I got a couple Spanish Escudo in my shop (Aurum Strategies- I buy scrap gold), and I am new at the whole coin thing but am interested in starting a collection. One of the escudos was gold and was in a necklace and the other was silver (maybe) and was smaller. I think, after a little research, I have identified the gold one to be a 2 Escudo and the smaller one to be 1/2 Escudo. They are both in pretty good condition- to me, an untrained eye- and I would like to know if they are real. I will be posting pictures later tonight, but one thing that made me hesitant was that the gold Escudo was stamped 14K (very tiny). Could it possibly have been that the jeweler did it while making the ring or is it a fake? Thanks.
The 2 escudos is a modern reproduction. Genuine coins were about 92% gold - 23 karat. The 1/2 that you say is silver is no escudo as no escudo coins were made from silver. It might be a 1/2 reale though. But whatever it is it would have no value above bullion content since it has been made into jewelry.
Thanks GDJMSP. I put the coin under my x-ray machine and it came out to 58% gold so it's around 14k and not a real coin. Is the coin worth anything besides scrap value?
Even if it is a coin, which we don't know, its value would be bullion content since it has been made into jewelry.
Hello coinsurfer, I would still like to see a photo depicting the obverse & the reverse of your two (coins). Based upon your description & kt analysis, I would agree with GDJMSP. Very best regards, collect89
The silve rone is supposed to be a 1/2 reale, but it has the look of a cast copy. Given that you know the escudo is a fake, I suspect the 1/2 reale is too.
Hello Coinsurfer, Yes, that is precisely what is pictured. Your photos & my text just crossed in cyberspace yesterday around 3:00pm. They certainly are cool looking coins but you have apparently determined that the gold content is wrong and indicative of a fake. I do not have first hand knowledge of the particular pieces so I can't be much further help. Very best regards, collect89
One last thing that struck me as weird was the fact that under my xray machine the smaller one came out to around 98% gold...?