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 Replies: 9 / Views: 1,348 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2637 Posts |
Does not pass the acid test. Looks like copper is showing through. ![[contemporary?]-Counterfeit-1886-Belgian-50-Centimes](https://www.coincommunity.com/forum/uploaded/arkie/20160921_scan0210.jpg) ![[contemporary?]-Counterfeit-1886-Belgian-50-Centimes](https://www.coincommunity.com/forum/uploaded/arkie/20160921_scan0211.jpg) |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1757 Posts |
Probably mercuric silvering wash over copper or brass or silver electrodeposition. I describe these types in my new book due out shortly.
No doubt - contemporary counterfeit of the period and not a Chinese modern fake. It takes a long time to achieve this type of silver peeling.
John Lorenzo
United States
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Moderator
 United States
34413 Posts |
Quote:
mercuric silvering wash Interesting--should Arkie be handling this coin with gloves? "If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
2637 Posts |
I suspect that if the mercury came off when you handled the coin, it probably wouldn't be a very good counterfeit.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1915 Posts |
Looks like a nice piece- wish I had it for my books.
Any chance it could be available for Buy it Now & PayPal?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2637 Posts |
Since I can't email you, why don't you email me an offer.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5362 Posts |
The type is common to nearly all countries in Europe during the last quarter of the 19th century. A brassy yellow or light brown copper alloy electroplated with silver. The loss of the bond on the examples I have studied appears to be caused by improper surface preparation. Generally shoddy copies that were not intended for lengthy circulation. The one or two pass type.
The use of mercury almalgamation coating with silver is generally an earlier technique that was displaced long before silver electroplating. The amalgamation method was not used as far as I know on the brassy alloys but was confined to higher copper alloys tending to be much darker in color.
This same electroplating method has been used rather recently to create forgeries of older "circulating counterfeits". These fakes were created for collectors. So be careful when you see this method it should be seen only on coins that entered circulation or were circulating as VERY COMMON coins about 1850 or later.
These methods are not to be confused with applications of very thin silver layers over copper or German silver (Sheffield plates) which date back further. Sheffield plate technology is seen primarily on coins that circulated earlier between 1780 and 1850. It was out of vogue by 1850 having been displaced by both German silver and electroplating.
Edited by swamperbob
09/22/2016 5:24 pm
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Moderator
Australia
16831 Posts |
Quote:
I suspect that if the mercury came off when you handled the coin, it probably wouldn't be a very good counterfeit. While this may not be relevant to this particular coin, in the light of Swamperbob's ID of the process, it's still worth bearing this in mind: from the counterfeiter's point of view, a counterfeit coin only needs to work once. Whether it keeps working after that, the counterfeiter neither knows nor cares. Indeed, they'd probably prefer the counterfeit was discovered and withdrawn shortly after they spent it, because they wouldn't want to be given one of their own counterfeits back in change. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1915 Posts |
I'm collecting and documenting counterfeits. I sure wish you guys lived in my town on my street.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1757 Posts |
My new book will show various silvered counterfeits. I agree with Bob its probably electrodeposition as this type of peeling we see around the circumference never really occurs with mercuric amalgam silvering. The mercuric silver compounds are stable and do not in any degree really come off the coin. Well maybe in ppm amounts? Safe to handle IMO. Been handling these for 40 years and my last blood test was fine ... LOL.
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Replies: 9 / Views: 1,348 |
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Posted 09/21/2016 9:54 pm
