CCC Contest. Contemporary Circulating Counterfeit (CCC) Coin of the Year? Unearthed in the U.K. recently. Lets see how good you guys really are - here are the specifics: 1. Its the Portrait of Ferdinand VI. KM#32.1 type or similar. 2. Plain Edge and Medal Die Turn. 3. Incredibly 30% off-center. 4. A regal weighs 27.06 grams. This coin weighs 23.1 grams. 5. Mintmark is N.R and therefore Columbia issue for this mid- 18thC piece. 6. Gold mercuric amalgamation over a current base alloy. 7. Sharpness: AU-UNC - no wear detected under 30X stereo microscope examination. 8. Size: 38.54 mm (Vertically) X 39.6 mm (horizontally). Question - for this region and its weight to regal what is its base alloy. Brass, Bronze, Brass/Bronze, Platinum, Silver/Gold, other ... John Lorenzo Numismatist United States
To be XRF tested in about a week to reveal the answer. See me on facebook for other CCC study coins of a similar level.
Here is my SWAG (Scientific Wild Ass Guess). Although the Bronze Age began approximately 3000 BC, it seems to me coiners did not begin using it until the mid 19th century. So I'm going to rule out bronze and alloys of it. It was a counterfeit gold coin, so I'll consider silver and Cu are possibilities. You didn't give the regal diameter, it looks like it should be 36mm in Krause. Which would make your 39 mm coin much bigger in diameter ... and it's still light. I'll assume the thickness is the same. The ratio of the diameters (or radii) squared is 1.53. This should also be the ratio of the volumes if thickness is the same. The ratio of the specific gravities of silver/gold is 0.554. The ratio of the specific gravity of Cu/gold is 0.463. The ratio of weights for the counterfeit/regal is 0.851. I think if I multiply the ratio of the volumes to the ratio of the specific gravities, I should get the ratio of weights. Doing this ... I get for silver 0.834 ... for Cu 0.710. 0.834 is close (to 0.851) and closer (than the Cu 0.710). So I'm going with Silver. With a confidence level of 1/8=12.5%.
i used the wrong number in the diameter squared calculations. It should be 1.17. Using this Silver weight ratio is 0.638. .. Cu is 0.543. Nothing too close. So I'll change my SWAG to a WAG and say Cu, because it looks like it. Same confidence level 12.5%.
Go to the World section of Coin Community Forum. Analyzing it soon for Platinum and Silver and hopefully no lead. One of two known. Too complex for this channel.
