What would "fake" Spanish Reales be made with?

[BVI Hunter]

OK, so found these some time ago, they have been in fresh water but seem to have gone almost rusty?
I have many others that are a nice deep silver color but these don't seem to want to clean up!

I wonder if it was something in the earth / soil that is still on the surface of the coin, or maybe they have another metal other than pure silver?

These were found in an undisturbed 1800's plantation house, so I am not talking modern fakes, but wonder did they make fakes back in the day?

Thanks!!


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[coinman123]

8 reales were faked a lot in the early 1800's, the four on the left look like silver plated brass, the one one the left may be real.

 

[BVI Hunter]

8 reales were faked a lot in the early 1800's, the four on the left look like silver plated brass, the one one the left may be real.

Thanks!!

any way to test? magnet, acid etc??

 

[Ahab8]

Hey bud I'm no expert but I think the one on the right will prove to be real. Stick it in some lemon juice and give it a light brush with a super soft toothbrush. The other 4 certain look odd. I think they used several different metals to make fakes back in the day. Often times they did put some silver in and other times they made them with a copper base metal and then plated with silver. As I said they sometimes used actual silver but much less purity than the real thing. The patina underneath certainly looks like copper or brass. Any silver coin in lemon juice will remove the tarnish normally. Not sure what testing you would need to do but I would bet money that you've got silver plate over copper there. Neat stuff. Show the one on the right after the lemon juice if you go that route

 

[MrMikeJackie]

They look like stacked freshwater coins to me. You sure these didn't come out of a freshwater lake or pond?

 

[BVI Hunter]

They look like stacked freshwater coins to me. You sure these didn't come out of a freshwater lake or pond?

No, dug up,but "stored" in fresh water.

Can you elaborate?? Fresh water should not effect silver, should it?.?

 

[1shotwade]

Are there any dates on these coins? If so then if all dates are the same they could be fake but if they are different I think it lessens the chance of them being fake. If you can determine the correct weight of a real coin you should find a discrepancy in the weight of the fake coins. Not foolproof but it would give you an idea.

Wade

 

[ivan salis]

well if more modern fakes their often steel cored with a silver over layer (try a magnet) -- if older fakes , often its lead with a silver coating or some base metal type alloy with a silver coating --the weight will not be correct as the metals weight incorrect not being silver..

silver can tone or even tarnish blackish in fresh water if the water has a high sulpher content / is acidic in nature..

 

[BVI Hunter]

Dates are all different, and I will try to weigh them later today!

 

[MrMikeJackie]

No, dug up,but "stored" in fresh water.

Can you elaborate?? Fresh water should not effect silver, should it?.?

Freshwater gives silver a dull grayish look, the green and red almost look like algae to me. A perfect example can be found on YouTube. Aquachigger(Beau Ouimette) silver cache found in river, check it out.

 

[ARC]

No, dug up,but "stored" in fresh water.

Can you elaborate?? Fresh water should not effect silver, should it?.?

If fresh water has traces of "sulphide" in it... which is what you smell in "reclaimed water"... yes almost immediately.
Sulphide strong water smells like rotten eggs...
More sulphide... faster tarnish...
Well water can do it as well...
I have seen silver tarnish within minutes after beings exposed to water with Sulphide traces.

 

[Doubter in MD]

Are these the coins you found in the clay pot?

 

[BVI Hunter]

Are these the coins you found in the clay pot?

yes, I had them separate in a dish and only recently looked at them..... totally different from all the rest I have?

I wonder, seeing as they were found in an 1800's homesite, if the owners had found them / made them and kept them in that pot ready to use??

 

[ARC]

BVI... they are proooooolly just fakes...........
Um I collect fakes......
So...
Um...
Send to me.....
Not worth a dang thing....

Heh heh heh.......... ehhhhh heh heh heh.
(my igor / evil laugh)
Supposed to be pirate laugh... or end quote... like "aye"

"Eye Capin "

 

[BVI Hunter]

I'm hoping it was something in the pot / soil that has effected them!!

will weigh them this weekend!

 

[ARC]

I think at least one is real for sure...
I know which one... do you ?

The one with NO GREEN heh

 

[ivan salis]

there is iron in the clay used to make red clay pots * the iron oxide (rust) is what makes the red clay pots red...

 

[MrMikeJackie]

there is iron in the clay used to make red clay pots * the iron oxide (rust) is what makes the red clay pots red...

I believe you are right, that coupled with rain water leaching into the pot and the coins being stacked together gave it that patina. I believe the coins are real. I have found multiple silver coins in the same hole at the bottom of a sled hill that had iron in it and they had that exact look to them. Low spot that is always saturated with rain water.

 

[CincinnatiKid]

Reach out to member John Winter. He will help you.
GL
Peace ✌

 

[ARC]

Once you weigh and test you will know.