Atocha coin Real Or Fake

xrdax

Newbie
Aug 22, 2012
2
3
Connecticut
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Got This Coin from Ebay 10 yrs ago. The coin and COA were framed together, I paid about $295 for it, I always had my doubts about if it was real or fake, because of a few things: 1. the picture is a Fugi film snap shot of the coin glued on the paper, 2. the coin number is 85A-000000, 3. The weight of the coin is off 2 grams. (I know a lot of weights are off)
The COA, if a fake is a very good one because of the color of the paper Yellow and the ship on it Grey all line up with others like it.
I have viewed many COA's but never saw one with the coins info (upper left) done the way it is.
The coin looks good to me, but what do I know, I bought it.
I would like to know your opinions Real Or Fake?. Thanks
[/ATTACH] DSC08030.JPG DSC08028.JPG DSC08031.JPG DSC08033.JPG
 

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Diver_Down

Silver Member
Dec 13, 2008
4,373
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St. Augustine, FL
Got This Coin from Ebay 10 yrs ago. The coin and COA were framed together, I paid about $295 for it, I always had my doubts about if it was real or fake, because of a few things: 1. the picture is a Fugi film snap shot of the coin glued on the paper, 2. the coin number is 85A-000000, 3. The weight of the coin is off 2 grams. (I know a lot of weights are off)
The COA, if a fake is a very good one because of the color of the paper Yellow and the ship on it Grey all line up with others like it.
I have viewed many COA's but never saw one with the coins info (upper left) done the way it is.
The coin looks good to me, but what do I know, I bought it.
I would like to know your opinions Real Or Fake?. Thanks

It is real. The difference in weight can be attributed to corrosion/sea abrasion. The Fuji film snap shot were common for Leah Miguel certs. It is always only a single side on a black background. Did the coin have a flip and insert?
 

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xrdax

Newbie
Aug 22, 2012
2
3
Connecticut
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Diver_Down said:
It is real. The difference in weight can be attributed to corrosion/sea abrasion. The Fuji film snap shot were common for Leah Miguel certs. It is always only a single side on a black background. Did the coin have a flip and insert?

Thank you for great news and info no flip insert all I got is what you see posted, any venture to tell me what it's worth now!
 

Diver_Down

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Dec 13, 2008
4,373
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Atocha coins always carry a premium over other cobs of the same era. People need to own a part of the story - not just of the shipwreck, but of Mel's efforts and dogged determination in the face of tragedy, financial obstacles, and fighting the government for ownership. The appreciation in grade 1 and grade 2 cobs can be substantial especially over a 10 year period. When it comes to lower grade cobs, the appreciation is less if at all. Unfortunately, for you, I wouldn't hold out hope on your example realizing a net appreciation if sold at auction.
 

Booty Salvage

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Real. A grade one Atocha 8 reale goes for 1,500$ and the fishers sell them for around 3,000$

However it's a grade three and is probably worth 200-500. In my opinion. Nice cross though.
 

seaweed

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Oct 20, 2012
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Real. A grade one Atocha 8 reale goes for 1,500$ and the fishers sell them for around 3,000$

However it's a grade three and is probably worth 200-500. In my opinion. Nice cross though.

Hello all, been lurking around here for awhile and thought I would chime in to ask why would almost 24 grams of basically 22k gold be worth only $200-$500? I must be getting something wrong here?
 

Trez

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Hello all, been lurking around here for awhile and thought I would chime in to ask why would almost 24 grams of basically 22k gold be worth only $200-$500? I must be getting something wrong here?

Not sure if you realize this but the coin listed above is not gold...it is silver
 

seaweed

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Oct 20, 2012
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Not sure if you realize this but the coin listed above is not gold...it is silver

d'oh, thats what I get for posting at almost 3am... Thanks for clearing that one up for me! I was slightly infected after finding this in the beach earlier in the day --> WP_000986cc.jpg WP_000985cc.jpg

someone has a sick sense of humor...
 

seaweed

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Im sending it to Sedwicks for assay...cant wait to find out:occasion14: Too bad though, my first cob was a dud, and I found it in pitch black and had to wait 20 minutes to get under a light...oh well
 

Connecticut Sam

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Sep 28, 2007
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Sedwicks, a great coin auction house sells pirates coins all the time in auctions and they will tell you if it is real, and if yes, how much it is worth. Good luck. There pirate treasures in Connecticut with my name on it.
 

mlemcg

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Jun 6, 2020
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Does this look real or fake? Thanks in advance...It's in an auction and they say it's real. I'm wondering because the setting and coin are both of gold/silver shades. It seems like one would be different than the other one.
coin2.jpg
coin.jpg

Edited to add the description: Nuestra Señora de Atocha, 1622 - Authentic Atocha Treasure Coin. Measures 1 1/2" long. Total weight 7.6 grams.
 

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smokeythecat

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Nov 22, 2012
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Xrdax, yours is genuine. It has rather severe salt water damage. That is typical of coins that have been the ocean a long time.
 

Diver_Down

Silver Member
Dec 13, 2008
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St. Augustine, FL
Does this look real or fake? Thanks in advance...It's in an auction and they say it's real. I'm wondering because the setting and coin are both of gold/silver shades. It seems like one would be different than the other one.
View attachment 1839331
View attachment 1839332

Edited to add the description: Nuestra Señora de Atocha, 1622 - Authentic Atocha Treasure Coin. Measures 1 1/2" long. Total weight 7.6 grams.

Welcome to TNet. Ideally, you should have posted this in a new post so it doesn't get overlooked in an old post from 2012. I would like to see the coin in scale with a known item such as a quarter. The weight would indicate it is a 2R with the weight of the bezel included. I would suspect that the bezel was gold plated silver. The gold wouldn't wear away from use. There is nothing that screams fake to me with regards to the coin. But the bezel is curious as the only provenance attributed is based on the bezel stamp. Overall the coin's design fits the time period, and unfortunately many cobs of that period magically are attributed to the Atocha for marketability.
 

A2coins

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Mel Fisher I cant imagine finding even one Galleon but he lost Family and Friends in his search, he paid a high price. Great info everyone that is an awesome coin glad its the real deal
 

cuzcosquirrel

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Aug 20, 2008
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The obverse shield side of the coin has some pockets typical of using electro chemical cleaning on a group or clump of coins stuck together by silver sulfides. The metal had been donated away from the coin, to move toward the connected coin. I ran into this as an issue when I thought about buying a clump of reals off Sedwick's site to electrically clean and do a video on. I didn't go through with it for this issue, and I am uncertain of the step order I want to use to separate and clean the coins. This tends to make me think it is real, because faking a process error is a little too into the know and the why, I think it's probably a run of the mill 1615 to 1618 Potosi 8 reals. The major source for these are a hoard or two, that possible Hein wreck (1628), and the Atocha chests/clumps.
 

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Honest Samuel

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Sedwicks, a great coin auction house sells pirates coins all the time in auctions and they will tell you if it is real, and if yes, how much it is worth. Good luck. There pirate treasures in Connecticut with my name on it.
Nice to read my brother old comments. We are both working on these treasures.
 

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