1887 Jubilee 5 pounds gold

[Guest Eddie]

I've looked at the spinks catalogue for this coin and they state that you should be aware of recent forgeries.

But how do you tell which is real and which is a forgery?

Looking at this site I found that this gold coin has the following stats :-

Denomination: Five Pounds (not including Elizabeth II). Diameter: 36.02mm. Coin weight: 39.9403g. Purity: 91.66% (22ct). Fine gold content: 1.1773oz.

If a coin measures up to these stats, does it mean, without a shadow of doubt, that it's a real one???

[Chris Perkins]

No it doesn't, becasue the fakes are always made of real gold, and a really very good one would be about right with the weight. I had an 1887 Fake £5 the other month, in the end I sold it as bullion. I once heard that the fakes have the wrong amount of rim millings, but I'm not sure what it's supposed to be!

The quality of the strike is the most important thing. All remaining detail should be sharp without a slightly rough appearance.

[Guest Eddie]

Thanks Chris.

Mmmmm, then I suspect the one that I have is false.

I guess it's just a matter of experience to decide.

This one just doesn't seem to be as sharp as a previous one I've had.

And comparing it with the picture in Spinks just seems to confirm this.

Any idea what the bullion worth is?

[Half Penny Jon]

No it doesn't, becasue the fakes are always made of real gold, and a really very good one would be about right with the weight. I had an 1887 Fake £5 the other month, in the end I sold it as bullion. I once heard that the fakes have the wrong amount of rim millings, but I'm not sure what it's supposed to be!

The quality of the strike is the most important thing. All remaining detail should be sharp without a slightly rough appearance.

Coin News wrote an article on this about 2 months ago......it says that fakes are weakly struck and have pitting in the field and the design. There is also a difference in border teeth.

[Chris Perkins]

Thanks Chris.

Mmmmm, then I suspect the one that I have is false.

I guess it's just a matter of experience to decide.

This one just doesn't seem to be as sharp as a previous one I've had.

And comparing it with the picture in Spinks just seems to confirm this.

Any idea what the bullion worth is?

Eddie,

Can you show me a picture of yours? Either here, or over email? cp@predecimal.com

Bullion worth depends what fineness gold it is, should be somewhere between £200-£300. Just because it doesn't look sharp, may mean it's just a badly worn real one. Either way, I'd like to purchase it.

[Guest eddie]

Hi Chris,

sorry about the late reply. Will attach photos soon as I need to get my camera set up correctly.

I tried last night but they loom too blurred to send.

[Guest nickynoo2]

most fakes are made from dies that have been spark eroded and so will have less detail than the original. Under a decent magnifying glass the surface will look pitted, a bit like an aero bar. I am an electron microscopist and have looked at a few fakes and inappropriately cleaned coins in my time as well as misstrikes and other flawed coins. If you are really worried about a coin then this will normally give you the answer.

Nickynoo2 is my ebay nom-de-plume so if anyone wants to discuss this analytical method further then they can drop be a line personally