Gold medal in the weight of 50 ducats
commemorating the publication of the second volume
of Alexander von Humboldt’s *Kosmos*.
NGC MS 65 PL.
From the estate of Emperor William I.
Gold medal in the weight of 50 ducats commemorating
the unveiling of the equestrian statue of
Frederick the Great on Unter den Linden in Berlin in 1851.
NGC MS 63 PL.
From the estate of Emperor William I.
General’s Medal in the weight of 120 ducats, 1871,
commemorating the victory over France.
A magnificent specimen.
From the estate of Emperor William I.
1 1/2 rubles (10 zlotys), 1835, St. Petersburg.
NGC MS 64 (Top Pop).
Only 36 examples struck.
A cabinet piece from polished dies.
From the estate of King Frederick William IV.
5 ducats, 1681.
Struck with the dies of a guilder.
NGC PF 64 Cameo.
Proof.
5 ducats, 1634, Vienna.
Extremely rare.
Extremely fine-uncirculated.
Salvator Medal in the weight of 12 ducats,
n. d.(around 1840).
NGC PF 61 CAMEO.
Proof.
5 ducats, n. d. (1708–1710),
with the title of Joseph I. NGC MS 64.
Extremely rare. According to mint records,
only 7 copies struck.
A magnificent piece.
Fakes, Counterfeits, Imitations – CoinsWeekly NYINC Special Issue
by Ursula Kampmann
It’s every coin collector’s worst nightmare. We’re all familiar with the dread of falling victim to a counterfeit. And yes, there’s always a risk of purchasing one.
After the invention of the coin, it probably took only a few months for the first counterfeit to be created. Learn more about this fascinating topic in our CoinsWeekly Special Issue!
There are a few wonderful quotes about this. My former boss Dr. Hans Voegtli, for example, always used to say that every good old collection contained a “Becker”. And Pierre Strauss told me about an infallible way to check whether a coin dealer was being honest with you. “Ask them whether they’ve ever bought a counterfeit,” he said. “If they are honest, they’ll say yes. If they say no, that’s a lie. Or they’re so stupid that they still haven’t figured out that it’s a counterfeit.”
However, when concerned collectors post pictures on forums or ask others what they think of a particular piece at coin shows, we’re usually not dealing with highly sophisticated counterfeits. In most of these cases, we can tell that something’s off even without using a magnifying glass. And as soon as the devastating judgement is pronounced, you can usually hear them say: “Well, that’s what I thought, too. Something felt wrong about it.”
If you find yourself in such a situation, have some fun and ask further questions. Like where they bought the piece. You will hear stories about an irresistible online offer. Or perhaps they brought the coin home from a vacation as a souvenir, and the dealer at the antiquities store swore by all that’s holy that the piece was authentic. You will also come across coins from flea markets and pieces purchased from generic auction houses. Briefly said, in 90% of such cases, the buyer was tempted to purchase the coin due to an unreasonably low price.
And this brings us to the most effective method of protecting yourself against counterfeits. Don’t believe in Santa Claus! Buy your coins from specialized dealers who vouch for the authenticity of their pieces as members of dealers’ associations.
After all, most supposedly cheap coins still turn out to be far too expensive because they are fake!
