| Author |
 Replies: 6 / Views: 2,775 |
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
701 Posts |
Hi all, I recently purchased an 1866 gold sovereign in a nice condition. when the coin arrived I did some basic tests/checks and was very happy with it. I decided to take a closer look at it the other day and much to my surprise I started to notice multiple points of interest regarding the letters and numbers, too many which makes me seriously uncomfortable. Here is what I " think " I have found so far, 1, M over N in Britanniarum, on shield side. 2, 1st A in Gratia looks double struck, vics side. 3, Missing tooth on reeding under 6, 6 o'clockish. 4, both of the 6's, especially the 2nd one which looks to be an overstamp.     Surely a " genuine " coin wouldn't have so many points of interest, what do you suggest I do with it apart from getting it tested which I will be doing soon ? All opinions welcome, TIA. |
|
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2661 Posts |
I don't like the discoloration around the lettering and date on the obverse. That alone would make me question this one.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
 United Kingdom
701 Posts |
Hi Tim, the toning doesn't concern me in that regard & it weighs and measures correct.
I can see no reason to consider it " dubious " its just that after spending a couple of hours giving it some serious scrutiny I found some " interesting " details that when added together seem like too many on 1 coin.
I will do my best to get some quality close ups done, could take a couple of days though.
|
|
New Member
United States
24 Posts |
Hi TIA, Just a few probabilities and facts. Could the toning be from too much copper and or other metals in the mix, which should be 11/12 Gold and 1/12 copper, and after toning/oxidation, be removed from most of the coin without adversely effecting the surfaces? Some counterfeit gold coins don't even have any gold in them at all. BUT, the glow and heftiness of real gold coins is not there.
I know that the reverse of coins fair better than of the obverse, however, note the wear of the OBV compared to the contrasting sharp details on the REV, especially of the high points. Better/clearer pictures are needed to ascertain everything concerning the details of her Majesty's coin.
Is there a die number just below the wreath?
Is there an extra line on the lower edge of her ribbon?
Is the reeding sharp and crisp or worn comparatively to the the OBV?
The Chinese are really good at reproducing fakes, but thy don't wear down the reeding to match the rest of the coin.
Also what does she weigh and what are her measurements? (Might wanna take her out on a date! LOL!!)
They should be :
Weight: 7.988052 g
Thickness: 1.52 mm
Diameter: 22.05 mm.
A bit of other details:
Fineness: 22 carat = 916â."
Gold Content: 7.322381 g =0.235420 troy ounces/113.0016 grains.
Fakes are normally underweight or have incorrect size or thicknesses.
Counterfeiters try to wet the appetite of a buyer by adding features of a rare type. Looks like this counterfeiter got carried away. (If in fact it is counterfeit)
Keep us posted.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
701 Posts |
Hi Hummingbird
The coin is fine, has been tested and all is well.
Regarding the anomalies I thought were on the coin, definitely an M over N, the missing denticle appears on most of the die number series excluding 70/71/72/73/74,( I now have others in the series ) forget the double stamp A ( my poor eyesight )The 6 needs closer inspection as there is something unusual about it.
Further research has placed it as possibly a part of the RMS Douro hoard, many of the coins went unsold at the auctions and this is more than likely one of them.
I actually have come to like the toning.
|
|
New Member
United States
24 Posts |
Glad to hear that is genuine.
Yes, I too like the red glow from the copper in the gold coins. However, in my mind, with the red being only around/within the details, should you have it professionally graded, would it come back as "Cleaned"?
Anyhow, congrats on obtaining it. Sunken treasure always piques my interest!
It's impressive that you have others in this series. Again, congrats!!
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
684 Posts |
I don't think the red around the edges is a problem. In most cases it is called "orange peel toning", and this is where it shows up. I have a Mexico 8E with almost the exact color graded AU 55 by PCGS.
|
| |
Replies: 6 / Views: 2,775 |
|
Posted 11/05/2014 8:30 pm
