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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;NOS, post: 3307500, member: 2098&quot;]I think you&#039;re overthinking this a bit. COA&#039;s can be forged and made up like anything else. In the year 2000, I was given a Spanish silver cob coin (I believe four reales- it is just a bit smaller than a modern half dollar) from a galleon that sank in the 1650&#039;s. The friend who gave it to me attests that his father recovered it from having dived to the ship. Now, I expect that the coin is not worth much as it has suffered extensive salt water damage, completely obliterating the design on one side of the coin. At any rate, I do not have any formal COA to accompany the coin but I have no reason to doubt its authenticity or provenance.</p><p><br /></p><p>So sure, the coin in question for this thread could be fake but let&#039;s take a step back. Would a counterfeiter really go through the trouble to forge the coin in question, apply acid and then crudely clean it to make it look like a shipwreck coin when doing so would negate any real or potential value that the coin would have had? Perhaps, but I doubt it. Conducting a silver ring test (discussed below) and matching up other characteristics to known genuine examples should be satisfactory in establishing authenticity on a cool but otherwise low-value coin.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I would do the silver ring drop test on a preferably wooden table. I&#039;d listen for the characteristic high pitched ringing sound that emanates from silver coins. If it passes this test, I&#039;d be satisfied about its silver content. Just to note, this is not a test I&#039;d recommend on a high-grade piece. Even though it has some cool history to it, realistically the coin is worth little more than bullion value.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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