George IV Half Sovereign Casting Bubbles? [solved]

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Hello,

I am looking at buying a half sovereign [1828 Spink 3804] . My concern are the marks on the coin around the bust of the King on the obverse, and around the date. They look like casting bubbles. The rest of the coin appears to be fine, and there are no issues, that I can see, on the reverse.

The coin is correct weight [4g] and diameter. This coin went through an Auction in 2019 and the photos show the marks clearly on this photo also.

I would appreciate any feedback on your thoughts: genuine or fake?




Thank you for your time. Michael
Please include the link to the numista coin page.
Globetrotter
Coin varieties in French:
https://monnaiesetvarietes.numista.com
Quote: "Michael62"​Hello,

​I am looking at buying a half sovereign [1828 Spink 3804] . My concern are the marks on the coin around the bust of the King on the obverse, and around the date. They look like casting bubbles. The rest of the coin appears to be fine, and there are no issues, that I can see, on the reverse.

​The coin is correct weight [4g] and diameter. This coin went through an Auction in 2019 and the photos show the marks clearly on this photo also.

​I would appreciate any feedback on your thoughts: genuine or fake?




​Thank you for your time. Michael
​It is a beautiful coin and in excellent condition for it's age. Those minor blemishes that you are concerned about should not be of any significant concern as it will not affect the value greatly. As far as questioning the authenticity, you only need to ask about the reputation of the auction house that you did not name. If they are reputable such as Heritage auctions, it has already been evaluated as to authenticity. Melt value as of today is about $210 U.S. Take it from there. https://www.ngccoin.com/price-guide/world/great-britain-1-2-sovereign-km-700-1826-1828-cuid-1208137-duid-1328955
T​hank you for your reply. It is not from a major auction house but is from reputable dealer. Both auction houses and dealers make mistakes.

My question is what could have caused these pearls? Can anything other than casting cause this effect on a sovereign or half sovereign? I can find marks similar to this on any genuine coin on the internet.

Please help.
"occluded gas bubbles" it's called on Zn coins. maybe there is something similar for Au coins?


Globetrotter
Coin varieties in French:
https://monnaiesetvarietes.numista.com
First, you are assuming they are casting bubbles by appearances in a photo only. Based on your question it seems you are hesitant to purchase the coin because of this. If you are concerned about it's authenticity because of this assumption and it's appearance, you would again have to refer back to the auction house or in this case the dealer.  They may or may not be casting bubbles and in which case you would have to refer to a metallurgist as would the dealer.  My point is that this is represented as a gold coin and as such, if genuine, the assumption you make about what caused these blemishes is almost irrelevant as they don't affect value. What you should be concerned about is authenticity. Correct, everybody makes mistakes, but if you want a guarantee and an explanation about the details of this coin, you must rely on the integrity of the seller. Metallurgy is another matter.


https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/998569/occluded-gas-bubbles-on-gold-coin
The coin looks real to me, but it may have been worked on (i.e. I wonder if a laser was used to improve its appearance).
Status changed to Solved (Michael62, 25-Nov-2021, 04:12)
Status changed to Opened (Michael62, 25-Nov-2021, 04:13)
Thank you for your advice. I appreciate it.

I ended up purchasing this coin and have let a couple of other dealers I know have a look at it. They were both happy with it. The dealer that sold it has given me a guarantee that it is genuine, and a note to say I can send it back if I am not happy. It is not going back!

For anyone who is interested, it is a very well struck coin, very sharp images and the "bubbles" are only on one side [obverse]. There are no other signs of casting. In the flesh it looks perfect.

I have had online two independent online experts from England suggest that the marks are caused Die Rust. I think I agree with this. There are also 2 similar coins on the internet [same year] slabbed. Both have these marks, one less so, the other almost the same as mine.

Ultimately, the buyer [me] is happy, I think it is genuine. Also, it won't be me that ends up selling it. It's staying in my collection.

Again. Thank you for your input.
Status changed to Solved (Michael62, 25-Nov-2021, 04:37)

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