Hi all Is the below genuine or one of the Readers Digest copies ?. I have seen a copy for sale on Ebay and this one has more detail in the hair/nose etc. The outer rim of the coin is smooth. Regards
I believe it is, yes. But it's not silver, it's base metal. The genuine coin is quite rare and was minted in gold.
What you have is a fantasy coin. The reverse looks like a cross between the design for the gold ducat and the silver 17 kreuzer.
No, it's a copy of a genuine gold ducat. The copies were made by Reader's Digest some years ago and given out as a promotion.
Doug, which question did you answer? Do you believe the coin is genuine or do you believe it is a Reader's Digest copy?
If it's silvery, it's not a gold ducat. That is one reason why I made the remark about the coin appearing to be a cross between a ducat and a 17-kreuzer piece. It is apparently a Reader's Digest fantasy piece, as evidenced by the stain on the back. http://en.allexperts.com/q/Coin-Collecting-2297/2008/12/1752-coin-value.htm
It's a Reader's Digest copy. What I was responding to was you calling it a "fantasy" piece. It isn't a fantasy piece. A fantasy coin is one that never existed in real life. A fantasy coin is not a copy, a counterfeit, or a reproduction. It is a coin which was designed and struck by a private individual, or group. In this case, there really was a 1752 Austrian gold ducat of the same design as these R.D. copies. The genuine coins are quite rare. So any copies cannot be called a fantasy coin. Also, when Reader's Digest distributed these copies they were gold colored - base metal plated to look like gold. So over the years there have been many who thought they had a genuine coin. With this example that gold colored plating has worn off exposing the base metal underneath. This is a copy, a modern reproduction of a genuine coin. Nothing more.
Here's an excerpt from a Coin Talk discussion from 7 years ago: 'Some time ago a correspondent to the 'Australian Coin Review' (now incorporated into the 'Australasian Coin & Banknote Magazine') mentioned having found, what appeared to be, an unlisted Austrian Ducat dated 1752 bearing the legend 'FRANC. D.G. R.I.S. A. GER. IER. REX.' with the portrait of Francis of Lorraine on the obverse and the legend 'TU DOMINE SPES MEA' on the reverse. It was very similar but 'not quite right' in comparison to others of that time period. "The 'coin' was in fact manufactured and distributed on behalf of the 'READERS DIGEST' organisation some 12 years ago as a promotional gimmick, and samples regularly turn up on market stalls in both 'gold' and 'silver' finishes. " Sounds like a fantasy piece to me. http://www.cointalk.com/t867/#ixzz1cNEL3glP
I'm looking at it. But the coin in the OP is SILVER (colored), and a ducat is GOLD. So to me, and the author of that article I've cited, it's a fantasy piece.
It's silver colored because the gold colored plating that was on the outside has worn off. All of the Reader's Digest copies were made of silver colored base metal. They were then plated with gold colored metal. And as with all cheaply made plated coins, the plating wears/comes off with time. It's not a fantasy piece. It's one of the Reader's Digest copies of a genuine coin.
