It appears good to me, I have a few Italian fakes and they're all white metal. The condition here, with low resolution photo, I would guess at around XF. If it helps, you could take a look at mine, a slabbed MS62, that I paid about $240 a couple of year ago.
It appears good to me, I have a few Italian fakes and they're all white metal. The condition here, with low resolution photo, I would guess at around XF. If it helps, you could take a look at mine, a slabbed MS62, that I paid about $240 a couple of year ago.
Hmm… Which analysis technique used by a jeweler is accurate to four figures (79.99)?
THe person will be handing the coins to me in person and I plan to get the ag content verified by a jeweler before paying to check if the % claimed by seller is correct. THE seller will tag along though.. he was very insulted when I made this request telling no on on ebay questions him like this
Any tips on how a jeweller verifies the silver content will be welcome
Hmm… Which analysis technique used by a jeweler is accurate to four figures (79.99)?
Readability, Repeatability, Accuracy The operator just reports what the instrument shows them.
Reminds me of Numismaster:
I'm glad the calculator they use doesn't have 25 decimal places.
😅
Significant figures … Week 1 in General Chemistry. Lots of yawning students.
If I received two purity results from someone selling something that both ended with 999 “as tested by a jeweler,” I would know to be extremely careful about whatever followed.
If I received two purity results from someone selling something that both ended with 999 “as tested by a jeweler,” I would know to be extremely careful about whatever followed.
I think you're just describing what a technician would do vs. a scientist.
My opinion here; you are getting very hung up on whether or not they are silver - this doesn’t necessarily mean they are real or somehow worth more than the seller is asking. Both coins are worth €10 in silver (and silver is expensive now), both coins are rare commonly faked coins, ask yourself would it be worth using silver to strike a fake, even a bad grade fake, knowing that you could make 5-10 times your money?
I have absolutely know way of telling if these coins are fake or not just by looking at the photos, but I know that the eye appeal for both isn’t good, grade VF max and both just don’t look right. I would stay well clear of both coins, because whatever you pay or whatever the seller is asking, they are probably not worth it. I have a fake 1928 „end of WWI“ that looks nicer than the one you are looking at buying.
A Jeweller will use sandpaper to file the side of the coin and use a chemical solution to test if it is silver on the fillings. An idiot would just drop the solution on the coin and produce a spot, I think the solution should change to a specific colour if it is silver, I don’t think it can tell you the purity. A coin dealer will have a machine that fires a light and calculates the metals in a coin. Most coin dealers, collectors who own silver coins will know if it is silver or not, it isnt hard to tell if you have a little bit of experience.
If you don’t have experience with silver coins, buy common silver coins for silver value, or new coins from mints until you understand how silver coins should look, feel and sound - then start looking at rarer coins!
„If your reply or post in the Forum stinks of AI, I will call you out! Knowledge comes from experience, the I in AI stands for incompetence.“
The first one has very little detail and a flat appearance. I will just say they are Chinese fakes.
They have that yellow metal feel, which is silvered brass, a common Chinese faking material.
From the conversation, I would run a mile from that “Jeweller” and his “coins”.
Likely authentic from 2021 at Dongsheng Fakeywong souvenir industries, Ying Yong, China.
I love coins. Especially silver, gold and anything really old.
Member of the Royal Numismatic Society of New Zealand and the Auckland Numismatic Society
My opinion here; you are getting very hung up on whether or not they are silver - this doesn’t necessarily mean they are real or somehow worth more than the seller is asking. Both coins are worth €10 in silver (and silver is expensive now), both coins are rare commonly faked coins, ask yourself would it be worth using silver to strike a fake, even a bad grade fake, knowing that you could make 5-10 times your money?
I have absolutely know way of telling if these coins are fake or not just by looking at the photos, but I know that the eye appeal for both isn’t good, grade VF max and both just don’t look right. I would stay well clear of both coins, because whatever you pay or whatever the seller is asking, they are probably not worth it. I have a fake 1928 „end of WWI“ that looks nicer than the one you are looking at buying.
