So last night I had a customer that is a regular bring me this says he knows it is fake but he knows I like coins and asked if I could buy him some cigarettes. Being he is a regular I said sure. I know with certainty it is fake weight is 28 grams, no edge lettering and by looking at it you can tell but for the heck of it I used a rare earth magnet and it didn't stick so I tried using a lighter on it which according to what I read would make fake gold darker, tomorrow im going to get some vinegar and do the acid test. I know the chances are nill but has anyone seen a counterfeit gold coin on real gold. This is just a conversation post and I know it's probably not just bored and wanted to post something lol.
Not USA, but you frequently encounter counterfeit British Sovereigns that are gold, but are not of correct purity. They particularly came out of the Middle East, and some are even hallmarked at their lower purities!
Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that the 20th century middle eastern fakes were actually of higher gold purity than the real thing. This one doesn't look to have that same "issue". It looks weakly struck and of the wrong (lower) gold content. I personally wouldn't buy this coin if it came across my counter.
@mikenoodle - I have handled quite a few of the Middle East counterfeits (particularly they turned up in Montreal in quantity), and almost all were 18k, and almost all imitated King George V London mint issues from the 1910s-20s... as mentioned, some were even stamped with the purity by the producer / a jeweller.
I was referring to $2 1/2 and $5 Indians (US coins) made in Lebanon and other middle eastern countries during the great depression era. They were better than 22k as that was the only thing that the government would enforce in so far as counterfeiting
@mikenoodle - I did specify not USA, but rather Sovereigns in my initial reply. OP simply asked if it ever happens that counterfeits are in fact gold, perhaps of a lower purity, to which the answer is yes.
and it is also true at the same time, that not all counterfeits are made of sub-standard gold alloy. The OP asked about seeing counterfeits made from real gold. I believe both of our answers are correct
sorry for the late reply but I had a medical emergency and been out for a little while, It passed the acid test so at this point I'm just going to have someone with a RF scanner take a look at it, strange if it is really made from gold that they would use real gold on such a poorly made counterfeit lol
