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 Replies: 13 / Views: 2,256 |
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New Member
France
4 Posts |
Hello everybody, I'm David from France, I'm searching for advices about US coins I bought last year, nobody seems to be able to help me here, far away from big cities... My cell phone = 3.2mpx = not good photos !   I have shown them to a gold buyer and he tells me it is gold, after acid test @22k with heavy friction on touchstone. As you can see, the coins are in bad shape, so we tested the worst one ! The ebay seller who sold them told me that they were from a wrist bracelet. The LIBERTY letters are very difficult to see, even with a magnifier. The big problem is the weight : 1.36g for each coin I own although they should weigh 1.7g Size is good : 14.3mm I doubt intense wearing can make 10% disappear. So... if anyone could tell me what you think about my coins, I'd be very pleased ! Obvious fake ? Gold plated ? I could borrow a better camera with macro mode, I think. Thanks to everyone for answers. ( I hope my english is not too bad !) Edited by porcoleader
11/10/2014 4:49 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4409 Posts |
 to the CCF. Let's see what the more experienced members have to say. Your English is fine porcoleader. -MV |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5854 Posts |
I don't think it's genuine. The details especially on the reverse are too mushy and kind of looks like it may have been cast.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4416 Posts |
Welcome, porcoleader. Close-up pics would be needed to better address the quention of authenticity. There are many gold counterfeits out there ...
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4692 Posts |
Too light to be authentic. Many of these have been faked over many decades. Unless in a TPG holder, I assume all 19th century US gold is fake. Edited by jimbucks
11/10/2014 10:38 pm
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New Member
 France
4 Posts |
Thank you for your answers. I've frictionned one on my touchstone, and drowned the result with acid, but it's really hard to clean on the touchstone, like my genuine gold coins. Would "cast and plated" fake coins react like that ? I've never seen one ( but maybe these! ) to compare with. Should I destroy one with DIY tools and see what's inside ? Should I send one by mail to a real professionnal coin collector ?  I could borrow a good camera next saturday, which part should I photograph for you to have a better idea of those coins ? Another good point to the "cast theory" : I can't understand why someone would ruin such rare coins to make a wrist bracelet ! Although I have seen cufflinks made of full gold sovereigns... Thank you again for your answers. Edited by porcoleader
11/11/2014 03:25 am
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Valued Member
United States
383 Posts |
I agree w/Doubl3Eagle - the reverse strike is the biggest red flag for me. The 1878-1889 $1 gold coins are the best struck years of the entire series - all mints throughout the series included.
ET
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New Member
France
4 Posts |
Hello again, I come back with 4 new photos with better quality.     So, IF these coins really have been used as wrist bracelet for several years by someone who didn't know their value, would they look like this ? And why, oh why, don't they fail acid test ? Is it possible to create false coins with real gold ? I know I should better show them to a real coin collector, but I live far from everything... in December, 2013, I leave a gold watch from the middle of the 19th century with a broken mechanism to a repairer, and I'm still waiting for the job to be done... Thank you again for your answers, and please tell me if it's just impossible to be sure of anything with photos ! David |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
3049 Posts |
Learn how to do a specific gravity test.. that will let you know the gold content...
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Pillar of the Community
United States
8137 Posts |
Your pics are pretty small, but it does look like a fake to me.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10982 Posts |
Quote:
The big problem is the weight : 1.36g for each coin I own although they should weigh 1.7g There is no chance they are genuine if they weigh 1.36g. That is 20% underweight and far outside of any tolerance regardless of wear. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1748 Posts |
Definitely fake coins, but could very possibly be real gold. So they may be worth a little money. Definitely easier to make fake coins out of gold, as it is so malleable.
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New Member
France
4 Posts |
Thank you all for your answers, I'll try gravity test when I have some time.
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Valued Member
United States
383 Posts |
Thanks for the better pic of the '83. My opinion is that it's definitely a fake. Wrong font and date logo-type. Fake U.S. Gold was counterfeited extensively in the Middle East in the 1960/1970's. Most were made to weight, some were not, with real gold to fool collectors who were paying premiums for collectible coins.
ET
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Replies: 13 / Views: 2,256 |
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Posted 11/10/2014 7:48 pm
