Expert: Dmitry Livshits - 1/2/2011

Question
QUESTION: Hi I am collector of European coins mostly XIX century. For me it is very exciting to ascertain if coin is fake or not. I want to know if the coin has parallel strips on the surface it is the sign that this coin is fake or not? please see image and observe place near T (from word GRATIA). I have seen this typical sign many Chinese fakes. Can you share your experience?
I know other ways weight sound and so on :))
Thank you very much
Best wishes
Levan

ANSWER: Hi Levan,
Everything about your coin looks correct.
What you see on Chinese fakes are little spikes that are raised on top of the surface. These are a sign that a coin was cast in a mold instead of being struck on a blank piece of metal. What your coin has are more like "stretch marks". They are not really raised above the surface like the little spikes on cast fakes. This is something that is often seen on genuine coins of all ages. It is caused by being struck from a worn die. You can also see some breaks in letter, like the bar in the second A in GRATIA. This is more evidence that the coin was struck from a well used and probably dirty die.
A good way to tell it apart from spikes on fake coins is their location. The die wear lines are almost always found at the tops of the outside lettering and stretch toward the rim. Spikes on fake coins will usually be in random places. Also, these die wear lines are usually seen on coins where the surface slopes up as it comes closer to the rim, like your coin. I don't usually see them on coins where the surfaces remains on the same level around the center and near the rim.
Thanks for the question! =)

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks so much Dmitry I am very grateful. Please tell me once more what do you think about this coin, actually it is not my possession but it may become. please observe letter A from word ANNO (can we think that it is struck from a worn die) I have seen Spanish 8 Reals without spikes, coin left me impression that it was struck, but weight was incorrect difference was more than 1 Gramme. and my friend told me that in China they making pure silver copies by struck but sometimes they are mistaken in weight.
happy new year
Thanks once again

Answer
Hi again Levan,
The 1836 halfcrown also looks perfectly normal, just heavily worn on some areas. The A may have also been filled with grease on the die, and struck without a hole in the center right from the beginning. I have one of these, though it is the 1836 over 5 variety. The A on mine is thick and would also look like the A on your coin if it was worn.
The Chinese counterfeits struck in pure silver are often the correct weight. What gives them away is that they usually have fake patina and smell like the chemicals used to discolor them. I would be more worried about high quality European counterfeits, which are usually not fake toned and are easily mistaken for mint condition original coins.
If you are ever suspicious try to find a large and clear picture of the same coin that was graded by NGC or PCGS. Then compare the fine details, like the style of tips of letters and how the rim is struck.
Thanks again! =)