A Jeweller will use sandpaper to file the side of the coin and use a chemical solution to test if it is silver on the fillings. An idiot would just drop the solution on the coin and produce a spot, I think the solution should change to a specific colour if it is silver, I don’t think it can tell you the purity. A coin dealer will have a machine that fires a light and calculates the metals in a coin. Most coin dealers, collectors who own silver coins will know if it is silver or not, it isnt hard to tell if you have a little bit of experience.
If you don’t have experience with silver coins, buy common silver coins for silver value, or new coins from mints until you understand how silver coins should look, feel and sound - then start looking at rarer coins!
I have been collecting silver coins for more than 40 years and am a contributor to SCCW, WeltMunz katalog etc. I have almost all Italian coins except a few very rare coins so no scope for me to collect common coins…Once I get the coins in hand , I can tell somewhat but as I am checking based on photos I needed second opinions. Most people agree these are genuine based on photo and mismatches could be due to wear & tear . Modern fakes intended to dupe collectors will have same content and weight but not older Mussolini era fakes. This coins were collected in the 60s not now- by the seller's father. Since he has agreed to send the coins for inspection first without payment his intentions are not to cheat The jeweler said he has machine which tells the purity s & I can even take a photo of the reading my query was about that technique. Just silver I can check with a magnet or otherwise, I will actual check composition. Did you check your end of WWII coin for silver composition & wt? If its the same as the genuine then you really got me worried and I will forget the coins
The first one has very little detail and a flat appearance. I will just say they are Chinese fakes.
They have that yellow metal feel, which is silvered brass, a common Chinese faking material.
From the conversation, I would run a mile from that “Jeweller” and his “coins”.
Likely authentic from 2021 at Dongsheng Fakeywong souvenir industries, Ying Yong, China.
The time these were collected were in the1960s by sellers father , the Chinese were still in internal conflicts and not faking coins.. though yes the Italian fakes in the 30s were silvered brass. THe jeweller is independent not the seller. THe seller is sending me the coins to inspect and test form a jeweler before I pay him. Seller is irritated though as normally he sells on ebay without any questions.
My opinion here; you are getting very hung up on whether or not they are silver - this doesn’t necessarily mean they are real or somehow worth more than the seller is asking. Both coins are worth €10 in silver (and silver is expensive now), both coins are rare commonly faked coins, ask yourself would it be worth using silver to strike a fake, even a bad grade fake, knowing that you could make 5-10 times your money?
I have absolutely know way of telling if these coins are fake or not just by looking at the photos, but I know that the eye appeal for both isn’t good, grade VF max and both just don’t look right. I would stay well clear of both coins, because whatever you pay or whatever the seller is asking, they are probably not worth it. I have a fake 1928 „end of WWI“ that looks nicer than the one you are looking at buying.
A Jeweller will use sandpaper to file the side of the coin and use a chemical solution to test if it is silver on the fillings. An idiot would just drop the solution on the coin and produce a spot, I think the solution should change to a specific colour if it is silver, I don’t think it can tell you the purity. A coin dealer will have a machine that fires a light and calculates the metals in a coin. Most coin dealers, collectors who own silver coins will know if it is silver or not, it isnt hard to tell if you have a little bit of experience.
If you don’t have experience with silver coins, buy common silver coins for silver value, or new coins from mints until you understand how silver coins should look, feel and sound - then start looking at rarer coins!
I have been collecting silver coins for more than 40 years and am a contributor to SCCW, WeltMunz katalog etc. I have almost all Italian coins except a few very rare coins so no scope for me to collect common coins…Once I get the coins in hand , I can tell somewhat but as I am checking based on photos I needed second opinions. Most people agree these are genuine based on photo and mismatches could be due to wear & tear . Modern fakes intended to dupe collectors will have same content and weight but not older Mussolini era fakes. This coins were collected in the 60s not now- by the seller's father. Since he has agreed to send the coins for inspection first without payment his intentions are not to cheat The jeweler said he has machine which tells the purity s & I can even take a photo of the reading my query was about that technique. Just silver I can check with a magnet or otherwise, I will actual check composition. Did you check your end of WWII coin for silver composition & wt? If its the same as the genuine then you really got me worried and I will forget the coins
Sounds like you have plenty of experience with coins having collected for so long, my last paragraph was more advice to anyone wanting to collect silver and I apologise if it sounded insulting. When you have the coins in hand, you should know instantly if they are genuine - trust your experience. My opinion here is just based on the information presented in text and images throughout this post on the forum.
