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 Replies: 12 / Views: 3,654 |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
5239 Posts |
I recently returned from my LCS, and the owner mentioned that a customer had a body-bagged Canada $10 1913 from ICCS, the reason being it had the distinctive marks of a known counterfeit.
I examined the item, and it looked OK (but I agree that it had the marks), but what was disturbing is that it had the correct weight, diameter and thickness. I would not have had concerns if I were buying this froma reputable dealer. This date is not rare. It has a premium over melt but not a lot.
My questions are: Is this made of gold? Are people actually making really good copies of gold coins that ARE made of gold?
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
3049 Posts |
There is no way this would be made of gold.. so my best guess is that because the weight and dimensions are on this would've been made of tungsten.
If this piece was made of gold the "Counterfeiters" would be risking too much and the margins just would be paper thin!
If possible could you get some pictures and show us the "markers" your LCS was talking about?
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Pillar of the Community
 Canada
5239 Posts |
For this to make economic sense to a counterfeiter, I agree that it would make more sense to have some sort of gold cladding on Tungsten. Unfortunately (or fortunately) it is not mine so I cannot do an XRF analysis.
Unfortunately too the markings were noted on a document which I could not keep and which itself was a copy of a photograph-which apparently ICCS has. If the customer does not keep it I can try to get the document. So I guess that this is well-known to some people at least. I was just wondering if anyone knows more about this. What is very disturbing is that the quality was so good.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2301 Posts |
you will find that the 1913 fake with the ding in the o of dollar is 40% gold.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1192 Posts |
It is certainly possible that it is made of gold, but was not an authorized strike by the RCM. There are many British sovereigns and other gold coins which were struck unofficially for use in commerce in the eastern part of the world. |
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Pillar of the Community
 Canada
5394 Posts |
Very possible that it could be one of the Lebanon counterfeits of correct weight and content, made in the 1960s and early 1970s. They have been known about for a long long time in the collecting community.
They were made to import into the USA market when gold other than collectible coins of numismatic interest were the only ones allowed.
Pictures would be great.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
5239 Posts |
Thanks everyone for the ideas. Any one of them could be possible. Unfortunately the coin itself is at the dealer's shop and belongs to someone else. If it is still there on my next visit I will try to get some more information.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
11951 Posts |
This is very worrisome..reading about fake Canadian gold.
I have been planning to pick up a couple Canadian gold coins in
the next couple years.
Are there any web sites that talk about the die markers?
Seems like I read somewhere that the gold coins coming out of the
Middle East in the 60's was a little less finesse of gold.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2301 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
867 Posts |
I've had one of these....bought off ebay, sent it to ICCS, US seller took it back with the news it was a Lebanese counterfeit, probably about 15 years ago. |
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Moderator
Canada
10456 Posts |
Another 1913 $10 counterfeit, pretty much like this one, was submitted by a coin dealer from Ottawa and recently returned by ICCS in a body bag. A collector from the Ottawa area bought it from a reputable dealer online. The coin dealer who showed it to me yesterday was shaking his head, and said had this coin come into his shop raw, he would have bought it, it looked that good, the weight was exact and it passed the chemical test... the main marker that ICCS noted was the curved serifs on the top of both L's in DOLLAR.
"Discovery follows discovery, each both raising and answering questions, each ending a long search, and each providing the new instruments for a new search." -- J. Robert OppenheimerContent of this post is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses...0/deed.en_USMy eBay store
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2301 Posts |
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Bedrock of the Community
Canada
21595 Posts |
Mike- Are there any other markers beside the notch in the "O" that would signify it being counterfeit? The picture supplied is of a 1913 $5.00 gold piece that is currently listed on ebay for sale. The picture is not too clear but it does appear to have a notch.. Just wondering if there is any other way to tell.  |
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Replies: 12 / Views: 3,654 |
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Posted 11/18/2016 6:13 pm
