BEWARE.....Fakes seem to be in abundance!!!

Just a little cautionary word.

I successfully bid on two coins on eBay recently and received the second of them 3 days ago. They were described as 1840 Silver Rupees from British India and although collectable, they are of affordable value/price in lower grades.

The coins came from 2 very different sellers and even different continents.....but had one thing in common....both were fakes. I received full refunds(including postage) with little or no resistance but was not permitted to post any feedback reviews after the cases were closed.

So much for the feedback system!!!

And what about those unsuspecting buyers who don't know what to look for or how to spot fakes???

Brings me back to what I have said a few times before on various threads....I am of the firm belief that if you cannot hold a coin and check it out with a loupe, don't buy it on the basis of a scan unless you trust the seller 100% or the coin is slabbed.

There are just too many fakes out there even for coins of $20-30 value. Good luck and buy safe.

 

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You know, almost all my encounters with fakes, or misrepresentation, have been for less than $30. I shall endevour to perceiviere, not knowing what else to do (except figure out spell check).Bless you all.

 

The EIC rupees of William & Victoria have been notorious for fakes for years now. Quite easy to spot when you read up on it though.

 

Thank you for notice

 

Fakes are always in season on eBay.

 

Sure wish you could have posted a photo of the fakes.

 

I noticed excess specks of metal (residue) on the coins, some on the coin itself but more particularly in the reeded edges.

Also if seen under a loupe, one could see that the coins were moulded rather than minted. Numbers and letters did not appear to have the clean edges one would expect.

Are there any other telltale signs? If so, please share them with us. Thanks.

 

Is it allowed on the site?

 

If the moderator deletes them then I'm sorry. You can see the excess reside on the letters and also some pitting where the metal has not reached all parts of the mould. Also there are grains of reside on the reverse between I and N in INDIA.

 

Nothing against the rules for posting fakes for education . For people like me not knowing the series they look like quite well made counterfeits .

 

THANKS!
If the coins were the same date, did you note any "repeating marks?" Bet lots of folks will miss these.

 

That "excess metal residue" is usually referred to as "casting bubbles." They are very common on cast fakes. The pockmarks on Victoria's face are also potentially a sign of a fake. I say potentially because it's not always the case; a similar appearance can result from things like a rusty die or environmental damage.

 

I should like to add my opinion as a clarification.

In the 1970's, ANACS authenticators taught that "excess metal" (EM) referred to the raised, solid lumps and large pimples that was found on the surface of counterfeit coins in places where it did not belong - such as lumps in the field or next to the coins relief. The same characteristics found on genuine coins were called die chips or die rust. EM was never a residue.

Casting bubbles were mostly round so called casting bubbles even though they were EM - usually trapped in the coins relief. Nevertheless, any rough shaped raised metal trapped in the relief of a cast coin WAS called EM.

When I read that the coin has excess metal residue in the edge, I visualized the minute, usually microscopic, flake-shaped, silver colored residue (often the powder metal file-like particles) made when edge reeds are applied to the fake.

 

I once gifted a friend an 1840 Rupee a few years back.... Sometime I gotta take a look at it and see if I accidentally gifted a fake. I own another right now but doesn't appear to have these signs.

 

Repeating marks such as hits or scrapes are a great way to tell fakes like insider said . In fact it's the easiest way to tell some of the Mideast gold fakes as they are quite well done . On those you can also look for tool marks also as like any pup for a real die state they're also pup s for the fakes .

 

That might fool me even in person. It looks well struck for a fake. Is it silver? Does it stick to magnet?

 

This is true, but the problem is you need to have either two of the same type of fake or a picture of the known fake to compare to.

 

For the Mideast gold pieces and other well made gold fakes you can use "United States Gold Counterfeit Detection Guide" By Bill Fivaz . And you're correct in that until someone documents these "hit patterns" you're left on your own looking at known fakes and looking for recurring hits and tool marks . The best way of knowing fakes is knowing what a real coin looks like , and knowing the known die marriages and their pups .

 

I have been taught that Professionals seldom have two identical fakes to authenticate at the same time. They rely on other things. Then, they "map" the marks that MAY be repeating because they were transferred to the C/F die. Once another fake is seen, the repeating marks can be separated from others on the coin.

AMEN!!

 

I have not had to try the magnet test because I immediately recognised it as a fake. But they use pewter or similar alloy, which looks similar to silver, and can fool the novice buyer quite easily.

As far as repeating marks etc. are concerned, one really would need an in-depth knowledge of the counterfeit/fake coin industry and if one has done that much research, he will already have sufficient knowledge to spot a fake a mile away. I consider myself a novice collector and I could spot the telltale marks on this rather well made fake.

Also do remember that many coins are being produced in certain countries including India, Dubai etc. which are made from 22k gold and are sold as just plain gold bullion, not as George V sovereigns. I am not sure if they are being reproduced under a license of some sort but the Dubai coins are clearly marked as 22k. I don't have an issue with these as the jewellers clearly point out that they are not original sovereigns but I do have issues with those who deliberately try to mislead.

Wish some online sites had the guts to blacklist and penalise sellers of fakes but I suppose the greed of earning 9% commission on a sale is overwhelming!!!