So that being said, here is more of a breakdown of my opinion (aka - things that make me worried about these coins);
1. The seller; you say the coins have been offered to you (so you didn’t initiate the purchase) minus point. Apparently the seller has never been questioned on eBay before, but will make an exception for you and bring the coins to you so you can go to a Jewellers together (strange) minus or positive point. And finally as no one ever questions his integrity on eBay (I will assume he sells many coins on eBay) however these 2 coins just happen to be from a relative collected 65 years ago, minus point.
2. The images; obverse and reverse images look odd (colour and contrast adjusted) minus point.
The unaltered images on the scales have them in natural light looking greyish, minus point.
The weights, 14.96 from a 15g coin and 19.95 from a 20g coin, odd minus point.
3. The buyer (aka you, and don’t take this personally, it is just my opinion of the situation); you have 40 years experience yet you are wanting them to be real, this is a mistake - take a step back, minus point.
You say that most opinion has them as genuine, in this post one person said they look okay, 3 or 4 are saying „something is not right“, minus point.
Using a magnet to tell if it is silver, this is a test to prove if a metal is magnetic or non magnetic only. Minus point.
And finally you say that you have a large collection with only a couple of rare coins missing (I am assuming again, that these 2 coins will complete your collection), so I question why are you wanting to buy these 2 coins, even if they are real their eye appeal is bad, they are low grade, and there are questions over the authenticity (none Of these points will ever improve), minus point.
So in conclusion, the only positive point from 10 might be the fact that the seller is willing to allow you to have them further examined before you buy them. The sceptical detective in me ponders the possibility that you might have been hacked and this post is testing the water to see how switched on coin collectors are to fake coins! Just a thought 😉
As for my fake, I have not tested it for silver content - because my experience tells me it is a fake, I think it weighs over, but I’m sure I could make a photo on my scale that has it almost perfect weight by using the tare button.
What ever you decide, to buy or not to buy - I’m sure you will make the correct decision.
„If your reply or post in the Forum stinks of AI, I will call you out! Knowledge comes from experience, the I in AI stands for incompetence.“
I will just say this. This does not pass the smell test to me. An ebay seller “claims” he got them from his father from the 60's so they cant be counterfeit? You asked for opinions yet refute each and every one of those opinions.
Additonally there are many very, very good counterfeits made of silver of these types out there and spotting them is very difficult for even the seasoned collector. As mentioned previously, even if they prove to be genuine they are of lower grade, VF at best. Personally, I see too many red flags and even question the motivation behind posting this here as well.
This very minor detail looks just too perfect in my mind while the rest of the coin saw very heavy wear. Does not make sense.
OP's coin at VF NGC XF40 Letters and dots are not quite right as well
My opinion here; you are getting very hung up on whether or not they are silver - this doesn’t necessarily mean they are real or somehow worth more than the seller is asking. Both coins are worth €10 in silver (and silver is expensive now), both coins are rare commonly faked coins, ask yourself would it be worth using silver to strike a fake, even a bad grade fake, knowing that you could make 5-10 times your money?
I have absolutely know way of telling if these coins are fake or not just by looking at the photos, but I know that the eye appeal for both isn’t good, grade VF max and both just don’t look right. I would stay well clear of both coins, because whatever you pay or whatever the seller is asking, they are probably not worth it. I have a fake 1928 „end of WWI“ that looks nicer than the one you are looking at buying.
A Jeweller will use sandpaper to file the side of the coin and use a chemical solution to test if it is silver on the fillings. An idiot would just drop the solution on the coin and produce a spot, I think the solution should change to a specific colour if it is silver, I don’t think it can tell you the purity. A coin dealer will have a machine that fires a light and calculates the metals in a coin. Most coin dealers, collectors who own silver coins will know if it is silver or not, it isnt hard to tell if you have a little bit of experience.
