Opinions on a flea market purchase

Cocoinut

An earlier post of a counterfeit Chinese coin by YQQ prompted me to take another look at some coins I purchased at a flea market about 3 years ago. They appeared to have been buried at one time, but it occurred to me that they could also be counterfeits that had been artificially "aged" . Seven of the coins are 1914 "Fat Man" dollars which, according to my 1997 Krause catalog, were restruck up through the 1950's. One other coin is a dollar from An-Hwei province.

I paid $1 apiece for these, figuring that if they were genuine, the metal content would make it a good buy. If they're fakes, I'm only out $8. They are not magnetic. I weighed them on scales that only show full grams, and they are all 26(+) grams, and they look and sound like silver.

Sorry I couldn't get better photos.

Coin #1


Coin #2


Coin #3


Coin #4


Coin #5


Coin #6


Coin #7


Coin #8


What do you think? Was this a good deal for me, or for the seller? Please give a reason for your opinions.

Thanks,

Jim

Andres

imho, lack of detail gives them away as copy coins, made of white metal , not silver. $1 is the going rate for these copy coins.

candy2012mustang

I don't like the looks of these...

Hussulo

Sorry to say 100% fake and as others have mentioned, wont be made from silver (so the weight will also be too light) but at least they were cheap.

Many of the coins you have pictured look really mushy and some are softly struck in the centres. The biggest give away is the border teeth or the lack of them in many places.

if you look at this example you can see what they are supposed to look like:

image taken from http://www.dragondollar.com/coins/tag/fatman-dollar/

Also your ones have been artificially toned and stained to hide the detail and make them appear worn.

percyb

There's an old adage to consider when purchasing most anything: "You get what you pay for"
In this instance you got what you paid for.

Cocoinut

Thanks for the replies. It was a cheap lesson. If they had cost more than $1, I probably wouldn't have bothered. I think the best place for them is the trash. I wouldn't want anyone to find them after I die and think they're of any value.

Jim

candy2012mustang

I wouldnt throw them in the trash, send them to collectors so thye are more aware of these fakes.

Its scary - I recently contacted a guy about a few chinese dollars he had that were really nice - he sent me emails of all of his coins...

All fake coins.

Needless to say, I didnt buy anything from that seller - I looked again at his auctions on the 'bay, - "not a registered user".

nicholasz219

If only they could somehow become a NARU before you concluded any business with these types....

ColinCMR

cheap lesson,
i agree, give them to other collectors and dealers you like so they have an example of fakes

they're still kinda cool, maybe you can trade them with someone at a garage sale for something simple, just let them know theyre fakies