Posted 10/04/2016 11:55 am
These aren't as obvious fakes as most that we see here, but I would assume they are fake until proven otherwise--I don't think we have seen a single genuine one show up, except maybe for one that was posted by an archaeologist looking for mint help.
They should be silver, so the top test to run is to see if they stick to a magnet. You can also weigh them; I think they might be 2 reales, which would put them at about 6.77 grams, plus or minus a little to account for wear. If it weighs under or over by more than say .2 grams, it's probably just a copy.
As for the copies... these things are commonly sold for a couple bucks at any beach resort in the country, especially the ones at ports frequented by famous pirates. They are usually off-metal (e.g. brass to look like gold) and usually jumbled so as not to be easy to mistake for genuine pieces... US law prohibits the manufacture of good copies of valuable coins unless they are impossible to mistaken as genuine, or stamped "COPY". At any rate, kids frequently play "bury the pirate treasure" and then forget to dig them back up.
They should be silver, so the top test to run is to see if they stick to a magnet. You can also weigh them; I think they might be 2 reales, which would put them at about 6.77 grams, plus or minus a little to account for wear. If it weighs under or over by more than say .2 grams, it's probably just a copy.
As for the copies... these things are commonly sold for a couple bucks at any beach resort in the country, especially the ones at ports frequented by famous pirates. They are usually off-metal (e.g. brass to look like gold) and usually jumbled so as not to be easy to mistake for genuine pieces... US law prohibits the manufacture of good copies of valuable coins unless they are impossible to mistaken as genuine, or stamped "COPY". At any rate, kids frequently play "bury the pirate treasure" and then forget to dig them back up.
Edited by Finn235
10/04/2016 12:14 pm
10/04/2016 12:14 pm
