A giveaway with a twist! - winner announced!

TwoKopeiki

I am so excited about a coin I received yesterday that I would like to give something away!

Now for the rules: I will post a series of images and everyone wishing to participate will have 1 try to guess if the coin is authentic, or counterfeit. Those that guess it right will get 2 entries, while those that guess it wrong - only 1 entry. Winner will be drawn on Wednesday, August 15th, evening (let's say 9pm EST), using random number generator.

The winner is OLMANJON !!! and will receive One old piece: 1782 Lima, Peru, 2 Reales in very strong VF and one new piece: 1895 Mexico City 8 Reales in MS (to my eyes, anyway)

Here are the images:

Obverse:


Reverse:


Close-up of the bottom lion on the reverse:


Close-up of the date:


Close-up of the test cut on the edge:


Good luck!

TheKidCollector1991

Taking a wild guess:

I'm saying it's genuine

Thanks for the chance
TheKid!

agentjim007

I'll also guess genuine. Show us the coin that has your panties in a bunch

RareBronzeCollector

I would lean towards it being GENUINE.....

Thanks for the chance.......

koincollect

<< <i>I would lean towards it being GENUINE..... >>



Me too. Thanks for the chance.

ajaan

Authentic.

coinpictures

Pretty color. I shuddered when I saw the test cut (yeah I know it's a common practice, but AUGH!).

Since everyone else is saying authentic, I'll be contrary just for the sake of being contrary: counterfeit.

TwoKopeiki

Hmm ... Ajaan .... can't quite put my finger on it, but you seem more refined... handsomer, even... What might it be?

Stork

Well, I'm at work which means no pictures for me (my computer is a tad slow with this, and hangs up on ebay...I have to sneak onto another computer to see the cool coins). So, my pictureless guess is counterfeit . Do I get to come back and edit my choice later when I can actually see?


Cathy

TwoKopeiki

Of course, Cathy! Edit's are accepted, since I wouldn't reveal the authenticity (or the lack of) until the winner is decided.

dan8402

I will guess authentic, but I have absolutely no reason why I came to that conclusion


Edit: I change my guess to counterfeit. But, I have a feeling I'm going to regret changing my answer.

TwoKopeiki

All I have to say is look at the pictures and find a reason for everything that you see. This is a very interesting coin, displaying very interesting characteristics. Once you have derived all the facts - the answer should be obvious...

drjules

I'm going to go counterfeit, thanks for the chance

Dr J

goldboy

Im only familiar with the golds of this era so using that as a referrence I would have to say "counterfeit".

Great twist! Thanks for the chance..............................................

JRC

Thank you for the chance TwoKopeiki.
I believe it to be a fake.

Regulated

Contemporary counterfeit.

ozzysdad47

Thank's for the chance , Roman, But i say , Counterfeit............ But i did forget to tell you guy's i was able to obtain 8 Reale's from Thank you, I know have 16 total, still looking for several date's.
Thank's , Ozzysdad....

BBQnBLUES

Counterfeit !

mojoman

If you are excited then I would guess REAL,Thanks for the chance ,MoJo

olmanjon

I have to say a fake--just seems like the engravers could have done a much better job on that coin. Also where the cut was made in the coin--why all the bubbles in the interior?

laserart

I'm going with an interesting fake. Cool just the same.

baddspellar

I'm going with counterfeit (contemporary counterfeit, to be exact)

dcamp78

I believe this coin is a counterfeit.

Here's why:
- I can't find this coin for this date in my reference materials.
- The tail on the bottom lion is not aligned with the one in the upper right quadrant of the shield, and it should be.
- The date looks to have been restruck or tampered with.
- The test cut on the edge of the coin looks like it has a darker metal in the center and a whiter metal on the outside.
(but I don't know what the quality of the planchets that were used to make this coin) and there looks to be a good
bit of porosity within the metal(s) themselves.

Overall, it's a good fake. I don't own one of these and would have most likely missed all errors except for the date.

Thanks for the chance(s).

Coinguy19

I'll go with Counterfeit.

BS

I'll say fake as well.

21Walker

I'll go Authentic, no counterfeiter could do the triple strike on the 'one' in the date. If I win, Please send the prize to a YN runner up.........Thanks and nice score............Rick

Resplandor

Looks genuine to me.

TwoKopeiki

I'm starting to realize that we don't really have enough people on Darkside to have to keep this running for longer than a day...

I think I'll change the day I pick the winner to tomorrow (Wednesday) 9pm EST.

Burks

I'm going to say it's fake.

Only reason is the bubbles in the cut/hole area.

