All That Glitters...

It amazes me sometimes what some companies do, and mystifies me as to whether they are really trying to create something of value or hoodwink people. While cleaning out my parents' house, I came across something odd that I had never seen before. It looks like an Eisenhower dollar coin, but has a golden finish to it.

BACKSTORY: In 1976, the US celebrated its Bicentennial (200th Anniversary) of the founding of the country. For that occasion, the US Mint issued quarters, half-dollars, and dollar coins. The dollar coin had the image of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the dates "1776–1976" on the obverse. The reverse featured the Liberty Bell and the full disk of the Moon, rather than an eagle landing on a closeup of the Moon as in non-Bicentennial issues. A few silver-clad coins were struck for collectors, but the coins destined for circulation were struck on planchets made of copper–nickel and have a nickel-colored appearance.

And now on to what I found...

In 1985, some private company — we do not know who, as they did not identify themselves — took some of those Bicentennial-issue Eisenhower dollars and struck them again, adding 5 stars in front of Eisenhower's face and "1945–1985" behind his head as a 40th-anniversary commemorative of the end of World War II. The coin was plated in 24KT gold, according to the card enclosed.

HOWEVER... The company did not do a very good job of the plating, in my non-expert opinion, as the coin has been in a plastic case for years, not being handled, and the gold (if that is truly what it is) is disappearing from the back (yet no flakes of gold are in the box). It was, obviously, a very thin layer that was added.

The front of the coin doesn't look too bad (although the re-strikes are not great), but the back is certainly rather dismal looking, at least to me. (Maybe I am being too picky...?)

Oh, and a search on the Internet revealed nothing of what company might have produced this plated, re-struck coin, nor what is value might be.

I have no idea where my parents obtained this piece, or when, or why. But, I shudder to think that they might have paid USD $30 or $40 for it because they thought they were "investing" in a good-quality "24KT GOLD COVERED" coin. Of course, it might have been given to them by some company as a "free gift" for renewing a magazine subscription or joining some mail-order service... who knows...? Either of these scenarios is a very distinct possibility — my mother has reached for the phone after many a fast-talking TV commercial urged her to "Call now!"  and mailed many a card with "Return Postage Paid" to claim some "free gift" with strings attached. 😬

My cautionary tale here is to beware of what is for sale out there, not just on the Internet but in shops as well, and if something sounds too-good-to-be-true, it probably is, or at least might be. And this might have been a well-intended offering by some company, yet with that company choosing not to identify themselves on the enclosed card, one has to wonder...

I am not really interested in keeping this item, so I might offer it to my brother. If he's not interested, it might very well be up-for-grabs if anyone here wants it for 5–6 Steem shipping costs. Anyone interested? If so, DM me on Discord.