Posted 08/19/2012 01:31 am
Quote:
...would love to buy a Potosi Cob, unfortunately I know nothing about them...
...would love to buy a Potosi Cob, unfortunately I know nothing about them...
Step back and consider that statement for a minute...
Anyway, this is a new one for the files.... that's undoubtedly a cast copy (of an actual piece). With experience, the overall mushy look of (most) cast cobs such as this becomes obvious. While this does appear to have been cast from a genuine piece, the casting didn't seem to go very well, as there are multiple points on the coin where the devices are blobbish and/or have slight stray appendages... AND there are several spots where detail appears to have been tweaked (reengraved) by hand. It IS curious that the piece is a nice and heavy 27.4g (which is essentially full as-struck weight). As casts tend to have air bubbles within, even if done in silver... their net density is usually lower than a genuine hammered planchet... Now, from the photos, the diameter of the obv/rev looks normal, so I'm guessing the planchet must be somewhat thicker than a genuine specimen.
Regarding the waves, that's simply some slight as-hammered doubling on the model coin being reflected on its cast... note how on the word ANO (year), the "O" is doubled as well.