Musky1011

FAKE and I'm not lion (pun intended)

TwoKopeiki

Edited to add the prizes and change the end of the giveaway to Wednesday.

1960NYGiants

I guess fake.

DesertRat

I'm going to say it is fake based on the test cut.

Nice twist! thanks for the chance.

Cheddy

Authentic.

Ricke

I would say fake, due to the lack of edge detail, and the appearance of the cut.

Is it a fake based on a host coin that had been struck over a different mint? The denticles sort of imply it was either an excessively crude strike, or it was an overstrike. Inside the cut appear to be casting bubbles.

lordmarcovan

I'm guessing genuine. Thanks.

Swampboy

I'm guessing genuine but please don't through my name in the hat Roman since I'm a recent winner of one of your fun giveaways.

TwoKopeiki

Everyone gets a chance, Swampboy

A little less than hour and a half left.

ajaan

<< <i>The winner is picked... >>


You have my addy.

TwoKopeiki

The winner has been selected.

This coin is most definitely a counterfeit. A Sheffield Plate contemporary, to be exact - the core is a more crudely cast base (normally copper, but not in this case) metal plate with 0.900 fine silver layered over it. The technology dates back to about 1770 and was used by most successful counterfeiters until the mid-1830s when German Silver was "discovered". The "edge cut" picture clearly shows that it was a cold rolled Sheffield Plate (the hot welded Plate usually adheres better and rarely undercuts the surface layers like you can see in that picture). The core appears to be a very poor quality metal with inclusions of non-metallic impurities as well as air bubbles. Some air bubbles appear to have evidence of being compressed along the diameter of the coin by the pressure of the annealing rollers.

The dies are hand engraved in large part. I love the lions!!! They didn't bother making a lion punch. The two lions have totally different tails. The date appears to be re-punched, but the punches were not all the same size. The 8 is much taller than the 1 and the shape of the 7 was never used on an authentic 8 Reales (that I am aware of). The letter punches are also hand-made - check out the letter E's and the I's. They are distinctive!

I have been looking for a nice example of a Sheffield plate for a while, which was hard, since sellers don't advertise counterfeits as such.

DesertRat

Congrats Olmanjon!


So TK, is it live or is it memorex?

dan8402

Well, at least I got it right, even thought I did change my original answer.

Edit: I hate the post-order-changing that has been happening lately.

TwoKopeiki

MEMOREX! And how!



<< <i>The winner has been selected.

This coin is most definitely a counterfeit. A Sheffield Plate contemporary, to be exact - the core is a more crudely cast base (normally copper, but not in this case) metal plate with 0.900 fine silver layered over it. The technology dates back to about 1770 and was used by most successful counterfeiters until the mid-1830s when German Silver was "discovered". The "edge cut" picture clearly shows that it was a cold rolled Sheffield Plate (the hot welded Plate usually adheres better and rarely undercuts the surface layers like you can see in that picture). The core appears to be a very poor quality metal with inclusions of non-metallic impurities as well as air bubbles. Some air bubbles appear to have evidence of being compressed along the diameter of the coin by the pressure of the annealing rollers.

The dies are hand engraved in large part. I love the lions!!! They didn't bother making a lion punch. The two lions have totally different tails. The date appears to be re-punched, but the punches were not all the same size. The 8 is much taller than the 1 and the shape of the 7 was never used on an authentic 8 Reales (that I am aware of). The letter punches are also hand-made - check out the letter E's and the I's. They are distinctive!

I have been looking for a nice example of a Sheffield plate for a while, which was hard, since sellers don't advertise counterfeits as such. >>

TwoKopeiki

A little more about Sheffield Plate, for those who might be interested:

Sheffield Plate refers to a process when a copper, or other base metal, sheet veneered on both sides with a thin plate of silver and then passed through a rolling mill until reduced to the required thickness. Subsequently, required size discs were then stamped out the strip and provided with an edge. This procedure was developed by Thomas Boulsover in 1742. Boulsover discovered that a 1 inch thick block of copper could be covered by a 1/8 inch coating of silver then hammered and rolled into thin plates. Later, in 1765, both sides could be plated and by 1788 the process was perfected when it was found the edges of the cut plate “could be successfully hidden by the soldering on of silver wire". In this fashion the most genuine appearing eight Reales could be cheaply manufactured. In a small pamphlet by A, Y. Akerman, a counterfeit eight Reale is plated which the author claims was a “Counterfeit Spanish Milled dollar having received over a hundred chops and was circulated extensively for some years among the Chinese, who never suspected that it was copper plated with silver"...