extant4cell

Thank you Sigi. Here is another seller to be aware of selling fake Russian coins: http://myworld.ebay.com.au/antiqvar/?_trksid=p4340.l2559

After all the owner of the Trash n' Treasure market does not control what is sold there and cares little about it, as long as it brings him the money... eBay isn't a purpose build numismatic auction, it's a Trash n' Treasure market... When you report anything to them you are just fooling yourself It's a kind of a psychotherapy you get when you pray - emotional reliese, only God listens, eBay not... and well, it doesn't work for me any more either, so I just stick to God now when I see another fake, I pray... lol ...

Generally, even if I make a mistake, I would pay for the item I won and either resell it or keep it as an extra, unless it is not what I expected ( : that's when I go into "Hot Fazz" mode : ). I don't feel it's fair of a seller to go into trouble only because I was stupid. For example, I just bought this item: http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=2&pub=5574633083&toolid=10001&campid=5335826004&customid=&ipn=psmain&icep_vectorid=229466&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg&icep_item=330873971092 ... Frankly, I thought it was 1797 when I placed a last minute (or second) bid. It turned out to be 1798 as on photo, the one I already have. I've written to the seller and seller agreed to withdraw my bid (and probably offer it to the next bidder down, as you rightfully mentioned earlier) as he made an honest mistake in advertised year, and generally it maybe done at sellers mercy if they are asked by someone who make an honest mistake. But it is at their mercy as they are breaking a selling contract between you and them. If you don't pay without talking to seller, you get a strike, and after 2-3 strikes "bye-bye" buying privileges. I as a seller would never sell anything to a buyer with even a single strike. Everyone has their own limit where to draw the line I guess. Regarding reporting seller or his items to eBay when they are fake, it has been done so many times before to no consequence. It's like knocking your head on a wall, effect is similar. Unfortunately, eBay already has it's reputation of being a platform where you can sell any fake coin. Among many collectors it's referred to as World-Wide-Rubbish-Tip, where as on any rubbish tip, you may sometimes find a little treasure, but you have to be prepared to see a lot of rubbish. You can fight it as many times as you like, wreck your nerves and there will still be no change. Really, the only effective thing that you can do is - report it on your forum for people who bother to Google what they buy, if they don't, well, it's they own fault. I am against fake sales as it brings the reputation of selling platform down and (what is more important to me) turns people away from numismatics and from collecting Russian coins (in this case). I've done my fighting, but I am happy to report fakes in topics like this. The other thing that is suggested to any buyer, who ever bothered, is to Google seller's name with "known fake" and read the comments... Buyers need to educate themselves and bother to check sellers reputation on eBay and in Google whenever and whatever they are buying... Seller stampsosaurus sold some known fake coins just now and most probably knowingly, however he did mention in his listing clearly following "I believe this is a high quality copy from 1970-80's", so if someone bought them, they did so knowingly... Cheers!

fakes. I didn't bid on any of them...

They are very tricky to photograph... but I must agree that most of their pictures are not by much better that just simple scans... Congratulation, it's a nice looking coin you've got there! The only Barkovski I know of is an actor (about 50 years old: Сергей Дмитриевич Барковский). By the way, about 11 years ago he played a role of a specialist in cultural valuables in TV show "Spetzotdel" (Special Section). He played Nicholay Dore, who worked for Russian special services, trying to stop cultural valuable (stolen or rare paintings, etc) to escape from Russia, and as a cover he was a head of a little firm for authentication cultural value of different objects. There was something 12 episodes and one of them was about а descendant of some Russian Duke who brought an exposition of his and his family collection of coins to Russia, that was partly stolen and Dore (played by Barkovski) found them and uncovered a set up by this descendant to steel his own coins and claim the insurance, as he spent his fortune betting on horses... Well, this Barkovski possibly a collector himself...

I'm sure it was. That rouble along could get that hight I think and in a very nice AU condition...

My guess was 1736... any other guesses? Agreed. Need to count all leaves. Top leaf is to be counted in. It makes the first coin having 12 leaves.

I have this one as well, what's your opinion on its date? and another question - can anyone point me to a picture of a Denga 1730 with small eagle, interesting to see what it looks like. Can not find it anywhere...

It is a strange way of making money! 7 leaves on one side (including the top leaf)! :) if you count them all - it's 12 feathers actually ... Here is another photo of the same coin shared by CFN: http://coins.su/foru...ttach_id=308244 So, you believe that it wasn't just an investment that turned bad for someone, but someone tried to sell it and bought it back to register a high price in order to resell it again and this time to keep the money? With the first sale, it is actually possible I guess.

