How to Spot Fake Roman Coins at online Auctions

As many as 30 - 40 % of ancient coins sold on ebay, at the moment, are modern fakes.
There are a lot of  fake or reproduction coins on ebay at any given time.
The problem is how to spot them. The decent people who are selling them will let you know if they are fakes or copies, 

Read The description carefully
If the item description says things like "I think it's Silver", or "Silver/nickle" then be aware that silver roman coins were only made from silver.
If the description reads something like "Selling off my grandfathers collection he purchased some years ago". Then check the items carefully and ask questions as this can sometimes be a dubious description

As regards reproduction coins the better sellers will mark this in the listing but if you read something like
"There's writing round the edge, I think it's Roman" then ask questions.

Check the pictures
The letters WRL stamped  somewhere on the coin tells you it's a genuine reproduction.
"WRL" is Westair Reproductions Ltd. They are based in Birmingham, UK. People often buy these known replicas's as "space fillers" filling in the gaps of Emperor's etc in their collection until they can buy the genuine coin. They are also sold in museums as souvenirs and are often bought for schools to help with Roman studies.

Check for the word "copy" stamped somewhere on the coin, normally on the reverse. This seems obvious but can be overlooked in an auction as the stamping can be very small. Some times you will see a tiny letter "r" stamped on the reverse of the coin. The letter R stands for reproduction., this obviously tells you the coin is a modern reproduction, as does a tiny letter "R" stamped on the coin, again, usually the reverse. Some modern replica coins also have a letter 'S' stamped on them, again it is normally to the reverse of the coin, and the letter 'S' is snake like in appearence.

If you see the words REMO NEDA stamped on the outside of the coin then this also tells you that the coin is a modern copy. Some fake coins have no markings on them at all to tellyou they are fake so unfortunately the only way to gain experience in this is to handle as many coins as possible to guauge the true age of the coin you are interested in.

Check the sellers ID
Sometimes coins are made from moulds taken from a genuine coin. These will all have the same wear and scratch and wear marks on them making them look too similar. beware of private user IDs and coin sellers selling amazing low offer coins for £9.99 over and over again. If you see this and want to check the seller out then you will need to have a long look at the sellers feedback.

Sometimes coins are made from moulds taken from a genuine coin. These will all have the same wear and scratch and wear marks on them making them look too similar. beware of private user IDs and coin sellers selling amazing low offer coins for £9.99 over and over again. If you see this and want to check the seller out then you will need to have a long look at the sellers feedback.

BBC bargain hunt tips - What is the Nanking Cargo?

The mysteriously named “Nanking Cargo” is often mentioned on “Bargain hunt” the BBC TV antiques show. The Nanking cargo name on a porcelain object can make a profit winning item for the Bargain Hunt teams (or at least wipe it should wipe its face!)

So, what is the “Nanking Cargo?”

Well fine bone China had to be imported from the Far East in the 16th century and this trip although long and often dangerous was well worth it for those brave enough to undertake the voyage

The Dutch East Indiaman, Geldermalsen was one of those ships barely 5 years old when she ran aground and sank on January 3, 1752 at Admiral Stellingwerf Reef.

The reef which hides just below the surface 12 miles from the island of Bintan in the South China Sea claimed the ship and crew and deposited the cargo at the bottom of the sea where it was thought it would forever remain.

However in 1986 Michael Hatcher discovered the sunken ship and her treasure.  The Geldermalsen held over 150,000 pieces of porcelain and 147 bars of gold (125 were recovered). 

Never before had such a complete cargo of porcelain been recovered from a VOC (Dutch East India Company) wreck.  The porcelain and gold cargo was sold at Christie's Auction House in Amsterdam as under the name "Nanking Cargo".

Identify and Buy Retractable Silver Swizzle Sticks

Often a winners bargain on BBC's "Bargain Hunt" is the silver swizzle stick.

The Silver Swizzle Stick is a device one can keep in a pocket or bag and use for stirring ones champagne or cocktial at a moments notice.

It is shaped a little like a tiny egg whisk and can be made of materials including plastic, glass, silver, gold and other precious metals.

