Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.
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| Four Finds Florida Beach Metal Detecting Finds. (Obverse and Reverse) |
I'll number these examples 1 - 4 clockwise starting with at the top left. The two on the left are Pillars and Waves types, while the two on the right are shield types.
Can you tell which one is fake? Give it a shot. I know the pictures aren't the greatest.
Here is closeup of number 1 (top left). How about it?
This one is marked, but it isn't so easy to see. Look at the 10 to 11 o'clock position near the edge. You can see the "copy" mark there.
At first glance on the beach you might easily mistake it for a real reale. It is of the Pillars and Waves type and marked with the denomination of 8 so should weigh somewhere around 27.5 grams but actually weighs 21.9 grams.
Some real beach cobs are way underweight due to corrosion or wear, but this one shows other obvious signs of fakery once it has been cleaned.
Maybe you can tell from the top photo that it was once plated. The plating has worn through in many places and shows a copper looking metal underneath.
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| Example No. 1. |
This particular example was found towards the south end of Jensen Beach down close to where the resort now stands. I definitely didn't see the COPY mark when I dug it up and it didn't look bad fresh out of the ground. You can easily see the COPY mark with magnification but is not so apparent on the mottled surface of the actual example and was not seen prior to cleaning.
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This one shows the COPY mark very clearly, but it didn't when it was found. This one has a copper look, but that is only after the sand and corrosion was cleaned off along with some of the surface plating.
This fake, like many you'll see, is way too thin and light. Always check the edges for mold seams or signs of manufacture.
This example weighs only 6.8 grams, which is closer to what a two-reale should weigh.
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| Example No. 2. |
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How about the next one (no. 3)?This one is the same shield style as the one above, but is made of another type of metal.
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| Example No. 3. |
The surface is very corroded. I don't know what metal it is.
It looks very much like coin no. 2 except being in a different metal. This one is also way too thin and flat and weighs only 5.1 grams.
If you have some experience with real cobs, you would probably quickly identify no. 2 and 3 as fake. Even if covered with sand, they will simply look and feel wrong. However, if you haven't handled real cobs, it might take a while to get them cleaned up and identified.
This one is also marked COPY, but the mark isn't as easy to find. Look at the upper left of the coin at about the 11 o'clock position.
I don't know which one now, but either no. 2 or 3 was found near the foot of the dunes many years ago at Jupiter.
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Moving onto no. 4, this is another of the Pillars and Waves variety, although the surface is so corroded that it isn't as easy to see the design features.
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| Example No. 4. |
It is clearly not silver, and definitely a fake even though I can't find any COPY mark on it. It might be there, but I can't find it.
Judging by those I've found, fake treasure coins from the Treasure Coast are often marked COPY, as required by law, but the marks are not always easy to find.
I'd bet that no. 4 is marked even though I can't find the mark. It is simply not realistic enough to be meant as a counterfeit.
When Spanish colonial coins were in circulation, weight was very important. Anyone accepting a reale or escudo would be interested in the weight to be sure they were receiving the correct amount of silver or gold. They might not be aware of all the different types and designs, but they would want to receive the right amount of value in the metal.
I have seen more realistic fakes. Maybe I'll post one of those. One looked really good until I acid tested the metal. It was also marked, but the mark was very near the edge and worn down and was only found with close inspection under magnification. I learned that it was not silver long before I found the obscure mark.
You should also be aware that there are some pretty good and some pretty poor contemporary counterfeits (fakes made to deceive and circulate along with legitimate coinage). Those can be valuable even if they are fakes.
Even a poor fake can fool a hopeful inexperienced hunter on the beach, but here is what I'd check.
1. Do a little cleaning first, being careful not to remove plating or do any significant damage..
2.. Check overall look and feel noting any plating or features that don't look right.
3.. Check for seams or other signs that the coin was made in a mold or wrong manufacturing process.
4. Closely inspect the coin with magnification. Look for any COPY mark or other mark such as sterling or K value. As I showed today, many of the fakes found on the beaches will be marked, but marks can be difficult to find even if there is one.
5. Try to determine the metal type. These days the best thing to do is take it to a pawn store that will test it with an XRF analyzer. You can also test with a magnet or do an acid test.
Simple tests include dropping the coin on ceramic tile to listen to the sound. Maybe do a rubbing on a whet stone to observe the color or other characteristics of the scratch. Silver won't screech, but other junk metals will. So also will very heavy patinas sometimes.
There is a lot you can tell from a rubbing. Look at the color and other characteristics. Remember you have to get through the patina.
6. Match the design on the coin with what you find in the books on cobs and treasure coins. Unfortunately, some of the best books are expensive and have so many examples that it can confuse you even more.
And of course there are many online resources, including this blog.
I hope this post helped.
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There was still some decent hunting out there. I saw some deteriorating cuts and some older sand. More on that tomorrow.
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| Surf Chart for Rest of Week from SurfGuru.com. |
Nothing big in the near future.
Good hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net