Is this a fake

Gazza

I picked this coin up off the bay a few weeks back. During the auction the title was revised to indicate that it was a fake. Even as a fake I thought it could be worth a punt for a few pounds and obviously I won it. Now looking at it closely I'm not so sure that it is a fake. The weight is correct as best as I can tell, the diameter and thickness compare very closely to a genuin example. I cannot detect any marks that would suggest that it had been cast but the overal surface finish is very poor. The black areas which on the auction scans appeared to be lumps are actually pitting. It makes me think that the coin was previously in poor condition although not worn, perhaps black and a bit of surface corrosion. A previous owner has then cleaned it somehow possiblesand blasting it. If is is genuin and has been abrassively cleaned it's probably worth less than if it was a fake which is a pity because ignoring the damage it's probably nEF which books at around £100. Anyone have any thoughts.

Gazza

1960NYGiants

Sorry, cannot tell from the photos. But that dark crud worries me. Does it "ring" OK?

wybrit

I wouldn't be able to tell from that picture either. There are a lot of 1930 HCs with crud on them, so that doesn't worry me. How does it compare with any 1929 or 1931 examples you might have?

Your description of pitting is somewhat troubling. The sandblasting/cleaning would have been done to mask defects in the counterfeiting process.

If you only invested a few quid on it, there can't be much harm done.

trozau

If the weight and thickness are correct then the chances are that it is genuine.

7Jaguars

For my $.02 that looks to be the genuine article. Now just get it in proof and all is well!