1776

[Paynter167]

Is this real

[JKK]

Yes, this forum is real. Did you see signs that it might be counterfeit?

[Paynter167]

48 minutes ago, JKK said:

Yes, this forum is real. Did you see signs that it might be counterfeit?

I was trying to post a picture of my coin but I dont know how to, I wanted to see if it's real, a 1776 continental currency 

[Just Bob]

At the bottom of the box in which you type your reply is a gray strip with a paper clip on the left. Click "choose files," then find your picture on your phone or computer, and insert.

[JKK]

3 hours ago, Paynter167 said:

I was trying to post a picture of my coin but I dont know how to, I wanted to see if it's real, a 1776 continental currency 

We get several of those on here a month and they are nearly all fakes. As in, real ones exist, but I'm not aware a real one has ever been posted here by an owner. Feel free to post a pic anyway if you really want to, but between fake 1776 Continentals and fake 1804 silver dollars (often posted by the same person, even), that accounts for a respectable percentage of new posts. I think a lot of reproductions were bought of those at different times and are turning up in old collections.

[Paynter167]

How can you tell if it's real or fake

[JKK]

1 hour ago, Paynter167 said:

How can you tell if it's real or fake

Simply: compare it to a real one of the specific variety you believe it to be.

That isn't my real opinion; that's me trying to be very nice. In my real opinion, comparison is not necessary because every one I have ever seen posted here has been a rather badly done fake. So, my real opinion is I can tell if it's a fake because someone is asking about it here.

However, if you disagree with that judgment and/or consider it hasty, no problem. In such a case, the way to authenticate yours begins with comparing it to a known authentic example. While not very many exist, enough exist that you could find photographs aplenty online. If you think yours is a perfect match for those, then you might theoretically be onto something.

[Just Bob]

Welcome to the forum.

We are talking about a 5 or 6 figure item (or more).  Chances are good that it is not the real thing if any of the following is true:

A. It belongs to a buddy, relative, or friend of a friend.

B. It was found in a drawer.

C. It was purchased at a flea market, junk shop, or antique store.

D. It came from Grandpa's collection of old coins.

E. It was purchased from Ebay, Etsy, or any other similar online site.

F. It was purchased anywhere else for less than $15,000, give or take, depending on Variety and condition. (Certain varieties are worth over a million dollars.)

Many copies, fakes, and replicas have been made and sold over the years, at historical sites, souvenir shops, and a host of other places. The odds of stumbling across a genuine example are slim.

[MarkFeld]

13 hours ago, Paynter167 said:

How can you tell if it's real or fake

Welcome to the forum. As has been mentioned, the vast majority of them are copies. If you can post images, we should be able to let you know about yours.

 

[Revenant]

As others have said, welcome to the forums.

Sorry that you most likely didn't "win the lottery" (so to speak).

[Conder101]

On 1/2/2019 at 7:01 PM, JKK said:

We get several of those on here a month and they are nearly all fakes.

Nearly all?  I can only recall one genuine piece being discovered in the past few years, and it wasn't posted here with someone asking if it was real.  I don't think a real previously unknown piece has ever been posted here for confirmation.

 

On 1/3/2019 at 1:44 AM, Just Bob said:

We are talking about a 5 or 6 figure item (or more).  Chances are good that it is not the real thing if any of the following is true:

C. It was purchased at a flea market, junk shop, or antique store.

The one genuine piece that turned up that I referred to above WAS purchased at a flea market......for $1.

[Paynter167]

But nobody has said how can you tell if its real or fake 

[MarkFeld]

36 minutes ago, Paynter167 said:

But nobody has said how can you tell if its real or fake 

It’s based on experience and perspective. Some of us have seen dozens of genuine ones and hundreds of copies and observed the differences. Among other things, the strike, weight, design details and surface texture will differ - often, substantially. Many or most of the copies exhibit a grainy appearance. Once you have seen several copies and several genuine ones, it’s pretty easy to tell the difference.

