Hi everyone! The coin in question is the large sovereign looking coin on the right. My brother has had this coin for a while and something just seems off to me. What is it? I’ve never seen a large gold sovereign and with two stamps on the bottom of the kings neck and chin. It’s hard to exactly make out what it is. Thank you, Larry
Weight? That's an interesting stamp, possibly a collector's stamps? These coins were issued in larger denominations - 2 and 5 pounds - as well as the comparatively ubiquitous sovereign.
It is a 'middle east' reproduction of a 1911 British £2. In the 1960s-80s, there was a huge demand in the middle east for British gold for use in commerce, but not enough supply. As a result, large numbers of Sovereigns and their multiples were produced by jewellers, with many being excellent. Oftentimes, the producer would hallmark their creation to certify the purity (sometimes varying from the original .917). The coin in question is worth its gold content.
Thank you guys! Can anyone tell me what the purity is? It is 40 grams. How do I know if it’s real or fake?
Yes, when the supply of gold sovereigns was not large enough, the counterfeiters filled the void. Interestingly enough, they even got the weight right quite often from what I have read.
This one is huge. Is there anyway to know more info specifically on its gold content or where it came from.
Specifics on metallic contents, require a XRF "gun" , or similar "device". THE USE OF DIFFERENT ACID COMPOUNDS THAT WERE ONCE USED WILL DAMAGE THE COIN and can not go deep, so plating is often used by cheaters!! Many of the large coin shops have them. Mine in San Diego area ( 100 miles away) has one and uses it before they make offers on coins and jewelry, etc. of precious metals. If you don't want to sell it, just analyze it , some fees as $50-200 per coin or object, depending on numbers. A XRF gun average cost is about $25,000, depending on its capability and they leave no change in the coin. I have been in the shop when 3 women came in to see if their "love interest's jewelry " was really what they had been told.......Guess what!! I didn't know some of their words before!!. We all had a good laugh as they had suspected it! The owner and his wife were kind and didn't charge for the tests.
During the gulf war RAF pilots were issued with gold coins to use to try and get help from the local people if they were shot down. This could be one of those as it looks a bit like arabic script on the obverse of this £5 coin.
