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<p>[QUOTE="GDJMSP, post: 3610277, member: 112"]Well, to the best of my knowledge, plating is not something that was common at all back then. I would go so far as to say it was non-existent. What was common however was a process known as a silver wash. It was done by immersing base metal coins in a solution containing silver dissolved in the solution. This left a very, very, thin layer of silver on the base metal coin. But it was enough to often fool the unwary merchant. It wouldn't fool a moneychanger for a second though !</p><p><br /></p><p>Plating vs wash may sound like semantics but it really isn't as they are two different things done by different methods. And back then, the technology to produce plated coins really didn't exist.</p><p><br /></p><p>In conversations like this another thing that is confusing in itself is the use of the word counterfeit. What I'm getting at is that there are counterfeits and then there are debased coins, and they are definitely not the same thing. A counterfeit is a coin made of base metal, and washed, or not. A debased coin is merely one where the weight and or fineness is reduced below specification. But, in conversation, many use the terms interchangeably, and incorrectly.</p><p><br /></p><p>Take your coin for example. I do not believe it to be a counterfeit, merely a debased coin. And out and out counterfeits were far, far, less common that debased coins. In fact some mints, at least during the tenure of a given mint master, were known for producing nothing but debased coins. What's worse is that they got away with it because of mint rights - which is an entirely different story all by itself.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Studying the minting process, its technology, methods, mint rights and what they entailed and how they were acquired and even applied in a legal sense - all of that requires a great deal of research and study. But it can be done by anyone with the will and determination to do so. But, it must be noted that the information you seek can only be acquired piecemeal for the most part, a piece can be found here, another there, using a combination of books, articles, even original mint archives. There simply are no books that contain it all.</p><p><br /></p><p>There is however one book that contains a good bit of it, a book that I helped write. And that brings up another point I wish to mention to you. You mentioned above that the closest person to you specializing in your interest was 2 hours away. Well count your blessings he is that close ! I say that because the student of mine that I helped write the book with - he lives in Poland, and I'm in Florida. But between thousands of hours of phone calls, and more emails than can be counted, and more research and study than can even be imagined - the book got written, published, and won the NLG 2016 Best Book on World Coins award. It is the only book of its kind to have ever been written. That book would do you a lot of good towards furthering your research and knowledge base. If you can find a way, you should acquire one.</p><p><br /></p><p>And no, I'm not saying this to get you to buy the book for my own benefit. Ya see, I didn't make one cent from writing that book - not one - nor will I ever. All of the numismatic writing I have ever done - I do for free. So I have absolutely nothing to gain from suggesting you get a copy.</p><p><br /></p><p>But to comply with forum rules, and yeah even I must do that, I cannot name the book or provide a link. </p><p><br /></p><p>My primary point for you in telling you about that book is this - do not let distance to sources of information be a hindrance to your research and study. In today's world, distance is easily overcome <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie2" alt=";)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="GDJMSP, post: 3610277, member: 112"]Well, to the best of my knowledge, plating is not something that was common at all back then. I would go so far as to say it was non-existent. What was common however was a process known as a silver wash. It was done by immersing base metal coins in a solution containing silver dissolved in the solution. This left a very, very, thin layer of silver on the base metal coin. But it was enough to often fool the unwary merchant. It wouldn't fool a moneychanger for a second though ! Plating vs wash may sound like semantics but it really isn't as they are two different things done by different methods. And back then, the technology to produce plated coins really didn't exist. In conversations like this another thing that is confusing in itself is the use of the word counterfeit. What I'm getting at is that there are counterfeits and then there are debased coins, and they are definitely not the same thing. A counterfeit is a coin made of base metal, and washed, or not. A debased coin is merely one where the weight and or fineness is reduced below specification. But, in conversation, many use the terms interchangeably, and incorrectly. Take your coin for example. I do not believe it to be a counterfeit, merely a debased coin. And out and out counterfeits were far, far, less common that debased coins. In fact some mints, at least during the tenure of a given mint master, were known for producing nothing but debased coins. What's worse is that they got away with it because of mint rights - which is an entirely different story all by itself. Studying the minting process, its technology, methods, mint rights and what they entailed and how they were acquired and even applied in a legal sense - all of that requires a great deal of research and study. But it can be done by anyone with the will and determination to do so. But, it must be noted that the information you seek can only be acquired piecemeal for the most part, a piece can be found here, another there, using a combination of books, articles, even original mint archives. There simply are no books that contain it all. There is however one book that contains a good bit of it, a book that I helped write. And that brings up another point I wish to mention to you. You mentioned above that the closest person to you specializing in your interest was 2 hours away. Well count your blessings he is that close ! I say that because the student of mine that I helped write the book with - he lives in Poland, and I'm in Florida. But between thousands of hours of phone calls, and more emails than can be counted, and more research and study than can even be imagined - the book got written, published, and won the NLG 2016 Best Book on World Coins award. It is the only book of its kind to have ever been written. That book would do you a lot of good towards furthering your research and knowledge base. If you can find a way, you should acquire one. And no, I'm not saying this to get you to buy the book for my own benefit. Ya see, I didn't make one cent from writing that book - not one - nor will I ever. All of the numismatic writing I have ever done - I do for free. So I have absolutely nothing to gain from suggesting you get a copy. But to comply with forum rules, and yeah even I must do that, I cannot name the book or provide a link. My primary point for you in telling you about that book is this - do not let distance to sources of information be a hindrance to your research and study. In today's world, distance is easily overcome ;)[/QUOTE]
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