If you don’t have experience with silver coins, buy common silver coins for silver value, or new coins from mints until you understand how silver coins should look, feel and sound - then start looking at rarer coins!
I have been collecting silver coins for more than 40 years and am a contributor to SCCW, WeltMunz katalog etc. I have almost all Italian coins except a few very rare coins so no scope for me to collect common coins…Once I get the coins in hand , I can tell somewhat but as I am checking based on photos I needed second opinions. Most people agree these are genuine based on photo and mismatches could be due to wear & tear . Modern fakes intended to dupe collectors will have same content and weight but not older Mussolini era fakes. This coins were collected in the 60s not now- by the seller's father. Since he has agreed to send the coins for inspection first without payment his intentions are not to cheat The jeweler said he has machine which tells the purity s & I can even take a photo of the reading my query was about that technique. Just silver I can check with a magnet or otherwise, I will actual check composition. Did you check your end of WWII coin for silver composition & wt? If its the same as the genuine then you really got me worried and I will forget the coins
Sounds like you have plenty of experience with coins having collected for so long, my last paragraph was more advice to anyone wanting to collect silver and I apologise if it sounded insulting. When you have the coins in hand, you should know instantly if they are genuine - trust your experience. My opinion here is just based on the information presented in text and images throughout this post on the forum.
So that being said, here is more of a breakdown of my opinion (aka - things that make me worried about these coins);
1. The seller; you say the coins have been offered to you (so you didn’t initiate the purchase) minus point. Apparently the seller has never been questioned on eBay before, but will make an exception for you and bring the coins to you so you can go to a Jewellers together (strange) minus or positive point. And finally as no one ever questions his integrity on eBay (I will assume he sells many coins on eBay) however these 2 coins just happen to be from a relative collected 65 years ago, minus point.
2. The images; obverse and reverse images look odd (colour and contrast adjusted) minus point.
The unaltered images on the scales have them in natural light looking greyish, minus point.
The weights, 14.96 from a 15g coin and 19.95 from a 20g coin, odd minus point.
3. The buyer (aka you, and don’t take this personally, it is just my opinion of the situation); you have 40 years experience yet you are wanting them to be real, this is a mistake - take a step back, minus point.
You say that most opinion has them as genuine, in this post one person said they look okay, 3 or 4 are saying „something is not right“, minus point.
Using a magnet to tell if it is silver, this is a test to prove if a metal is magnetic or non magnetic only. Minus point.
And finally you say that you have a large collection with only a couple of rare coins missing (I am assuming again, that these 2 coins will complete your collection), so I question why are you wanting to buy these 2 coins, even if they are real their eye appeal is bad, they are low grade, and there are questions over the authenticity (none Of these points will ever improve), minus point.
So in conclusion, the only positive point from 10 might be the fact that the seller is willing to allow you to have them further examined before you buy them. The sceptical detective in me ponders the possibility that you might have been hacked and this post is testing the water to see how switched on coin collectors are to fake coins! Just a thought 😉
As for my fake, I have not tested it for silver content - because my experience tells me it is a fake, I think it weighs over, but I’m sure I could make a photo on my scale that has it almost perfect weight by using the tare button.
What ever you decide, to buy or not to buy - I’m sure you will make the correct decision.
Hi I am questioning so that I do not miss out on a good deal. Otherwise it wll be very difficult to buy the coin as I have even noted fakes sold by major international auctioneers . Slabbed coins also turn out to be fakes so we do have to test . THe seller sells many coins on ebay mostly Yemen and Oman and his site mentions the detail of his father. I was the person who contacted him. So these are incorrect assumptions, Magnetic test is just the first test to check if a coin is silver or not as steel is commonly used.. Also seller has now agreed to send the coin by courier so I can appraise independently… that is a very positive point.
