Okay so at this monthly coin show that I go to, this guy has coins from the 1300-1400s. For example he has coins from verona italy from the 1400s. I want to get one but they seem like they could be faked easily. All of them look to be small slivers of silver with the designs stamped in, and none of them are toned. Some are really shiny.Should I stay away from them? Here are some similar coins I found online. And They look close to the one with the cross in this picture:
I would say it depends on who the guy is and how well he knows the coins. It is pretty dang common for dealers to be taken in and sold fakes. They in turn sell them to other collectors, with neither the dealer nor the collector even knowing the coins are fakes. But the guy may be a pro with these coins, it's possible he really knows his stuff. But when you say some of them are really shiny - that is more than enough to make me suspicious. There are plenty of trustworthy dealers out there that sell coins like this. And if you buy from a trustworthy dealer then you never have anything to worry about. If you want, I'd be happy to recommend some to you.
I've handled numerous of these early European types and you generally don't see too many counterfeits. Usually when you do, it is easy to tell because the coin isn't silver, it's a base metal, and it's more likely a contemporary counterfeit. As for them being shiny, they were likely dug out of the ground and heavily cleaned. That's common.
that makes me think it's overcleaned, not necessarily a fake. for instance... this one is waaaay over cleaned. the dealer labeled it as such, and discounted the price as such. it is genuine. however, i agree with doug that sticking to a dealing with a reputation for knowledge on medieval coins is a must for someone just starting to collect the coins.
I agree completely, never meant to imply otherwise. But rather to imply that perhaps the dealer would not be a good source to buy coins from.
