Hi all, I've come across numerous fakes in the past. In my time I've maybe up to a dozen or so fake Florins and Shillings. They are quite obviously fakes, they're underweight generally, the strike details are 'blurry' and not as sharp compared to the real deal. Also balance them on one finger tip and lightly tap them, they produce a dull 'thud' sound instead of a nice sustained piiiiiiiinnnnnggg. So what do people do with these fakes?
I have a 1937 Crown that is not silver, might be lead, might be fake or may have been smuggled out of the designers room at the Mint I had pit up a pic on here about 10 years ago, must look for it There were quite a few forgeries coming out of Sydney and known as the Manders ? Forgeries Good topic Neo for us oldies on the Forums
Maybe you need to be more careful where you shop for your coins @neonuke I must say I have not come across any that I can remember, but then I don't buy coins from eBay and any such places only from reputable businesses or individuals whom I have dealt with for a very long time. I am not sure if you are referring to the old-time forgeries or the recent Chinese knockoffs. The funny thing is I have seen some of the old-time forgeries in florins sell for more than the original coins in average circulated condition at auctions. So if they are the old-time forgeries of good quality, you may wish to sell them as such in an auction who knows you may end up getting more for them than if they were the real deal.
i got the most recent two from a lot of about 60 odd pre46 florins (not on eBay or here BTW). i told the seller about it and he was excellent, refunded me the difference on those two, no questions asked. not sure how to tell if they're old time forgeries or Chinese knockoffs though. no probs though, I will list them here for sale as is in a little bit. other fakes i've come across in the past were from eBay lots as well, and was covered by eBay buyer protection but did have to go through the hassle of sending the whole lot back and waiting for a refund. reminds me now of all the other fakes I've come across from eBay purchases, all returned to the seller for refunds - fake Perth Mint certicard 1oz gold, fake 1938 Crown, fake 1923 Half Penny, fake 1930 Penny, fake 1959 Bermuda Crown (this one was magnetic LOL, and the seller still tried to argue I should have looked more closely at the photos hahahah, still got my money back on it anyway) so many fakes out there...