Weight Tolerances on Older Russian Coins and Authenticity
airplanenut
Posts: 22,774 ✭✭✭✭✭
I sold the ruble below recently, and the buyer questioned its authenticity citing its weight at 20.3g vs. the Krause-listed 20.73g. To my eye, the coin looked okay (it is cleaned, with the fields changing between a dark and light look depending on how the light hits it), but nothing looked funny, for lack of a better term. Things like the random weak letter are phenomena I've seen on similar coins. That said, this isn't a type of coin I know in great detail. I wouldn't necessarily expect a bit of wear and a cleaning to shave off .3-.4g, but I suppose that could explain some weight loss. Is there a weight tolerance from this era where a slightly underweight coin could be completely fine, or is there anything that tips you off to saying yes or no to this coin's authenticity?
The buyer is a repeat and I want to treat him right no matter what. But if I can point to something that says the coin is fine, we can all be done and happy. Of course, if there is an issue, hopefully I can learn something and I'll make him whole.
Thanks!
Comments
Need to see what the ruble is to better ascertain the reliability of the tolerances. Depending on the coin and where it was minted is a big factor, because some late 19th century coins were minted in Brussels etc.
My bad! I thought I added them when I first posted.
Added them to the main post.
I don't see anything to suggest that it is nothing other than an early 19th century Russian ruble - during that time in particular weights could vary a bit - 4 zolotnik and 21 dolya were what the coin was supposed to be, but that coin also has some circulation which definitely could be the factor in the weight difference.
Looks good to me
Justin Meunier
Boardwalk Numismatics
These are all I have. I can't say I studied the edge, but if it would have looked really off, I hope I would have noticed when holding the coin.