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Saw these two for spot price at a pawn shop here in Colombia. Might pick them up.

One is a British Sovereign. The other (after researching), is a Bolivia "7 Gramos 1952 Revolution" round (.900 purity).

The shop also had a Colombia "Cinco Pesos Stonecutter" (the one with the miner chiseling). That one is the same as the weight and fineness as a British Sovereign. Did not take a photo of that one because I'm 100% certain that one was legit. 

Between the Colombia Cinco Pesos and the British Sovereign, wonder which one would be more desirable. Wish I could buy all three, but budget wise I can only buy two for now (assuming they are genuine). 

Any red flags these two below might not be genuine gold? I've heard lots of fake Sovereigns are around. Thanks in advance.

Got this for just above spot. Colombia, 450th Anniversary Founding of City of Santa Marta from 1975.

It's not in the greatest condition, but I like that it has only a 2,500 mintage.

No one has a crystal ball, so I'm just DCA my physical Ag/Au every month.

A close up camera shot will always look worse than in the flesh. Pretty sure in person it's hardly noticeable. 

Interesting that of all countries, Switzerland is the largest seller.

1 hour ago, LawrenceChard said:

There is little doubt that it is real. If you can see it, and touch it, it is almost certainly real.

What you probably need to know is whether it is genuine.

😎

Hence, if it's real

1 hour ago, stefffana said:

Hi.

I am 99% sure your coin is what should be, a genuine 1920 A mint 5 Pesos, but in circulated/a little tired shape.

Your gravity test is close enough, the difference is from your non-professional scale.

The writing is as should be for a circulated coin.

The mint A mark is in correct position.

I am not an expert, but in my eyes look legit.

I have compared with another pictures of a identical 1920 A 5 Pesos Colombia:

 

  and

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1920-A-COLOMBIA-PESOS-5P-GOLD-ANACS-CERTIFIED-MS-61-MINT-STATE-UNC-072-/133932907331?hash=item1f2f05fb43:g:qowAAOSwcSBhjvCT&amdata=enc:AQAHAAAAsHV34FIttka69MiT86Op6zG0Aq36RGY/uk7jRrqeGx3ASlYRSBTatsX5YfXwZvQWrCwbOI4mLxCaBxhUKM6CfoLEEJSGRv1bWfs3Lb0KEQxkUFoBW/nuvWnKc0Qu1u4vUrXW7suRO6aiYdb78I1sS8gQiB3KDqagu9wEAYDkUGVFmGT4fUw385lD+CnVJwPZDjCuLQawbKlBHVg9hngGky4GPxcZVrd9Ct2Aaz3ve2H6|tkp:Bk9SR9qlx7vCYQ&pageci=a24789e1-193d-4861-a5f3-bc4139c39201&redirect=mobile.

Thanks! I am also now a bit at ease after doing the gravity test (as well as your reply).

The coin is not in the best shape aesthetically, for sure. But, I am much more confident now that it is indeed real

13 minutes ago, CollectForFun said:

Good catch, I was not going as far as comparing the coins in detail, but you are right about that, position is different. But based on some other images such as the one linked above it seems to be a travelling A ☺️

Yes, weird.

NGC, specifically says: "1920A Placement of A below coat of arms varies".

1 hour ago, Happypanda88 said:

You can do a specific gravity test on the coin. It should give you an indictation whether it is made of gold.

Have a look at the video for instructions.

 

Thanks. Had no idea about this test. Just did it by tying dental floss around the coin and suspending it with my hand within a plastic bottle full of water. I got 17.30, so just a tiny bit below the density range table for 22k which is 17.45-18.24.

FWIW: Took some macro shots. I will try to get it tested just for peace of mind.

43 minutes ago, 27carrots said:

A is in different place.

True, in that photo.

However, the Colombia Cinco Pesos which is on NGC's website (though it's a 1921) has the "A" on the same location as my 1920.

2 hours ago, LawrenceChard said:

It is hard to tell, even with better quality photos, but it does not look good.

Have you tried lookinig closely at it yourself?

The water test probably rules out the possibility of it being made of soluble aspirin, or one of the alkali metals alkali metals Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, or Fr!

😎

I have looked with a loupe. So far, comparing to several Cinco Pesos online, many details seem to match.

What makes you think it does it not look good? Are you referring to the quality of the photos, or the phrase it does not look good, meaning it is a fake? 

Hello. Just to wanted to make sure this Colombia Cinco Pesos from 1920 looks real? Took some pictures in different lightings. I weighed it at 7.9 grams, and it's diameter at 22mm. It has dings/scratches, and probably has been cleaned. 

