Another Fake Cob on Ebay???

[TNBob]

Click here: Spanish Gold Coin Doubloon Cob Atocha Pirate Treasure - eBay (item 260215953457 end time Mar-02-08 10:16:34 PST)

[TNBob]

Sorry: Try the link again. Definitely not an atocha coin, and it looks like a fake escudo desguised as a reale. Weight is even bad.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Spanish-Gold-Coi...QQcmdZViewItem

[bradyboy]

absolutely unbelievable to me
Notice the lame disclaimer
and they have 10 bidders as of this posting
No paypal or anything, just a money order?
with a money order, you cant get your money back when you figure out its bogus
And the shipping charge?
why cant these people be pinched for this?
THEY CLAIM ITS GOLD?
I don't get it
Just my opinion
Bradydog

[TNBob]

Cant believe it is up to 109$. No guarentee that it is really a gold cob and its got to be a fake metal at 4 grams. A fake gold reproduction made from a real coin should weigh about 5.6 grams since there is shrinkage in casting them and the authentic cobs weigh 6.7 grams. Ebay should be contacted about this and the auction should be stopped. Someone is going to be taken on this. BUYER BEWARE!

[bradyboy]

The buyer will likely turn the purchase around and start the bidding at 250.00
as gold

[ronald99]

I contacted the buyer and told him about this website and said he should read these comments posted.

As of the time i notified him he purchased this cob, Now the rest is up to him.

[Zephyr]

Sold for 256.00 . Maybe the winner will send him a counterfeit money order as payment....

(If the coin is determined to be, say, misrepresented as "real Gold" when it's really not, and the buyer wants to prosecute, then the seller (even if "third party" as claimed) may be facing Fed charges, since conducting fraud through the USPS is a big no-no, especially if said transaction crosses state lines.)

[ronald99]

This was the reply from the person that purchased this cob and he seems to have vast knowledge I also posted the questions that were asked and answered by the seller.

Question & Answer Answered On
Q: can I have an exact weight? this will help to prove authenticity, thanks Mar-01-08
A: Hello, like we stated previously, coin weighs 4 grams. Coin probably is a replica, that is why we clearly stated that we cannot guarantee it's authenticity....more
Q: how many grams? Feb-29-08
A: coin weighs 4 grams







Dear ron99ald,
Thank you very much for your concern. I went to the site and must confess that I was vastly amused by some of the comments. Certainly there are fakes sold on Ebay both knowingly and in honest ignorance but there are also professional cynics who, perhaps, having been burned once now see everything as fake until proven otherwise.
As to the weight they might consider the question of why we now have reeded edges to our coins. Surely they've heard of clipping precious metal coins. I'd be much more concerned if it was heavier than it should be (and that has been known to happen with fakes), and the Atocha reference means nothing; simply a seller's ploy to attract interest.
The coin is a typical example of a AV 2 escudo minted at the Virreinato del Peru in 1705; mintmaster H. The inscription and design are both correct.
If you can find an example you might wish to obtain a copy of El Gran Libro de la Onza: Cecas Peninsulares, Provincias Espanolas de America y Republicas Independientes, Resellos y Falsificaciones, 1611-1873 (Barcelona, 1986). While this book deals with the 8 escudos it contains a wealth of information that relates to the fractions as well.
All good wishes,

Ron

[bradyboy]

Im sorry but can comprehend your reasoning in purshasing said coin.

[TNBob]

There is no way that coin is gold and only weigh 4 grams. It cant be authentic! A Lima 2 Escudo should weigh about 6.7 grams and I have looked at numerous coins and their weights plus I have several 2 escudos. It has to be some other metal other than gold or it would weigh atleast 5.6 grams. I had a solid gold reproduction coin made by a jeweler that was cast off of a real gold 2 escudos and it weighed 5.6 grams. There is some shrinkage in casting coins which accounts for the weight loss. Now if that were a pot metal coin plated in gold it might weigh 4 grams. Based on the size and what all is showing it was cast from a Lima 2E using some other metal other than gold. Even a 14KT reproduction coin would weigh more than 4 grams. Silver of that size would weigh more as well. If I am correct it looks to be a color photo even though it appears to be a black and white scan of the coin. Call me a skeptic, but I would come to conclusion that that coin is NOT a clipped 2E. Where is the certification? Who would buy from someone that has NO reputation on Ebay? Bob

[divewrecks]

From my amateur jewelry casting class during college it would seem to be very simple to increase the weight of a repro by making it a slight bit thicker than the original coin it was cast from. I assume these repros are made using the investment casting process and the wax "model" could quite easily be varied in thickness prior to making the replica mold. For high volume (rather than one off work) the silicone rubber molds that cast the wax models could be permanently made with this thickness enhancement.