So now I need to see if I can take the risk and go ahead and buy after checking weights, photos and composition as the points raised would be true even if I buy from the most reputed auctioneer. THe collectors who have testified it as good are collectors with many years experience. They have not replied on forum but messaged me directly. I will show them your images again.
The photos were taken on scanners then on cameras which could account for the colour difference you noted between greyish and he scanned photos.
I do not understand your points on weight difference? Are you telling the weight difference is too high. Modern coins have 0.2 g weight difference.. including same mint coins . Even proof coins have weight difference
I think you feel the KM 69 coin is more likely to be fake as compared to end of WWII coin?
I will just say this. This does not pass the smell test to me. An ebay seller “claims” he got them from his father from the 60's so they cant be counterfeit? You asked for opinions yet refute each and every one of those opinions.
Additonally there are many very, very good counterfeits made of silver of these types out there and spotting them is very difficult for even the seasoned collector. As mentioned previously, even if they prove to be genuine they are of lower grade, VF at best. Personally, I see too many red flags and even question the motivation behind posting this here as well.
This very minor detail looks just too perfect in my mind while the rest of the coin saw very heavy wear. Does not make sense.
OP's coin at VF NGC XF40 Letters and dots are not quite right as well
My opinion here; you are getting very hung up on whether or not they are silver - this doesn’t necessarily mean they are real or somehow worth more than the seller is asking. Both coins are worth €10 in silver (and silver is expensive now), both coins are rare commonly faked coins, ask yourself would it be worth using silver to strike a fake, even a bad grade fake, knowing that you could make 5-10 times your money?
I have absolutely know way of telling if these coins are fake or not just by looking at the photos, but I know that the eye appeal for both isn’t good, grade VF max and both just don’t look right. I would stay well clear of both coins, because whatever you pay or whatever the seller is asking, they are probably not worth it. I have a fake 1928 „end of WWI“ that looks nicer than the one you are looking at buying.
A Jeweller will use sandpaper to file the side of the coin and use a chemical solution to test if it is silver on the fillings. An idiot would just drop the solution on the coin and produce a spot, I think the solution should change to a specific colour if it is silver, I don’t think it can tell you the purity. A coin dealer will have a machine that fires a light and calculates the metals in a coin. Most coin dealers, collectors who own silver coins will know if it is silver or not, it isnt hard to tell if you have a little bit of experience.
If you don’t have experience with silver coins, buy common silver coins for silver value, or new coins from mints until you understand how silver coins should look, feel and sound - then start looking at rarer coins!
I have been collecting silver coins for more than 40 years and am a contributor to SCCW, WeltMunz katalog etc. I have almost all Italian coins except a few very rare coins so no scope for me to collect common coins…Once I get the coins in hand , I can tell somewhat but as I am checking based on photos I needed second opinions. Most people agree these are genuine based on photo and mismatches could be due to wear & tear . Modern fakes intended to dupe collectors will have same content and weight but not older Mussolini era fakes. This coins were collected in the 60s not now- by the seller's father. Since he has agreed to send the coins for inspection first without payment his intentions are not to cheat The jeweler said he has machine which tells the purity s & I can even take a photo of the reading my query was about that technique. Just silver I can check with a magnet or otherwise, I will actual check composition. Did you check your end of WWII coin for silver composition & wt? If its the same as the genuine then you really got me worried and I will forget the coins
Sounds like you have plenty of experience with coins having collected for so long, my last paragraph was more advice to anyone wanting to collect silver and I apologise if it sounded insulting. When you have the coins in hand, you should know instantly if they are genuine - trust your experience. My opinion here is just based on the information presented in text and images throughout this post on the forum.
So that being said, here is more of a breakdown of my opinion (aka - things that make me worried about these coins);
1. The seller; you say the coins have been offered to you (so you didn’t initiate the purchase) minus point. Apparently the seller has never been questioned on eBay before, but will make an exception for you and bring the coins to you so you can go to a Jewellers together (strange) minus or positive point. And finally as no one ever questions his integrity on eBay (I will assume he sells many coins on eBay) however these 2 coins just happen to be from a relative collected 65 years ago, minus point.
