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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;BRandM, post: 2992500, member: 22729&quot;]It&#039;s been quite awhile since we spoke about the Belfast Collection coins, James. It&#039;s great to see you weigh in here. No one&#039;s better with the history of Irish coinage than yourself.</p><p><br /></p><p>I haven&#039;t posted on this thread for a long while, as there&#039;s very little interest shown by members. I have been more and more involved in the political issues since then however, and have learned a lot. I&#039;ve cultivated a number of trusted sources in the UK...mostly Northern Ireland...and in Ireland itself. My collection now numbers over 350 coins, with a diversity of acronyms / slogans I wouldn&#039;t have believed just a few years ago.</p><p><br /></p><p>Unfortunately, in the past year or two, a lot of fakes have appeared on the market, as you know. I&#039;ve studied them closely, and believe I have a good grasp on what&#039;s authentic and what isn&#039;t. My decades long experience with US counterstamps helps in that regard too. Just out of curiosity, I did a review of auction offerings several months ago, and of 20 examples offered, I concluded that about 15 were fakes. That&#039;s a terrible result, but it is what it is.</p><p><br /></p><p>As to your criteria on detecting fakes, they&#039;re generally sound. Shiny metal within the punches are a reason for concern, but not necessarily a non-starter. Some of these issues were struck and removed from circulation very quickly, so had no opportunity to tarnish or darken. Also, the darkening of the strikes can be faked, so that&#039;s not a guarantee of authenticity, but there are diagnostics to look for there as well. In any case, there are quite a few red-flags to be aware of, but few by themselves can &quot;authenticate&quot; a fake.</p><p><br /></p><p>Good to hear from you again, James. I love your website, and refer to it often.</p><p><br /></p><p>Kindest regards,</p><p>Bruce[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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