turning up and told him to
use a glass then and there on the phone to examine the "coin"
itself. He did and came back incredulously with "the coin is
a cast!".

[My brief review of Peter Bertram's booklet last week didn't
go into the particulars, but yes, these fakes are all cast. At
first glance they may look like U.S. coins with added engraving,
but they are casts. Not only is the weight wrong, but there are
small differences in size and shape as well. The book lists the
proper dimensions and weight of genuine U.S. coins, along with
the dimensions and weight of many of the known fakes. There
is also a table listing the known examples of ID discs for each
soldier. Unless you're Mr. T, just how many dog tags does one
soldier need, anyway? -Editor]

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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