2. The images; obverse and reverse images look odd (colour and contrast adjusted) minus point.
The unaltered images on the scales have them in natural light looking greyish, minus point.
The weights, 14.96 from a 15g coin and 19.95 from a 20g coin, odd minus point.
3. The buyer (aka you, and don’t take this personally, it is just my opinion of the situation); you have 40 years experience yet you are wanting them to be real, this is a mistake - take a step back, minus point.
You say that most opinion has them as genuine, in this post one person said they look okay, 3 or 4 are saying „something is not right“, minus point.
Using a magnet to tell if it is silver, this is a test to prove if a metal is magnetic or non magnetic only. Minus point.
And finally you say that you have a large collection with only a couple of rare coins missing (I am assuming again, that these 2 coins will complete your collection), so I question why are you wanting to buy these 2 coins, even if they are real their eye appeal is bad, they are low grade, and there are questions over the authenticity (none Of these points will ever improve), minus point.
So in conclusion, the only positive point from 10 might be the fact that the seller is willing to allow you to have them further examined before you buy them. The sceptical detective in me ponders the possibility that you might have been hacked and this post is testing the water to see how switched on coin collectors are to fake coins! Just a thought 😉
As for my fake, I have not tested it for silver content - because my experience tells me it is a fake, I think it weighs over, but I’m sure I could make a photo on my scale that has it almost perfect weight by using the tare button.
What ever you decide, to buy or not to buy - I’m sure you will make the correct decision.
Hi I am questioning so that I do not miss out on a good deal. Otherwise it wll be very difficult to buy the coin as I have even noted fakes sold by major international auctioneers . Slabbed coins also turn out to be fakes so we do have to test . THe seller sells many coins on ebay mostly Yemen and Oman and his site mentions the detail of his father. I was the person who contacted him. So these are incorrect assumptions, Magnetic test is just the first test to check if a coin is silver or not as steel is commonly used.. Also seller has now agreed to send the coin by courier so I can appraise independently… that is a very positive point.
So now I need to see if I can take the risk and go ahead and buy after checking weights, photos and composition as the points raised would be true even if I buy from the most reputed auctioneer. THe collectors who have testified it as good are collectors with many years experience. They have not replied on forum but messaged me directly. I will show them your images again.
The photos were taken on scanners then on cameras which could account for the colour difference you noted between greyish and he scanned photos.
I do not understand your points on weight difference? Are you telling the weight difference is too high. Modern coins have 0.2 g weight difference.. including same mint coins . Even proof coins have weight difference
I think you feel the KM 69 coin is more likely to be fake as compared to end of WWII coin?
Grateful for your inputs
Of course a scanned image could account for the difference in colour, and you will only know when you have the coins in your hand the true tone, colour etc.
As for the points on weight difference, as you say even modern coins have a 0.2g difference. My point was that they are both very close to being exactly the correct (recorded weight) too close, but not exact… 0.04 and 0.05g, coins with that amount of wear might easily lose 0.5g. The whole thing seems odd, check out mine, I made the weight perfect 👍
Also I know silver isn’t magnetic, the coin photographed by me is also not magnetic - doesn’t make me believe that this coin isnt a fake though. And yes I understand a magnet is a tool to help make an informed decision.
As for which one I think is a fake; km 69 or km 70, I cannot tell from the images and information given - I would however be sceptical of both. Sending them to someone before payment smells of desperation on the sellers part to get them off his books, and I have never heard of anyone willing to do that before, extra cost, Chance of theft or loss, and no guarantee of a sale at the end! This ebayer gets stranger and stranger all the time…. Why are you even bothering, find coins that look nicer and are more likely to be real than these and move on. I did one quick search and found this km70 that looks 10 times more genuine than the one you are so interested in buying, buy this one instead?
My opinion here; you are getting very hung up on whether or not they are silver - this doesn’t necessarily mean they are real or somehow worth more than the seller is asking. Both coins are worth €10 in silver (and silver is expensive now), both coins are rare commonly faked coins, ask yourself would it be worth using silver to strike a fake, even a bad grade fake, knowing that you could make 5-10 times your money?
