Here's the quandry - if it's real it's worth tens of thousands of $, if it's a restrike it's worth maybe $20. The normal advice used to be take it to a dealer, but sadly all of the "coin dealers" in this part of the world know nothing about numismatics, they are just interested in buying scrap silver and gold. Even travelling further away to find a coin dealer who knows something about coins other than their melt value (I despise that term - what kind of collector views his coins as something worthy only of being melted down to make cell phone batteries?) won't work. Even legitimate coin dealers have most likely never held a genuine Continental Dollar. The only real option is to send it off to NGC or PCGS and have it certified.
OK, now to the point. Coin dealers throughout the country have abandoned their established customer base to cater to the current precious metal craze. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have heard collectors complaining that the dusty old B&M coin shop which they have patronised for years is now filled with customers chanting the "Is it silver? Got any Silver?" mantra. The proprietor no longer has time to waste on people buying coins with a view to cherishing them and painstakingly building up a collection over many years when there is a line of people holding wads of cash to buy Kim Kardashian wedding "coins". THESE PEOPLE NEED TO GTFO OF MY HOBBY!
I hope these businesses are making a healthy profit because once the PM fad passes and the inflated prices tank, the people who are going to get badly stung by their "investments" in junk commemoratives will be moving back to buying penny shares or flipping real estate (flipping burgers maybe if they got really screwed). The coin shop owners will look around for their old customers and find that they no longer have any. Like a jilted bride we've moved on. Collectors have found new ways to fill their albums while the coin dealers were dallying with the "Is it SILVER????" crowd. eBay and other auction sites, coin clubs, fleamarkets, websites like Numista have all stepped up to fill the void allowing collectors to trade directly with their peers and having by virtue of neccessity cut out the middleman we ain't going back again. We've found a better way to do things, it's cheaper, it's easier, more satisfying and you get to meet a great group of people.
Oh, the Continental Dollar? It's a restrike, no doubt about it. All known examples are accounted for and while there is a very, very remote chance that it could be a previously unknown example (the composition and lettering are correct) doesn't it illustrate the situation perfectly? I can't find a "coin dealer" within a 200 mile radius who would be capable of, or interested in, appraising one of the most sought after coins in the world, yet if I had a worn out 1964 quarter I would be welcomed with open arms!
