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Russia 1735.1737 1/2 Kopek Fake Coins?

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Valued Member
Lilly Bird's Avatar
United States
72 Posts
 Posted 07/20/2016  07:16 am Show Profile   Bookmark this topic Add Lilly Bird to your friends list Get a Link to this Message Number of Subscribers
So, I got these and they LOOK fake. On top of that the weights were crazy. Not being a total sleuth like some of you I wanted to ask what you thought. The normal weight should be 8.19 g. One of these is 6.99 and one is 7.67. This seems way off. Am I correct that the weight being this off is enough to call them fake?
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Russia-1735.1737-1/2-Kopek-Fake-Coins?

Russia-1735.1737-1/2-Kopek-Fake-Coins?
Pillar of the Community
UltraRant's Avatar
Norway
1358 Posts
 Posted 07/21/2016  09:30 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add UltraRant to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
I agree with you that it's most likely fakes. Even though these coins were made in a time where modern production techniques didn't exist yet and a bit of weight variety in coins surely can exist, I think that almost 20% is way too much. Apart from the weight, there are a few more things that bother me a bit.

First of all, the letters on the reverse seem to be 'dancing'. A 'normal' Anna has a D that's a bit higher than the E, but all is quite well aligned. That's not the case here. In addition, the numbers seem to be a bit slim. If you look at other samples of the coin, you'll see that the year is actually bit thicker. Also, a different fount seems to be used. Just look at the 1 to see what I mean.


Anyway, this is just my opinion, others might have different thoughts.
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swamperbob's Avatar
United States
5362 Posts
 Posted 07/25/2016  10:02 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add swamperbob to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
I agree the coins are numismatic forgeries. These have been copied in huge numbers and weight is rarely correct. The fonts here are way off and the patina is suspicious.

Check all of the genuine denga and 1/2 denga coins in Heritage auctions and you will not find a match.

You will however find numerous examples of coins with matching fonts on ebay - mostly posted by known sellers of counterfeits from eastern European countries.
Valued Member
Lilly Bird's Avatar
United States
72 Posts
 Posted 07/30/2016  05:48 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Lilly Bird to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Thanks so much UltraRant and swamperbob. I certainly have not seen enough of these to really compare and I really appreciate such a professional eye.
All I knew was that they didn't seem 'right'
I spent so little on them I'll hang on to them for reference.
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DL20K's Avatar
Poland
3201 Posts
 Posted 07/30/2016  06:25 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add DL20K to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
I checked the local WCN auction archives.

They are a reputable and well-known auction company and are (or at least were) known for offering many Russian Empire coins. They have an online archive but unfortunately not all lots have images.

The results:

None of the 1735 dengas offered by them even remotely matched your specimen.
As for the 1737, this specimen was the closest I could find:
http://foto.wcn.pl/sklep/full/103983.jpg
Your images while sharp, are too small - and the WCN specimen wasn't in a particularly good condition either so one cannot state anything with certainty but:
- the lettering seems similar both in shape and relative location,
- there are at least several other differences (the circle at the bottom, the leaves on both branches on the right, the top flower looking like a circle, probably much less space between the ornaments at 10 and 2 o'clock).


Edited by DL20K
07/30/2016 06:26 am
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