I have absolutely know way of telling if these coins are fake or not just by looking at the photos, but I know that the eye appeal for both isn’t good, grade VF max and both just don’t look right. I would stay well clear of both coins, because whatever you pay or whatever the seller is asking, they are probably not worth it. I have a fake 1928 „end of WWI“ that looks nicer than the one you are looking at buying.
A Jeweller will use sandpaper to file the side of the coin and use a chemical solution to test if it is silver on the fillings. An idiot would just drop the solution on the coin and produce a spot, I think the solution should change to a specific colour if it is silver, I don’t think it can tell you the purity. A coin dealer will have a machine that fires a light and calculates the metals in a coin. Most coin dealers, collectors who own silver coins will know if it is silver or not, it isnt hard to tell if you have a little bit of experience.
If you don’t have experience with silver coins, buy common silver coins for silver value, or new coins from mints until you understand how silver coins should look, feel and sound - then start looking at rarer coins!
I have been collecting silver coins for more than 40 years and am a contributor to SCCW, WeltMunz katalog etc. I have almost all Italian coins except a few very rare coins so no scope for me to collect common coins…Once I get the coins in hand , I can tell somewhat but as I am checking based on photos I needed second opinions. Most people agree these are genuine based on photo and mismatches could be due to wear & tear . Modern fakes intended to dupe collectors will have same content and weight but not older Mussolini era fakes. This coins were collected in the 60s not now- by the seller's father. Since he has agreed to send the coins for inspection first without payment his intentions are not to cheat The jeweler said he has machine which tells the purity s & I can even take a photo of the reading my query was about that technique. Just silver I can check with a magnet or otherwise, I will actual check composition. Did you check your end of WWII coin for silver composition & wt? If its the same as the genuine then you really got me worried and I will forget the coins
Sounds like you have plenty of experience with coins having collected for so long, my last paragraph was more advice to anyone wanting to collect silver and I apologise if it sounded insulting. When you have the coins in hand, you should know instantly if they are genuine - trust your experience. My opinion here is just based on the information presented in text and images throughout this post on the forum.
So that being said, here is more of a breakdown of my opinion (aka - things that make me worried about these coins);
1. The seller; you say the coins have been offered to you (so you didn’t initiate the purchase) minus point. Apparently the seller has never been questioned on eBay before, but will make an exception for you and bring the coins to you so you can go to a Jewellers together (strange) minus or positive point. And finally as no one ever questions his integrity on eBay (I will assume he sells many coins on eBay) however these 2 coins just happen to be from a relative collected 65 years ago, minus point.
2. The images; obverse and reverse images look odd (colour and contrast adjusted) minus point.
The unaltered images on the scales have them in natural light looking greyish, minus point.
The weights, 14.96 from a 15g coin and 19.95 from a 20g coin, odd minus point.
3. The buyer (aka you, and don’t take this personally, it is just my opinion of the situation); you have 40 years experience yet you are wanting them to be real, this is a mistake - take a step back, minus point.
You say that most opinion has them as genuine, in this post one person said they look okay, 3 or 4 are saying „something is not right“, minus point.
Using a magnet to tell if it is silver, this is a test to prove if a metal is magnetic or non magnetic only. Minus point.
And finally you say that you have a large collection with only a couple of rare coins missing (I am assuming again, that these 2 coins will complete your collection), so I question why are you wanting to buy these 2 coins, even if they are real their eye appeal is bad, they are low grade, and there are questions over the authenticity (none Of these points will ever improve), minus point.
So in conclusion, the only positive point from 10 might be the fact that the seller is willing to allow you to have them further examined before you buy them. The sceptical detective in me ponders the possibility that you might have been hacked and this post is testing the water to see how switched on coin collectors are to fake coins! Just a thought 😉
As for my fake, I have not tested it for silver content - because my experience tells me it is a fake, I think it weighs over, but I’m sure I could make a photo on my scale that has it almost perfect weight by using the tare button.
What ever you decide, to buy or not to buy - I’m sure you will make the correct decision.
