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What do you guys think about this coin, does it look real to you? It feels odd, doesn't feel or sound metallic and doesn't smell of anything!

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i have to be honest, i did'nt realise a coin should smell. What should it smell off and am i paying to much for mine that don't smell?

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What do you guys think about this coin, does it look real to you? It feels odd, doesn't feel or sound metallic and doesn't smell of anything!

vru7a0.jpg

1zly6j9.jpg

There isn't anything to suggest it is wrong looking at it, i.e. the mark is correct for 1575 as are the legends, the bust is 5A, the leaf style is type 14 and the shield is type 38. What is the weight? The coin won't ring correctly because it has a crack. A sixpence should be about 3.00g. The only problem is the condition resulting from a few centuries in the ground.

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I assume when you talk about the smell you are on about the foil test? Spit on a pice of foil and rub it on a silver coin, you get an sulphurous smell.

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What do you guys think about this coin, does it look real to you? It feels odd, doesn't feel or sound metallic and doesn't smell of anything!

There are a few dodgy Elizabeth I coins around. Most of the forgeries are made of pewter and have a curious 'r' shaped mark on them. Almost impossible to tell from a photo though.

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What do you guys think about this coin, does it look real to you? It feels odd, doesn't feel or sound metallic and doesn't smell of anything!

vru7a0.jpg

1zly6j9.jpg

Yes, I had one of these (to my shame, as a dealer!). The buyer pointed out that it was twice as thick as it should be, and it turned out to be a repro (NOT a forgery) sold quite legitimately by a museum shop somewhere. I refunded his money and eventually managed to sell it as a repro without too much of a loss. Now I could recognise one immediately. Yours looks identical to the one I had. I think it was the same date even?

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I think it's ok. The obverse has ghosting which a copy wouldn't want to show and it matches the position relative to the split. The basic problem with the coin is the corrosion. The previous environment could also leave a stable silver compound on the surface which doesn't react to the test in the same way. Weight and dimensions are good starting points to eliminate a dud. If it is within a few percent of full weight it is unlikely to be pewter. The thickness on the casts is a good indicator too as they are approaching that of a piedfort in many cases. The few dodgy E1 sixpences I have seen to date weighed about 4.00g, which combined with a density typically 15% lower than that of silver results in a coin approaching twice the normal thickness.

Does anyone have a picture of a genuine copy or forgery?

Edited by Rob

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Does anyone have a picture of a genuine copy or forgery?

These are rather poor images of a 3d dated 1562. Definitely a replica in pewter.

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Does anyone have a picture of a genuine copy or forgery?

These are rather poor images of a 3d dated 1562. Definitely a replica in pewter.

The one I encountered could well have been pewter too. Which might account for the 'no smell'.

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