Posted 07/17/2011 9:37 pm
When I see a coin like this on ebay - I always PRESUME it is a fake until it is proven real. There are simply too many well executed Numismatic forgeries on ebay for me to trust anyone I do not know very well.
A real 1734 Pillar in the USA would usually be encapsulated in this grade to assure it is real. It is simply too valuable a coin in the raw state and most collectors lack the expertise to tell for sure if it is real or not. This means that anyone selling a raw Pillar 8R in the USA stands to make far less money that a real coin is worth. The only people who would sell under this set of circumstance are very suspicious. Who sells way under market?
In places other than the US where slabs are routinely disliked - the reputation of the seller comes into play. A coin like this would be sold AT NEAR FULL RETAIL and the name of the seller is the guarantee. Do you know the seller? Is he/she reputable? Is the coin guaranteed to be an original for a reasonable period of time - like LIFETIME?
As for the pictures, the focus is not sharp enough to be POSITIVE but the details do have a soft appearance. The coin has a "dead" look - it looks like a fake. The color also looks VERY artificial and matches what many aged fakes from China look like. The edge application was done post strike which is correct but the coloration of the high points is almost too obvious. I also note there are none of the typical digs and dings seen on the vast majority of originals.
The edge design is in my opinion INCORRECT for 1734 - as already pointed out. But so few segments are clear that I could be fooled. There are also die traits like the dots in the sea under the globes that is not typical for 1734 but appears routinely on later dated Pillars.
Out of curiosity - what did this coin cost and where does it come from? It is a minimum $400 - 500 item if real and in this business many bargain coins are bogus.
I would have it authenticated by an EXPERT and get a written opinion ASAP and think about asking for my money back from the seller.
I do not recall if or how I classified this one when it appeared on ebay - but if all I saw was these three pictures - I would put it in the Modern Numismatic Category.
A real 1734 Pillar in the USA would usually be encapsulated in this grade to assure it is real. It is simply too valuable a coin in the raw state and most collectors lack the expertise to tell for sure if it is real or not. This means that anyone selling a raw Pillar 8R in the USA stands to make far less money that a real coin is worth. The only people who would sell under this set of circumstance are very suspicious. Who sells way under market?
In places other than the US where slabs are routinely disliked - the reputation of the seller comes into play. A coin like this would be sold AT NEAR FULL RETAIL and the name of the seller is the guarantee. Do you know the seller? Is he/she reputable? Is the coin guaranteed to be an original for a reasonable period of time - like LIFETIME?
As for the pictures, the focus is not sharp enough to be POSITIVE but the details do have a soft appearance. The coin has a "dead" look - it looks like a fake. The color also looks VERY artificial and matches what many aged fakes from China look like. The edge application was done post strike which is correct but the coloration of the high points is almost too obvious. I also note there are none of the typical digs and dings seen on the vast majority of originals.
The edge design is in my opinion INCORRECT for 1734 - as already pointed out. But so few segments are clear that I could be fooled. There are also die traits like the dots in the sea under the globes that is not typical for 1734 but appears routinely on later dated Pillars.
Out of curiosity - what did this coin cost and where does it come from? It is a minimum $400 - 500 item if real and in this business many bargain coins are bogus.
I would have it authenticated by an EXPERT and get a written opinion ASAP and think about asking for my money back from the seller.
I do not recall if or how I classified this one when it appeared on ebay - but if all I saw was these three pictures - I would put it in the Modern Numismatic Category.