Hi I am questioning so that I do not miss out on a good deal. Otherwise it wll be very difficult to buy the coin as I have even noted fakes sold by major international auctioneers . Slabbed coins also turn out to be fakes so we do have to test . THe seller sells many coins on ebay mostly Yemen and Oman and his site mentions the detail of his father. I was the person who contacted him. So these are incorrect assumptions, Magnetic test is just the first test to check if a coin is silver or not as steel is commonly used.. Also seller has now agreed to send the coin by courier so I can appraise independently… that is a very positive point.
So now I need to see if I can take the risk and go ahead and buy after checking weights, photos and composition as the points raised would be true even if I buy from the most reputed auctioneer. THe collectors who have testified it as good are collectors with many years experience. They have not replied on forum but messaged me directly. I will show them your images again.
The photos were taken on scanners then on cameras which could account for the colour difference you noted between greyish and he scanned photos.
I do not understand your points on weight difference? Are you telling the weight difference is too high. Modern coins have 0.2 g weight difference.. including same mint coins . Even proof coins have weight difference
I think you feel the KM 69 coin is more likely to be fake as compared to end of WWII coin?
Grateful for your inputs
Of course a scanned image could account for the difference in colour, and you will only know when you have the coins in your hand the true tone, colour etc.
As for the points on weight difference, as you say even modern coins have a 0.2g difference. My point was that they are both very close to being exactly the correct (recorded weight) too close, but not exact… 0.04 and 0.05g, coins with that amount of wear might easily lose 0.5g. The whole thing seems odd, check out mine, I made the weight perfect 👍
Also I know silver isn’t magnetic, the coin photographed by me is also not magnetic - doesn’t make me believe that this coin isnt a fake though. And yes I understand a magnet is a tool to help make an informed decision.
As for which one I think is a fake; km 69 or km 70, I cannot tell from the images and information given - I would however be sceptical of both. Sending them to someone before payment smells of desperation on the sellers part to get them off his books, and I have never heard of anyone willing to do that before, extra cost, Chance of theft or loss, and no guarantee of a sale at the end! This ebayer gets stranger and stranger all the time…. Why are you even bothering, find coins that look nicer and are more likely to be real than these and move on. I did one quick search and found this km70 that looks 10 times more genuine than the one you are so interested in buying, buy this one instead?
Your coin I can make out is fake without checking. I am not hung up on silver but on the composition .8 or .6 .. the fakes were silver plated anyway so would have some silver. I collect coins worldwide issued since 1900 and India from 600 BC so its a wide area and I cant afford to buy high grade coins.. so I settle for the lowest grade in collectible condition .
This guy is trusting me as he checked my name in the catalogs and checked with local auctioneers and found I am legitimate.However he is very ill tempered about it
… YOu are in the EU , I am outside so customs and cost of transport is an issue hence when I saw coins offered by a ebayer from India , I thought it will be a good deal. But as my Italian colleagues warned that these 2 are heavily faked i am being careful. I left 2 c 1908 of Portugal for the same reason though I was offered 100 euros in Lisbon for the same . I generally go to countries and buy coins from a reputed dealer but in Italy there were so many fakes I gave up . These 2 coins cost too much in Italy but yes the coin you sent looks better. I have an Italian friend looking for the coins in the local market as well. I miss about 9 Italian coins . I also miss a lot of third reich and common German silvers from Weimar and Empire. But then when I was in Berlin, I had a very tough time meeting coin dealers as unlike India/Asia , they are open limited hours and only by appointment and their times did not match with my free time I plan to complete my Austrian collection when I am next in Vienna but this time I will take prior appointments,
The german ebay link you said- auctioneer looks fine but the coin looks odd to me. So will have to check weight and composition for that too. Its difficult to achieve same composition/purity level of silver in fakes so only modern fakers will do that. Here I will take the weight myself and then check if the silver level is same. If I have doubts will return
Can anyone share a genuine coin of KM 69 and KM 70 with the rims visible? As these are slabbed coins I can not compare the rims and dots with those of the coins being offered to me
