Does this mean I need to change my avatar??

Just got my coins back from NGC. Overall, about what I expected. Out of 5 coins, one higher than I expected, one lower, and one that was a bit of a surprise when it came back as not genuine. Especially since I have been using the reverse sunface for my avatar on CoinTalk for a couple years now. I guess this means it's time to come-up with a new one.

Bought the coin about 20 years ago from Harlan J. Berk in Chicago for $35 which would have been about 7 or 8 times melt back then. Weighs 27.1 grams, so it's good there. Edge looked okay. Some areas had way more detail than you would expect from even a good fake. A few things that didn't look quite right, the tone seemed a wee bit too even and the fields had some porosity which I figured was seawater damage. BUt over the past decade, it has become a VERY hot and desirable coin, and I figured even getting it in a VF-20 slab would probably make it a 6 or 7 hundred dollar coin.
OOoooooh well(!) Live and you learn.

 

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And here's the coin that came in above expectation... I would call it an EF40 but I can live with the AU50 if that's what they say this coin is.

 

I don't think you need to change your avatar completely. Just go back to the original photo and Photoshop the mouth to make it a frown.

Chris

 

And this one came in below expectation... Really thought it would 66. At MS65 it's tied for finest known with 5 other coins.

 

Should have known from the scar on the forehead that it was an Al Capone crown.

 

Berk sold you a fake coin?

 

I love the design, still, would you sell it?

 

You dont have the records/receipt from buying that coin from Burk? If you do/did, you could take it to him I would think.

 

Not personally, I don't think Berk would get up and walk across the room for a $35 coin. Was in a box with a bunch of other crowns, wasn't like it was in a case or one of the display windows outside. Was back when Tom Delorey still worked there, --he was the guy who rung it up. Don't have the receipt, not sure if I ever got one. It's not that big of a deal in any case, a bad coin gets sold by the best of them once in a while.

 

edited

 

Who would then forge just an inexpensive coin?

 

Was never inexpensive. Even then, --around 1990-- a crown costing $35 was not something considered common and inexpensive, though also not necessarily rare and valuable. Keep in mind a 1964 Bermuda silver crown was fetching $2 back then. Today there are dealers trying to get $50 for nice ones even though a Bermuda crown is still pretty common stuff. A typical common crown that someone would actually want or collect, say an 1875 Italy 5 Lire in EF, could be bought for less than $10. If you were willing to spend as much as $20 then there were literally thousands of different crowns available to collectors willing to part with that kind of dough for a coin.

So if an unusual coin from South Peru presented itself for $35 even if it was only in VF or so condition, would have been considered a fortunate find at a somewhat elevated price compared to a common crown. I've seen plenty of other even more common coins, especially crowns, counterfeited. Some of them not even made of silver like this one.

 

Tough break on the Peruvian 8 realies.

 

Don't change it, I like your avatar.

 

I'm not sure if they ever give MS66 to these. It's a beautiful example, regardless of the MS65 slab. My example of this is also an MS65, but a 1915 "model". This 4 year type coin (1914-1917) is one of my favorite coins -- extremely attractive design.

 

Is it a modern fake or a contemporary counterfeit? What were their reasons?

 

I feel bad for you. That is a really great design.

 

try this as an icon

 

I wonder if the OP (Original Poster) has contacted Mr. Berk about the coin?

 

Well, he could try through their website, but after twenty years, I doubt they would do much... even if he had all the proper paperwork.

http://www.harlanjberk.com/