Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - Discovered pirate coins might solve mystery...Arrgh!

fernando · 29th April 2021, 06:31 PM

It was not easy to circumvent counterfeight. Weighing was a practical method, but fakes could be made with metals of similar density and bathed in gold or silver; nowadays with electrolysis.
Biting the coin is another story, as we start by stripping the act from some fiction. In the old days, integrity of pure gold coins was of concern, as it was soft enough to wear with time and also subject to shaving (edge clipping)*, in both cases losing intrinsic weight. Circa 1526 a blend with a harder metal was invented to give gold some toughness.This way when (if) the recipient bit the coin to check on its authencity based on the gold malleability, the test was inconclusive due to its resistence.
Also not to forget that, due to its unique characteristics, there are those who pretetend that 'tasting' the flavour of gold is a good test.
* A system implemented to prevent this was the minting of coins with an edge (rim) to allow for the eye checking of this highly punishable crime; but that is another story.

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29th April 2021, 06:31 PM	#15
fernando Lead Moderator European Armoury Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Portugal Posts: 9,642	It was not easy to circumvent counterfeight. Weighing was a practical method, but fakes could be made with metals of similar density and bathed in gold or silver; nowadays with electrolysis. Biting the coin is another story, as we start by stripping the act from some fiction. In the old days, integrity of pure gold coins was of concern, as it was soft enough to wear with time and also subject to shaving (edge clipping), in both cases losing intrinsic weight. Circa 1526 a blend with a harder metal was invented to give gold some toughness.This way when (if) the recipient bit the coin to check on its authencity based on the gold malleability, the test was inconclusive due to its resistence. Also not to forget that, due to its unique characteristics, there are those who pretetend that 'tasting' the flavour of gold is a good test. A system implemented to prevent this was the minting of coins with an edge (rim) to allow for the eye checking of this highly punishable crime; but that is another story. . Attached Images Last edited by fernando; 29th April 2021 at 06:41 PM. Reason: Further paagraph.