LawrenceChard

Speaking of @LawrenceChard @ChardsCoinandBullionDealer - congratulations are in order, I believe 
 
 

Typical c**p quality photos.
Even so, it looks like a fake.
Auction houses like this should not be in business.
I sent them the followiing e-mail:
Dear sirs,
  https://www.easyliveauction.com/catalogue/lot/71aaf1226d4c55e1ec86a7f5f0984f14/0af8d24542e81eb9357e7ef448a6646f/gold-coin-auction-no-buyers-premium-or-online-bidding-f-lot-40/   Despite the poor quality photos, this appears to be an obvious counterfeit.   Is there any reason you did not state this in the description?   Regards,

Lawrence Chard

Chard (1964) Limited
32 - 36 Harrowside
Blackpool
FY4 1RJ
England, UK.

Tel 0044 (0)1253 343081

www.chards.co.uk
😎  

OK, here goes:

Cu 536
Ag 452
Pb 5
Fe 3
So, 45% silver.
Thinking further about the lead, this is unlikely to have come from cupellation, which is used in fire assay analysis, but not in refining, as far as I am aware, but please feel free to correct me if you find otherwise.
 

I wish we got to see many more coins like this:

Obverse - Tudor rose beneath portrait.

Reverse - Crowned shield between two lions / leopards supporters.

Niton XRF test results.
Showing this is "Crown Gold"
Notice the traditional high silver content.
This has got more silver than copper.
So much for all the ignorami who think "Crown Gold" was traditionally only alloyed with copper!
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Dimensions:
Diameter 30 - 32 mms 1.20 - 1.27 inches
Thickness:
Fields 0.37 mms 
Relief 0.74 - 0.87 mms.
Weight: 30.340 cts = 6.068 grams.
Spink catalogue number 2296 or 2297.
The obverse legend should read:
hEnRIC; '8; D; G; AGL; ++ FRAnCIE;Z; hIB; REX or similar, and the reverse:
IHS; AVTEM; TRANS; PER; MEDIVM; ILLORVM; IBAT
but I have yet to check them fully.
All contributions welcome...
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Those were all very helpful, and also entertaining!
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Yes, it seems clear he is talking about @ChardsCoinandBullionDealer.
Although we would rather sell coins we have in stock, but in times of high demand like now and the 2007/8/9 credit/banking/sub-prime crisis, readily available bullion stock dries up, and not just on a UK level, but worldwide. During the Covid crisis, production and transport has also created supply tightness. Some dealers simply hike their premiums to rip-off levels, some shut up shop. We are happy to sell new coins which we often have to wait for too. We also make a market in secondary market bullion coins, but only those we have a reasonable expectation of covering in a reasonable time. 
While @Paul is entitled to his opinion "Not a great business practice, selling stuff you don't have", we disagree. This has been discussed on TSF previously, at great length. We always make it as clear as we possibly can whether we have coins in stock, and for items not in stock, expected supply times for new coins, secondary market supply is much harder to forecast. 
There is no need to "read the small print". If there is any likely delay, we show a very in-your-face pop-up banner which spells it out very clearly. This pop-up cannot be closed or dismissed withour making a positive choice about whether to continue or choose an alternative.
The main point is that we offer a choice.
 

I stuck some money in a Lisa once, and she told me I should have just stuffed it into her bra like any normal punter.
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I stuck some money in a Lisa once, and she told me I should have just stuffed it into her bra like any normal punter.
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1986 Gold  Tenth Ounce Panda

Rather tatty!

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All sounds fair and reasonable.
I didn't see any mention of "free postage" though...
Might as well all just deal with a well-known Blackpool company!
 

A beautiful girl once told me I was a "phallic bore", but now she is just "Somebody That I Used to Know"
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Without looking at the video, it's a denarius of Hadrian.
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A beautiful girl once told me I was a "phallic bore", but now she is just "Somebody That I Used to Know"
😎

Without looking at the video, it's a denarius of Hadrian.
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Gotcha!
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Nobody can fight the gold price, and our premiums are pretty keen!
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A Fake 1897-L London Mint  Half Sovereign

Obverse
Actually looks worse in the photo than to the naked eye.

Reverse

Niton XRF Analysis

... and if anyone wants more teeth:

Reminds me of Wallace!
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How about this?

