description: HongKong & Shanghai Specie Office Silver Ingot circa 1890's. On the obverse is the bust of Queen Victoria within the HongKong & Shanghai Specie Office stamp, stamp of the British Crown with V R on each end and 999.9 stamped into the metal. The Chinese characters state the purity of the silver. Length: 53 mm width: 32 mm Thickness: 10 mm approx Weight: 150 grams, approx Please help identify if this is real..thank!!!
My initial guess is that it is a fake. That opinion is based on the crudeness of the engraving of Victoria. It isn't much more than a caricature.
thanks, cdb1950 and Conder101. I needed some advise on this item becuase the seller wants $180. I think I will avoid this item just to be safe..
Not a chance IMHO. A silver ingot that weighs 4.82 troy oz. just doesn't pass the "is it reasonable to believe" test. However, there are some mixed signals here. Bad: The weight, The quality of the engraving on the bust, and The fact that a Google search doesn't turn up any references to the "HongKong & Shanghai Specie Office" except the seller's listing for this ingot. Good: The seller is Frank Wee, a Singapore dealer I have dealt with, and found to be knowledgeable and honest in the past.
What country is the seller located? What's the orange stuff on the bottom? Is it rust? I don't think I'd buy this unless it was from a well known seller that offered a good return policy. Nick
I just came across this post and I would like to add that this website asiannumismatic.com is owned by me. This Hong Kong & Shanghai Specie Office Silver Ingot is genuine .999 Silver. The reason Victoria's bust does not look like one appearing on a colonial coin is that it was cast in HongKong and not in a mint in the U.K. Probably done by a local silversmith appointed by the HongKong & Shanghai Specie Office. The reverse has orange/reddish spots because in the casting process bubbles appeared and formed holes, these holes have toned over the years and thus appears orange/red. Sarawakian, Even if you wanted to pay me US$1,800.00, I would not be able to sell this ingot to you, simply because it was sold some time ago. I've offered to buy it back at $250.00, but the buyer refuses to part with it. This item was deleted from my site after it was sold but due to gremlins on the internet, this ingot appeared again, for this I apologize, it will be taken out shortly. I have two other individual's wanting to purchase a similar ingot if I am able to obtain them. If it were a fake and if I were unscrupulous, I would have them coming out of my ears and I would easily fill the demand. With all due respect, you should have contacted me and asked me any questions pertaining to this ingot. I remember clearly that before Roy (Satootoko) purchased a Meiji 1 Yen Silver crown, he asked a number of question about the coin before purchasing it. By the way, I clearly stated on my site that copying the digital photo's is not permitted. YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO POST THESE PHOTOS HERE WITHOUT MY PERMISSION. For your information in the payment page I have also stated, and I quote. " Upon taking delivery of your purchase, if you are not satisfied with the item(s) received, you may return the item(s) in the same condition as it was shipped to you within two weeks. After ascertaining that the item(s) is in order, I will credit the full amount to your account for future purchases. All numismatic and philatelic items are guaranteed genuine unless otherwise noted. What you see is what you will get. If any item(s) are proven to be a fake or not as described or not an exact match of the photos or scans, I will give an unconditional permanent guarantee for a full refund, including shipping and handling. Satootoko, Thanks for putting in a good word for me.
No thanks necessary Frank. I call them as I see them, bad or good. Nice to see you here, and I hope we can get your input on other threads about coins within your area of expertise.
Sorry about it, I came accross your website and was very interested in the ingot. I needed some advise on the ingot, that is reason for the posting here. I got burn before from sellers from asian countries such as china. malaysia and singapore..also from Hong kong. To protect myself I usually do not ask the seller directly, I would ask question in coins forum about certain coins I am interested. Such as ebay listing.. I see other members also posted questions or queries about certain coins from other website or ebay. Again, I apoligized for showing your pictures in the coin forums. I am not saying your item is fake, I just needed some advise before I seriously consider purchasing it.
WELCOME to the forum! Usually, this forum only sees the bad side of coin dealers from China. I think it is great to have access to a reputable coin dealer.
