Is this coin real? 5 Francs 1873

Discussion in 'What's it Worth' started by Miles Bloomfield, May 14, 2020.

  1. Hookman

    Hookman Well-Known Member

    Well, a magnet will tell you if your coin is ferrous-based (iron or steel) but it won't tell much of anything else. A magnet not sticking to your coin is not a positive test for silver.

    When you go out to coin shops, resale shops, thrift stores, garage sales, estate sales, GoodWills, PennyWise, or any place that you are looking for silver or gold, a magnet is an essential tool that should be in your pocket or tool pouch, just like a loupe or magnifying glass. A magnet is usually the first test to separate trash from treasure.
    Actually, the very best tool is your "Learned Knowledge", and you don't get that overnight. Thankfully for you, you're getting some of that today, and for free. lol

    Good Luck !
     
  2. Avatar

    Guest User Guest



    to hide this ad.
  3. Miles Bloomfield

    Miles Bloomfield New Member

    Thanks of the advise!!
     
    Hookman likes this.
  4. Miles Bloomfield

    Miles Bloomfield New Member

    What do you think of these new photos?
    IMG_20200515_021435.jpg
     
  5. coin_nut

    coin_nut Well-Known Member

    Pretty good job. Some would complain about the wood background. I see the lighting is even and adequate, details can be seen easily, the pix are well cropped and centered, and the side by side paring makes it easy to view the whole coin at once. A big thing about this CT site is all you can learn from the others here.
     
    Hookman likes this.
  6. Miles Bloomfield

    Miles Bloomfield New Member

    @coin_nut Dose anything stand out to you as fake on this coin?
     
  7. Miles Bloomfield

    Miles Bloomfield New Member

    Thanks!! I used a magnifying glass in front of my phone camera to get the best result
     
  8. coin_nut

    coin_nut Well-Known Member

    I looked carefully at your coin, and then at mine. I see something odd at the 6 O'clock position on the obverse and at the 12 O'clock position on the reverse, right near the edge. Sort of a rolled over edge. I look at my coin and see something similar. I see no evidence of it being cast like blurry devices or surface bubbles. It does look to have been cleaned at some time in the past and has very little wear, just some scratches in the fields and a few nicks, which easily come from being well over 100 years old. So my answer would be "No". I do not see anything which stands out as fake. I am far from an expert, perhaps someone else can chime in with their 2 francs worth. 1875 FR-A 5 f obv.JPG 1875 FR-A 5 f rev.JPG
     
    Miles Bloomfield likes this.
  9. Miles Bloomfield

    Miles Bloomfield New Member

    I think your right, it being cleaned sometime in the past would explane the back toning seen on many cleaned coins, and I also think rolled over edge I think is a intentional design feature on the coin from this photo https://imgur.com/a/5dSGJoF. I also matched up the lettering on the edge of the coin to the lettering on the front of the coin, matching from coin in this video all of the edge mould marks seem to be in the right place as well so it is a fake it is a very very good one. Thanks for your help!!!
     
  10. Hookman

    Hookman Well-Known Member

    With the new photos, you can see the cleaning marks (light scratches) a lot better.

    No offense, but you seem overly concerned about the authenticity of a coin that has only a value of, I think you said, 10 pounds or roughly $15.00 US.

    Again, no offense, but are you new to the hobby and you're just concerned about making the right choices/decisions, or are you a dyed-in-the-wool scammer just checking with experienced collectors to make sure your latest fake creation will pass muster with knowledgeable people?
     
  11. Miles Bloomfield

    Miles Bloomfield New Member

    No nothing like that I bought this on eBay a few days ago https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1873-French-Silver-5-Francs-Coin/293552215376?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 and I just want to check if it is genuine as the seller dose not have that many points and could have sold me a fake. I only ask so many questions because I know very little about this coin and there is not much information online. I just don't want to have one fake coin in my collection. Sorry I went overboard with the questions ) :
     
    Last edited: May 15, 2020
    Hookman likes this.
  12. coin_nut

    coin_nut Well-Known Member

    Sometimes getting a fake can be a learning experience. Sometime back I bought a big silver coin (Edward VII rupee) that looked rather odd in the seller's pix. When I got it in hand and examined closely, it was evident that this was a poorly made copy, what they call a "contemporary counterfeit". I have posted it on CT in the past. I kind of liked it, and another CT member liked it even more and collected such items, so now it lives with him. Fellow actually paid me more than I asked, so I did not argue with him. I may have a picture of it, let me see...there, found it. 1904 India 1 r obv.JPG 1904 India 1 r rev.JPG
     
    Miles Bloomfield likes this.
  13. Miles Bloomfield

    Miles Bloomfield New Member

    Very nice, it could be a pretty old counterfeit.Thanks for posting ill keep that in mind.
     
    Last edited: May 15, 2020
  14. Hookman

    Hookman Well-Known Member

    Dude, that coin is Scary fake ! It just screams fake at you.
     
    Miles Bloomfield likes this.
  15. Hookman

    Hookman Well-Known Member

    It's all good. I was mostly just joking with you, although every now and then we do get questions that seem designed to test the quality of someone's scammer efforts.
    I think most of us recognized the coin as real from the git-go.

    There's a thread here on Coin Talk !! called "Crown Sized Coins" that both coin-nut and I enjoy. That 5 Franc coin would fit right in. Go over there and post your coin, and take a look at all of the other great coins already posted there. Coin-nut has a bunch posted there. That thread will give you some ideas about which coin you want to get next.

    Thanks for posting.
     
    Miles Bloomfield and coin_nut like this.
  16. coin_nut

    coin_nut Well-Known Member

    It bugs me when someone who apparently has no interest in coin collecting gets on here with a parking lot damaged Lincoln cent, convinced that it is a mint error worth a lot of money, and demands to know what its worth. Most of us actually like or love our coins and do not regard them as potential instant winner lottery tickets.
     
    Hookman and Miles Bloomfield like this.
  17. Miles Bloomfield

    Miles Bloomfield New Member

    @Hookman Thanks for the recommendation! I do think that the crown size is the perfect size for a coin not to large not to small and when made of silver around 25 - 31 grams its the perfect weight in my opinion.
    Thanks again for you help!

    ps:do you have a link to that thread?
     
    Last edited: May 15, 2020
  18. Hookman

    Hookman Well-Known Member

    Miles Bloomfield likes this.
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page