The tiny spines are retractable on more expensive models and this helps protect them when not in use.

This Sterling Silver retractable Swizzle Stick is used for removing bubbles from your glass of champagne.

Swizzle Sticks have been popular for over 100 years to remove bubbles from sparkling wines.
Another use is to mix ice and spirits together.


Buy this Retractable Silver Swizzle Stick now

Size 90mm - 3.5"

£32.14
See More Information
Retractable Silver Swizzle Stick
by

JB Silverware

BBC bargain hunt tips – How to spot Real Silver?

Silver appears on every episodes of the TV show “Bargain hunt” on BBC TV. If it’s real silver then it can be valued by its weight alone. A piece of good silver can realise a good price at auction and can make a profit and even a winning item for the Bargain Hunt teams (or at least wipe its face!)

But . . .


How do you spot real silver?

Many things for sale that purport to be silver are not real silver. Sometimes these items are sold as silver by a lack of knowledge on the part of the seller and sometimes other motives are unfortunately used.

A knowledge of hallmarks is important here and I would suggest that you take a look at this hallmarks guide featured at the bottom of this page.

Also you should learn the terms below that refer to silver styled items that are often mistakenly advertised as silver.

Sterling Silver Plate
Sterling Silverplate – This doesn’t exist even though you will see it advertised because sterling is an alloy it is unsuitable to use as a silver source for plating.

E.P.N.S
This stands for Electro Plated Nickel-Silver. Common variations on this are E.P., E.P.C. (Electro Plate on Copper), E.P.W.M. (Electro Plate on White Metal), E.P.B. or E.P.B.M. (Electro Plate on Britannia Metal).

(See More about this)

Any item marked with E.P. is silverplate and as such has no precious metal value.

Nickel Silver
Nickel-Silver is a common base metal alloy consisting of nickel, copper and zinc. There is no silver in it whatsoever. The name was coined because the metal is silvery in colour and polishes to a shine. Other names used for the same metal are: Alpacca or Alpacca Silver; Brazil Silver; German Silver; Peru Silver; New York Silver; New Silver; Nevada Silver; Norwegian Silver; Silverite; Venetian Silver; Potosi Silver; and Sonora Silver to name just a few.

(Nickel-silver is strong and durable but it doesn't have any metal value).

White Metal
White Metal - This is a silvery coloured alloy usually containing a mixture of antimony, tin, lead, zinc, and cadmium. In the U.K. the British fine arts trade uses the term 'white metal' to describe all foreign items which do not have official British Assay Office marks struck on them.

Brittania Metal
Britannia Metal is a non-silver base metal similar to pewter which is popular because it is durable and polishes to a silver-like lustre. This is an alloy of 93% tin, 5% antimony and 2% copper. Not to be confused with 958 Britannia from Great Britain.




BUY A SILVER TESTING KIT

BBC Bargain Hunt - Charles Hanson Auction Profile

Gold and silver questions? See the site

Charles Hanson…We say sale!

Charles Hanson is a popular figure on BBC TV’s Bargain Hunt both as an antiques expert and as an auctioneer. With his a quirky dress sense – often appearing in suits that seem slightly too small for him and his youthful looking appearance. This belies the fact that he is well respected in the antiques world and is the owner of his own auction house that he set up in 2005.

Auctioneer and expert valuer Kate Bliss also works there.

Presenter Tim Wonnacott often refers to Charles Hanson as “Carlos”, for no particular reason that anyone can see, but somehow the name suits him.

Although Charles is good fun as an expert and no slouch at finding great bargains for his team, his auctioneering style is very entertaining.

The first thing you may notice is his rather hoarse voice. He shouts encouragement at his audience and has a range of great phrases. Look and listen out for “We say sale” and lots of, "I’m in your out”…type expressions all delivered amidst copious sips of water. His obvious enthusiasm is infectious and he often perseveres to get good prices.

The mysterious Miss Hornblower is becoming a feature of the Charles Hanson auction house when the Bargain Hunt Team is in town. Perhaps she always goes or perhaps she is lured by the cameras. Whoever she is, this smartly dressed audience member has been the saviour of many a bargain hunt team offering a dodgy item for sale!