[bottlebum]

43 minutes ago, Paynter167 said:

But nobody has said how can you tell if its real or fake 

The answer's must be purchased with pictures. 

[LINCOLNMAN]

40 minutes ago, Paynter167 said:

But nobody has said how can you tell if its real or fake 

It's just difficult to verbalize. If you are unable to upload a good photo, then I suggest you find photos on the internet of real continental dollars and compare them to yours. Copies are usually crudely made with rough surfaces and poor details and the differences will be apparent. Failing that, show it to a dealer. 

[LINCOLNMAN]

P.S. You might try pulling up some other, older threads on this topic, which will include photos of copies and genuine coins. This comes up fairly often as many of these were made as souvenirs. 

[JKK]

6 hours ago, Conder101 said:

Nearly all?  I can only recall one genuine piece being discovered in the past few years, and it wasn't posted here with someone asking if it was real.  I don't think a real previously unknown piece has ever been posted here for confirmation.

 

The one genuine piece that turned up that I referred to above WAS purchased at a flea market......for $1.

I was accounting for the possibility that I may not have seen every post in the history of the board. I've been here a while, but not always especially active, and I used to follow different forums before the migration.

[Conder101]

OK, I was wondering if I had missed something.

[Paynter167]

I'm trying to download pictures of my coin but it tells me I can only download 4.88 mb I only tried to download 1 picture 

[JKK]

2 hours ago, Paynter167 said:

I'm trying to download pictures of my coin but it tells me I can only download 4.88 mb I only tried to download 1 picture 

Then you have a learning curve ahead in taking and editing coin photos to make them an acceptable size. This is a good opportunity to work on it, because until people can see pictures of your coins, they can't have informed opinions about them. Until they can, it'll be stuff like what I said: 'I believe it's fake because every other one I have seen posted here has been.'

[Mohawk]

2 hours ago, JKK said:

Then you have a learning curve ahead in taking and editing coin photos to make them an acceptable size. This is a good opportunity to work on it, because until people can see pictures of your coins, they can't have informed opinions about them. Until they can, it'll be stuff like what I said: 'I believe it's fake because every other one I have seen posted here has been.'

Exactly.  What people need to realize is that it's absolutely impossible to discern or discuss anything about coins without good photos.  Verbal descriptions and questions are just not enough and they really aren't helpful, nor are bad, blurry cell phone pictures.

  We do want to help people on these boards with their coin questions, we really do, but you guys with questions need to help us help you. 

[JKK]

7 minutes ago, Mohawk said:

Exactly.  What people need to realize is that it's absolutely impossible to discern or discuss anything about coins without good photos.  Verbal descriptions and questions are just not enough and they really aren't helpful, nor are bad, blurry cell phone pictures.

  We do want to help people on these boards with their coin questions, we really do, but you guys with questions need to help us help you. 

Yep. The ideal query:

• Asks a clear question (or more than one). (I can never believe how many people just post a picture without saying what they wish to know. My first reaction is: "Oh. Well, they're just sharing a photo. No need for me to pay attention unless I have a comment.") Any question is okay, but for *spoon*'s sake, ask one. Our psionic energies are far too exhausting to expend trying to read minds.
• Shows sharp, properly lit photos of obverse, reverse, and if germane, the edge. If there is a feature that needs high-mag scrutiny, a photo of that feature should provide the necessary magnification.
• Gives diameter and weight in mm and g. May also need thickness, depending.

If we get all that, we have a high probability of offering excellent answers.

[ErinB]

Hello,

 

I live in Connecticut in a 1781 home and found this... Not sure if it's real or not.  I can;t find a real one online to compare it to...help!     

[MarkFeld]

1 hour ago, ErinB said:

Hello,

 

I live in Connecticut in a 1781 home and found this... Not sure if it's real or not.  I can;t find a real one online to compare it to...help!     

 

Welcome to the forum. You have a poorly made copy of no numismatic value.