German Gold

Hi,

Is this type of coin commonly counterfeited?

If so, what feature on this assumed-authentic ebay example of this CCF thread would be a dead give-away to alert anyone to beware?

I have never acquired one of these type of coins and just want to learn more about it in general.

Thanks,
mdpmedia

The gold melt value of the coin as of the time that I am writing this, is $383.39.

Hi,




From what I can see both of these coins featured side-by-side above are .9 fine and supposedly have an AU grade listed under the same Krauss # 521.

As I previously indicated in this thread my all around expertise with these types of coins is limited.

So I would like to know the answers to the following questions:

a) Why does the square sectional view of the left photo above have a lighter surface on the 1910-J coin initially featured in this thread compared to a similar 1911-A coin on the right which is shown in its entirety in the URL below?:

http://www.coinfactswiki.com/wiki/P...11-A_20_mark

b) What could be the cause of the apparently pocked marked surface on the left 1910-J coin and why did this defect(IMHO) not cause this coin to be graded at a lower level compared to the smoother surfaced, deeper golden-colored 1911-A coin on the right?

c) As a comparison when using US gold coins, the 0.90 fine Au(gold) designation implies a compositional balance of 10% Cu(copper) so

a. Is the 10% non-gold component of these Prussian-German coins also composed of 100% copper? and

b. Is this 10% non-gold component of these Prussian-German coins 'usually' uniformly mixed throughout the coin similar to US gold coins also minted in the early 1900s? and

c. Is it even conceivably possible that this pocked mark surface on the 1910-J coin above is the probable end result of its 10% non-gold compositional portion having accidentally migrated (during an antiquated minting process w/o any consistent QC procedures) to the surfaces of both sides of the coin and then later having reacted to a harsh acid cleansing by someone trying to make the coin look better for resale...? and finally

d. Does any evidence currently exist supporting the supposition that the Hamburg, 'J' mint, at times utilized a different grade of gold compared to the mint at Berlin designated by an 'A'?

Just thinking out loud :)
mdpmedia

I am not terribly familiar with German gold but I will try to answer a) and b). The 1911 you posted is most likely alloyed with copper judging by the wonderfully original orange glow. The 1910 could appear lighter in color due to the photo lighting or it could have been dipped in a commercial cleaner like Jeweluster or E-Z-Est. Dipping will remove the orange toning from the copper, leaving the gold looking bright yellow. I believe that the pockmarked surface is just a photographic artifact/excessive pixelation because I can see the same texture on the 2x2 as well.

Just looks like a crappy scan through a mylar flip.
Check the weight, gold was very strictly regulated and should be +/- 0.05g (to ccount for wear).