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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;djdj, post: 673311, member: 20254&quot;]Thanks for chiming in guys and appreciate the collective knowledge.&nbsp; </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>I was finally able to show both coins to 2 local experts here in my neck of the woods, and their verdicts are:</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>1) Coin 1 (thaler) is 100% fake.&nbsp; </p><p>2) Coin 2 (ducaton) is genuine, but with a repaired hole somewhere on the 12 o clock position on the reverse.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>So back went both coins to the dealer who, truth be told, was not happy about the return.&nbsp; He grudgingly refunded what I paid for it.&nbsp; Obviously, he does not think highly of me as a customer, so he&#039;s definitely not getting any more future business from me.&nbsp; End of story.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Lessons learned:</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>1) Coin collecting hobby is littered with land mines of counterfiets and fraud, and even the most recommended / trusted dealer is NOT immune to getting scammed.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>2) Transact only with reputable dealers / sellers who won&#039;t hesitate to accept returns.&nbsp; Better yet, establish a good relationship with a reputable seller / dealer.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>3) Aside from doing your own due diligence, it literally pays to be able to harness the experience and knowledge of hobbyists who have been there to coin collecting hell and back, and who are ready and willing to share such knowledge and experience.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>4) The support of the local coin collecting community is also valuable in one&#039;s learning curve because pictures are not 100% accurate gauges of a coin&#039;s authenticity.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Thanks again.&nbsp; I think I&#039;ll stick to modern coins for the time being. <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie7" alt=":p" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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