I bought this Denga I would love to hear your comments. It has green patina, somewhat worn out, but nice. And reasonable details. I'll keep it in collection: I looked for a similar coin as an example (? 7 leaves in the branch, interesting tail) and I found these three very unusual sales of the same coin!!! It was sold 3 times within 2 years, in 2009 twice and in 2010 once. The funny thing is that every time the price dropped up to $1000. Started from $4000, than $3000 and finished at $2233. Its condition was MS65 for the first 2 sales and XF for the last one. Here are the pictures (http://www.m-dv.ru/c...248/prohod.html): Looks like it flooded the market with itself, with people not realizing it was the same coin! Very lucky for the last buyers and unlucky for last two sellers. The luckiest guy was the first one who sold it...

They both look very good! I am glad to see you have both types in your collection Sigi!

It is in a nice MS state. Congratulations, very nice looking coin!

eBay Novodels: :) http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_odkw=%28novodel%2Crestrike%2Ccopu%2Creplica%29%20%28russia%2Crussland%2Crussian%2Crusia%29&_osacat=11116&_from=R40&LH_PrefLoc=2&_nkw=%28novodel%2Crestrike%2Ccopu%2Creplica%29+%28kopek%2Ckopeek%2Ckopeks%2Ckopeken%2Ckopeck%2Ckopecks%2Cruble%2Crouble%29&_sacat=11116&_trksid=m194&ssPageName=STRK:MEFSRCHX:SRCH That's what is called Novodel on eBay nowadays... No wonder no one sells real novodels on this platform anymore...

Did you bid on it? If not for Sigi's comment, I probably would bid on it too when it was lower on price, but I missed the beginning. Ask him what his reserve price is, he may say... It's not his fault, after all, that coin is slabbed, he's only a dealer, I have nothing against this guy, I am even bemused by his trading tactics... Not that I like the inflated prices...

Look at the silver surface quality... Unless it is a very much used Novodel (it would be very unusual) it is very strange to see such a clean metal surface. Practically all, particularly well used, Altynniks that I know of have lots of surface imperfections: delamination of metal, potholes, dents, signs of metal tension around edges... You can clean the patina, and you can polish the surface, with both reducing the value of the coin, but you can not get read of these imperfaction... The design of the coin's print on the other hand is very good, this can be liked about it...

How do you like this one: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/150989950483?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:VRI&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2661

That makes you a smart one, as you examined it before paying money. There are many galvanoplasty coins on the market, they used to make them for local museums' collections. When you hold it, it feels like holding a chocolate gold coin instead of a real one... just not as soft...

It's very sad... One more example of how collecting coins in slabs may backfire at you... It's not much different from buying a double sided picture of the coin - you can see it, but you can not really examine it, unless you are prepared to discover that it is a fake, that you will not be able to resell later, simply loosing your money... I don't envy the person who is going to buy it... Here is a picture from PCGS, the slab is real (at least), but damn expensive! next to your picture... I must say that judging only by pictures (even without seeing the edge) I would say that I like this coin... But when you pay that much, not to hold it and not to inspect it properly would be dangerous...

I wonder when was it sold in Europe? It is the same coin... It was slabbed for that very reason, I guess, "because in hand it looked very fake"... But it is the same coin - no doubt... Spent 20 min comparing...

All I can say, congratulations to this seller for his tactics. I watched it for a while, as I bought mine just last year and was wondering what will happen with this little beauty. He started with Buy-it-now around $6000 with best offer, had it around with no selling a few times, got people interested and now sells it with a reserve price starting from 99 cents! He is playing on people’s greed to reasonably rare coins. Not bad at all! Also, many collectors probably are interested in Russian coins but know that there are too many fakes around, but this coin is in a slab (American dream come true! Coin with a guaranty!)  I wonder if it will sell get to the reserve price or not. My wiled guess would be that the reserve price is somewhere in $4000 area… Brrr… I would never pay for this 1762 RUSSIAN PETER III 10 KOPECKS PCGS AU50 that much… It is a nice coin though… A bit nicer than 2 similar coins sold in NY sale for just under $1500...

Here is another interesting item made with electrotyping (galvanoplastic):http://www.ebay.com....984.m1438.l2649 (5 kop) And another one that was made in recent times: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/390523779391?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649 (1825 copper polupoltinik)

It looks like a horrible fake... But people on eBay don't care anymore... They buy ANYTHING as long as it is shinny and resembles a very unusual extra rare coin... Is collecting fakes becoming popular?

I had the last one in my watch as well, again didn't bid. I didn't research it, but it looked 90% like a copy to me... Here are another couple of interested items: http://www.ebay.com....=item589b486c06 http://www.ebay.com....=item1c2f888aeb What do you think? Not my cup of tea, but I am curious... and this one is for a lough (very happy Nicolas!):

Vintage coin cell?

I had it in my watch, didn't bid on it though...