China Sale on a rare coin I am looking for.

theboz11

What do you think? As if I didn't know. Check out his other fakes to see how far China has come in making them look old. They all have the same patina

Bird of Paradise

sumnom

I am not familiar with the coin so I cannot say much about whether or not this looks right. What do you think about the rims and beading? They look a little uneven. Is that typical? Also, the lettering in NEU-GUINEA is a little uneven. Aside from these things I don't see anything else that would suggest a counterfeit.

Edit: I misread your post. Sorry.

So, what are the diagnostics. As you can see, I haven't a clue.

sumnom

After looking through some of the other auctions, I must say all the coins resemble one another.

theboz11

What do you think about the rims and beading?

Those beads are the first thing that I noticed They stink in uniformity.

sumnom

What do I think? I think they look fishy. I guess I passed the test!

About three years ago I was in an antique shop in Seoul that had a few Meiji period 50 sen pieces. They appeared to be BU and were absolutely stunning. The strikes were so sharp and crisp. They looked absolutely perfect. When I asked to examine one, the shop keeper went on and on about what nice pieces they were bla bla bla but when I picked on up it was immediately obvious they were fake. It felt like it was made of aluminum, maybe even aluminium. I looked the guy in the eye and said, "These are fake, aren'y they?" He just smiled and said he'd let me have it for the equivalent of a dollar. I didn't buy it but I regret it now. It would have been an interesting addition to the collection. It is these sorts of fakes that really concern me. A major part of my collection is Meiji issues so I am familiar with the genuine articles and have seen so many fakes. Had I not picked this one up I would not have known.

theboz11

I should have placed that question in QUOTES. It was your question to me and I used it to lead into my opinion.

sumnom

sumnom

At any rate, tell me more. When you look at this coin what are the problems you see?

satootoko

Well, at least you have to congratulate a Chinese coin seller who made it all the way to a positive feedback rating of 2 without any negs.

theboz11

Actually the first thing I look for in any coin that I consider. Wear or weakness where there should be none given the general condition of the coin. This one has weak wing detail while the chest ,even in this poor photo looks better.

sumnom

Why are there such inconsistencies in wear/weakness? Do you think this coin may have been cast of just poorly struck?

theboz11

Poor die preparation and insufficient press pressure are my suspects after seeing the presses they use. They are hand operated an will certainly give inconsistent results.

Also look at the feathers just above the head. They are soft and lack the detail of an original/

sumnom

Knowing what the real thing looks like is key to detecting the fakes.

Sapyx

The German New Guinea 5 marks is one of the coins pictured in Syracusian's snaps of a Chinese fake coin workshop. First pic, on the left side centre, the obverse and reverse dies for this coin are next to each other.

ozzysdad47

I agree, The toning look's the same on all of the coin's, I wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole.......

coinpictures

Comparing it to a real one, the differences jump out at you, but I could see these fakes easily fooling the unwary or unknowledgeable...