I am only joking, in case anyone wondered!
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One of the Sponsored Items on tha page:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184908017364
is for a
£5.00 sovereign coin ST George & Dragon Gold Plated 2009 with 6 Rubies.
and is Listed in category:
Coins>Coins>British>Proof Sets/Coins>2000s
Yet it is TDC =Tristan da Cunha
Seller name amuses me: arspar_0
Of course, TDC might indicate some about the seller / potential buyer: Fairly Dense C**t
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I reckon both listings are about par for ebay..
or is that ars par?

Quite a few people have recently reported concerns about the actual diameter of gold sovereigns, or half sovereigns.
It is not something that I have paid particularly close attention to in the past.  This is probably because when looking for fakes, there are much more important things to watch out for, and I have always been aware that there is some tolerance.
I commented recently that I should check what the stated tolerances are, but meanwhile I would not worry much about yours.
Interestingly, I just noticed that Wikipedia incorrectly states the diameter as 20.0 mm:
Sovereign (British coin) Diameter 22.0 mm Thickness 1.52 mm Edge Milled (some not intended for circulation have plain edge) Composition .917 gold, .083 copper or other metals  
The Royal Mint do state it correctly:
The Sovereign 2020 Gold Bullion Coin Specification Value Diameter 22.05mm and so do Chards:
Sovereign Technical Specifications
Diameter (Millimeters)  22.05 Weight (Grams) 7.988 Alloy (Carats) 22 Fineness (millesimal) 916.6 Actual Gold Content (Grams) 7.322 Actual Gold Content (Troy Ounces) 0.2354 Although Wikipedia is often a good source of information, I often find errors there when it comes to coins.
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I know it is not in stock, but the OP was asking about prices, not where he could buy one.
I could have given you a link to:
https://www.chards.co.uk/2022-platinum-britannia-one-ounce-bullion-coin/15941
We do have these in stock, but premiums are generally higher on coins, which are slightly more expensive to make, and only the British Royal Mint can strike UK coins. Anyone can make platinum bars. Coins are also generally more desirable, and are easier to sell. 
These are also "new" coins, not secondary market ones which would normally be cheaper.
There are 58 listings on the site for platinum coins or bars. Some are in stock, some are sold out. We leave these live for information and other reasons.
I suspect that if I had sent the coin link, you would have said "but that's a coin, I was asking about a bar"!
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If I could be bothered to look for statistics, I think I would find that over 65s have more disposable income than some of the other groups.
If there are fewer "collectors" for new issues, then I think mints will issue fewer coins, so that part of the market will remain in balance.
"News issues" are a fairly recent development in the UK since about 1970, although slightly earlier in the USA.
Many, if not most, "real" collectors are more interested in earlier coins which were mainly made for circulation, rather than the somewhat artificial "made for collectors" market.
I think many "young" people currently obesssing about NFTs and crypto, will move on to something different once the current bubble-like hysteria has died away, and reality reasserts itself.
Although proof sovereigns are nice to have, I get more excited when I get to see ancient coins, hammered coins, milled coins, including rarities, but also some quite common coins if they are in great condition.
Sure, there might be a price drop in some recent issues, but why worry about it if you are a real collector, not simply buying new issue coins because you think they will be a good investment.
In fact, if prices drop, you will be able to buy more coins for a lower outlay.
😎
 

Ebay Fraudster 2010keithr21 Revisited - Shop Name "Charity Aid The World Cares" Fake Charity?
I commented on this ebay seller very unfavourably only recently:
But he came back to my attention today, because our star photographer noticed he was using some of our high quality copyright photos "They are using a MOCK-UP image I did".
I have split his item listing into 3 screenshots:



Here is some of Doug's evidence:



I also commented further on another of  2010keithr21's many fakes he was fraudulently listing on ebay:
Where I showed his real name and contact details, as shown on his listing:
Keith Rutherford
13 Haynes Close
Newark, Tuxford
Nottinghamshire
NG22 0JA
United Kingdom
Hide contact information
Phone: 07812126715
Email: keithr21@gmail.com
His ebay "Shop" is in the name of Charity Aid The World Cares:

I suspect the charity is as fake as most if not all of the "coins" and other items he is offering for sale!
We will be taking action against him!
 

Is this a coin which looks like a bar, or a bar which thinks its a coin?

I just noticed the "r" and "n" in Government seem to run together to read Govemment, which is how some people pronounce it.
Could it be that the designer / engraver thought it had a double "m"?

2000 Isle of Man 1 Sovereign
5 Grams 9999 Fine Gold