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1959 Bermuda Crown: side by side display of genuine vs. cast counterfeit
greghansen
Posts: 4,301 ✭✭✭
Apologies in advance for the monster images, but size is really needed to get the most benefit from this posting. This is really for beginning collectors or those who have heard the term 'cast counterfeit' but can't really conjure up an image as to how that type of counterfeit differs from a genuine coin.
I had the unpleasant experience of winning the EBAY auction on the counterfeit last week and when the coin arrived, it was clear to me that it was not genuine. (The coin has been returned, however, I took these photos for my records and educational use)
I have several examples of genuine Bermuda Crowns (these 1959 coins are sterling silver) and like most coins, the best background for detecting counterfeits is to have a good 'minds eye' what the genuine article should look like. From the monster images, most would say, 'how could that ever fool anybody'....and it wouldn't so long as a critical eye were cast upon it. But you have to remember, cast counterfeits were not intended to be extremely deceptive, only to be good enough to pass casual inspection in a quick hand to hand transaction.
In the photos the genuine coin is on the left obviously and the cast counterfeit is on the right. The typical cast counterfeit will have a significant loss of fine detail (observe loss of detail around necklace, eye, nose, etc.), will have surfaces that can be described as 'grainy', 'pimply' or 'sandblasted' in appearance. The rims and denticles are not sharp and crisp as they would be on even a circulated coin.
I've also included a set of smaller images so you can get a better perspective of how the coins may look next to each other 'in hand'.
The weight of this counterfeit was also off. The cast coin weighed only 20.5 grams and the genuine article should come in at 28.28 g.
I had the unpleasant experience of winning the EBAY auction on the counterfeit last week and when the coin arrived, it was clear to me that it was not genuine. (The coin has been returned, however, I took these photos for my records and educational use)
I have several examples of genuine Bermuda Crowns (these 1959 coins are sterling silver) and like most coins, the best background for detecting counterfeits is to have a good 'minds eye' what the genuine article should look like. From the monster images, most would say, 'how could that ever fool anybody'....and it wouldn't so long as a critical eye were cast upon it. But you have to remember, cast counterfeits were not intended to be extremely deceptive, only to be good enough to pass casual inspection in a quick hand to hand transaction.
In the photos the genuine coin is on the left obviously and the cast counterfeit is on the right. The typical cast counterfeit will have a significant loss of fine detail (observe loss of detail around necklace, eye, nose, etc.), will have surfaces that can be described as 'grainy', 'pimply' or 'sandblasted' in appearance. The rims and denticles are not sharp and crisp as they would be on even a circulated coin.
I've also included a set of smaller images so you can get a better perspective of how the coins may look next to each other 'in hand'.
The weight of this counterfeit was also off. The cast coin weighed only 20.5 grams and the genuine article should come in at 28.28 g.
Greg Hansen, Melbourne, FL Click here for any current EBAY auctions Multiple "Circle of Trust" transactions over 14 years on forum
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How can you tell, this is a conterfeit contemporary coin from the sixties, and not a modern made chinese copy coin ?
Greg Hansen, Melbourne, FL Click here for any current EBAY auctions Multiple "Circle of Trust" transactions over 14 years on forum
and I agree its not good enough to fool a collector.
Yes, the more modern chinese counterfeit coins are all die struck and more or less of the correct weight , far more dangerous to the unaware average collector.
I have a small collection of both cast and die struck counterfeit coins,
great study material.
I look for the detail in the islands, the relative distance between aspects of the design, the diameter of the coin... of course all of this is difficult when only the fake is in-hand. But the overall dull, grey tone speaks volumes.
Amat Colligendo Focum
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Amat Colligendo Focum
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Bob
Obscurum per obscurius