FWIW: I put it in a glass of water and it immediately sank to the bottom (since real gold is very dense, it should do that). I know that's not a 100% accurate test; hence the confirmation here on the forum where there are more senior and experienced members.

BTW: Assuming everything looks good — would the "A" mint mark stand for Antioquia? I wonder if this was minted in Medellin.

Thank in advance.

Thanks everyone for the replies. Looks like the Sovereign and Ducat are fake. The Ducat look too gold like in person, in other words it was very yellowish.

The Venezuelan looks like it might be original. It was very reddish in person; possibly due to having 10% copper, 90% gold.

Hello. Saw these three gold coins today for sale slightly above spot. Are there any red flags regarding if they are fake?

• British Sovereign from 1911 (7.99 grams total, .916 purity)
• Venezuela 1904 20 Bolivares (6.4 grams total, .900 purity)
• The last one I believe is an Austria 1915 Ducat Restrike (3.49 gr. total, .986 purity).

I think I can only afford two in total for now. Which two coins,  might be the better options to go for? 

Thanks in advance for any help.

$3,798 USD/oz. according to my research.

2 hours ago, Bigmarc said:

Hello mate I'm interested in looking this up but what is an AD please?

Authorized dealer. 

Most of my silver stack is in government bullion coin, but every once in a while I love to get a nice silver proof coin. There is a something about having a nice presentation box, certificate, along with a very nice and unique design in a low mintage (hopefully).

On 14/03/2022 at 03:12, goldsilverdash said:

Phones, watches, and cars? Not what I would go for.

Gold and silver, cryptocurrency, and cash sounds a lot better.

Agree about not going for phones or cars. But certain watches/brands have certainly been better than holding cash. Rolex steel sports watches (if you can get them at retail at an AD) have lots of upside and hold their value quite well. Some you can even flip immediately on the grey market for a 5x fold return (the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Tiffany blue). 

3 hours ago, MickB said:

Just realised you've handled a proof coin with bare hands 😮

My first thought as well.

I became interested in them too. Checked Apmex and JM Bullion yesterday and there were no gold/silver Ukrainian coins in stock. Hope the Ukrainian people bought them 🙂

4 hours ago, LawrenceChard said:

First, find out the AGW, or Actual Gold Weight.

There are plenty of online sources where you can find the fineness of gold coins, or the actual gold content.

Then buy on the basis of premium or discount to actual intrinsic gold value.

As you have thought out, it may be beneficial to prefer smaller coins rather than larger ones, if you are paying the same premium.

But...

Make sure the coins you are buying are genuine.

At least 3 of the half sovereigns appear to be fake, the top photo middle coin in lower row, and both of those in the last photo.

It is possible, and even likely that the other 2 half sovereigns are also fake.

It is difficult to tell due to the quality of your photos, and shooting through the plastic capsules does not help.

Somebody once told me Colombian Gold was the best, but I think he was referring to a herbal product!

😎

Thanks, had no idea if they were fake or not. I have heard that sovereigns are faked. I will definitely try to avoid those and make the the dimension and weights of the Mexican Pesos are correct. 

I live in Colombia and have recently inquired about purchasing some gold coins here due to the devaluing of the Colombian Peso. For some reason, some sellers here have no idea that usually the smaller the coin — the higher the premium. They just sell any coin (no matter the weight/size) at the same price per gram. For example, a seller yesterday was selling gold coins for $240,000 COP ($61 USD) per gram. The price of the gram sold being the total weight of the coin, not the gold content. So for example, a Mexico Dos Pesos coin, which weighs 1.66 grams total cost $398.000 COP ($102 USD).

If that is the case, if premiums for all coin sizes are the same, should I go for the smaller coins? (Mexico Dos Pesos and 20 Francs being an example) or a larger coin such as a Mexico 50 Pesos?

I did see a few proof coins (with scratches I believe), around the 1/2 oz. range. These also are sold at the same premium percentage as the rest. Would this be a wiser choice, even if it is in AU condition?

I guess if I ever sell my coins in the U.S. or Europe (where sellers/buyers are conscious of the premium to coin-size ratio), the smaller ones might be more liquid and sell for a higher premium.

Impossible to time the market, no one has a crystal ball. Just buy and forget for a few decades. 

After making sure your daily expenses are covered and have a little cash extra on the side, then go into PM. If into gold, you might want to look into fractional gold such as the Mexican Pesos (dos, dos y medio, five) or 20 Franc Coins from Latin Monetary Union countries. Both these coins usually have lower premiums, recognized, and fairly liquid.