Yesterday I received a group of coins. Pictures weren't the best and kind of far away. After examining the coins I found two of them to be counterfeit. Before sending them back to the seller, I just wanted to share with all of you. I also added a third coin to this post, which I had and passed on to a counterfeit collector a while back. I felt it was interesting because it's completely a different type than the two I just got. The first: Contemporary counterfeit 8 reales, dated 1842 from Zacatecas mint. Riddell cataloged this type as #274 and assayed it as being near .150 silver content. I couldn't get an electromagnetic response from this one, as expected for such a low fineness. Oddly enough, the size and weight are acceptable. It weighs 26.5 grams, which actually seems slightly too high for this condition on a genuine coin, but it would be accepted by many. The second: Modern numismatic forgery of Durango 1914 peso. I was a bit bummed out about this one. Always wanted one. It's the only general issue coin I can think of that has a death threat on it. The weight is lower than Krause reference weigh, but well within the range listed in specialty references for Mexican Revolutionary coins. The edge is what got me. The obverse and reverse seem to be cast, while the edge is sharply struck. These normally have a plain edge or one with signs of crude reeding. There is a type described as having "coarse reeding", but it would have had some different design elements. I also did not get an electromagnetic response from this one, which leads me to believe it has either really low silver content or none at all. The third: Genuine stamp on debased silver planchet (contemporary). So apparently some genuine dies from the Guanajuato mint fell into the wrong hands in the early 1830's. All that needed to be done was to add the last digit of the date and the assayer initials, and they were good to go. The result is a mostly genuine stamp on a lower weight and much lower silver purity planchet. The parts that had to be filled in to the generic die usually show slight differences. Not sure how many of you out there care about this stuff, but I hope it makes for a worthwhile read. =)
I agree with you assessments. The first one is a contemporary counterfeit which appears like silver plating over a debased alloy of copper or toned brass or bronze. More likely copper. John Lorenzo United States
Sorry you got burned with the fakes. Its a shame. BEWARE Here is a link to my collection of fakes - https://plus.google.com/photos/102169990131295314210/albums/5436826635433203281?banner=pwa
Interesting post, thanks! Can you tell me more about the death threat coin? Google translate (which often fails) gives this: "Constitutional army orchard dies". ??
"Muera Huerta" means death to Huerta. This refers to Victoriano Huerta, who took the presidency via a coup d'etat.
