1908 Half Sovereign Query

[Bernie]

I have come across a 1908 half sovereign for sale for £65. The seller claims that he has tested the gold content of it and it appears to be 9ct. The coin is in fine grade and weighs approximately 3 grams. The dealer informs me that he believes that it was struck by the royal mint. The coin appears 100% genuine to me. Does any forum member know of an explanation for the existence of this coin please. I do not have pictures of this coin.

[Rob]

Beirut Special?

[VickySilver]

As in Forrest Gump (the movie): "Run, Forrest, Run". That surely sounds to be a faker. To my recollection, the Lebanese fakes of '60s and '70s were of good gold however....

[Rob]

1 hour ago, VickySilver said:

As in Forrest Gump (the movie): "Run, Forrest, Run". That surely sounds to be a faker. To my recollection, the Lebanese fakes of '60s and '70s were of good gold however....

The 1960s forgeries were assessed as being 89% gold. However, there are a few pointers which scream dodgy. In the case of the £5 1887, they are about 0.1-0.15g light. The number of milling lines is also wrong at 188, compared to the Royal Mint's 184. The detail is somewhat mushy, and the BP in the exergue is wrong. The die axis is also slightly out, being about 10-15 degrees acw or at least it is in the case of my examples. Attached is a £5 Beirut.

[Rob]

The £2 copies are more obvious in that the die axis in this case is 30 degrees out in a clockwise direction. The detail is still a bit mushy however when compared to the real thing. The weight of my £2 copy is very close, the example below weighing 15.97g, or 0.03g light, but I'm not sure if that would be within acceptable tolerances.

[VickySilver]

The specs according to law for a sovereign are to be within 0.051 gm, or roughly 0.26 gm for a L5. Do they have XRF machines nearby. I have seen one at a show but can't seem to find one hereabouts & they would be reasonable accurate on a non-plated piece.