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 Replies: 9 / Views: 13,090 |
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New Member
United Kingdom
41 Posts |
I recently purchased this coin. Can anybody tell me if its genuine or fake? At first glance I looked at the coin and it didnt feel right and I was certain it was fake. It seemed very light also. I took it home and weighed it and it was 26.6grams which is ok. Then I look at the coin in detail, the scratches abbrasion marks it all seems like it has a multitude of them. Also the edge is correct design and has abbrasive marks and different discolourisation. Its either a good fake or possibly that gives it this strange feel and look (feels like a cast!) is that its a sea salvage piece. Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks   |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5362 Posts |
I share your concerns that the coin may be a forgery. It has been harshly cleaned and there is clear evidence of corrosion. It is very difficult to tell the difference between a modern forgery and a genuine sea salvaged (conserved) coin.
I would check SG for sure and look for manufacturing anomalies. But in the end, this is often one of the types that ends up in the "SUSPECT" category.
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New Member
 United Kingdom
41 Posts |
It doesn't feel right but I cant put my finger on it. It doesn't look like a chinese forgery and its the correct weight but has plenty of abbration marks and wear. Strange ! At least I got it cheap.
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Valued Member
Philippines
386 Posts |
Its a 50-50% chance based on the picture if it's genuine or fake.
One thing, can we see the coin's edge?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5362 Posts |
chops You say: Quote:
plenty of abbration marks and wear The presence of actual abrasion marks is often a problem in my opinion. Abrasion refers to (at least in my usage) an artificial possibly mechanical removal of the surface of a coin by a person for unknown but largely fraudulent purposes. Wear from circulation is acceptable but abrasion is possibly a clue to forgery. The edges of many forgeries are worn down on a grinding wheel to remove extra metal that does not belong on a real coin. Edge seams, sprues and other misplaced metal tabs are often ground off. The parallel uniform scratches seen on many forgeries point to the use of a grinding wheel or other mechanical device. These do not belong on a real coin. (A real coin can be mistreated in a similar way to remove silver - it is a variation on clipping. But that is not really seen that often.) Some forgers also intentionally lower the grade of their product via artificial wear so that they get different "looks" from the same die or mold pair. Look for parallel scratches (also patterns from belt or orbital sanders) which can point to artificial wear. A worn coin is no guarantee of that coin being real. In colonial days the forgers often made coins that looked VERY well worn when new. Often referred to a "Blacksmith copies" these crude period forgeries are of significant value. But even when dealing with forgeries be careful, modern forgers are not above forging a valuable forgery.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
3692 Posts |
Pieces of Eight have huge amounts of forgeries. As said, check the edges/rims to verify authenticity. I would always turn down offers on which I am uneducated, even if by immediate logic it seems like a good deal at the time.
Regarding your coin, it's been cleaned like no tomorrow, with cotton, possibly (it messes up even CDs and DVDs). I have really no education on this series (YET!) but if this is a key date or semi key date, then I'd be weary, as it looks "washed" the way counterfeits are roughed up to appear circulated and therefore trusted. Show us the rims.
Edited by Libertad
09/14/2010 4:26 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1801 Posts |
From the photo your coin looks to me to be a counterfeit made from a mold or die mimicking a worn Pillar Dollar. If not then it has significant damage from either water or land burial. If that is salvage damage and that noticeable, there should be evidence of salvage damage on the edges as well. I have never seen a true salvage coin where the surfaces had that degree of damage and the edges were pristine. That said, there are lots of 1740 salvage coins floating around, with and without certificates of authenticity, as well as lots of 1740 fakes. Here is a 1741 fake in my collection that tried the same "worn coin/weak letter" look   |
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Valued Member
Malaysia
59 Posts |
Wow both coin edged are totally diffrent...which one real?  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1801 Posts |
The 1741 is my coin and I am positive it is a fake.
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Valued Member
Malaysia
59 Posts |
hmm...no wonder it looks weird...especially the edges... darn investing in pillar coins are so risky.. oll
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Replies: 9 / Views: 13,090 |
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Posted 09/13/2010 2:59 pm
