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How Do I Know If My Atocha Coin Is Authentic?

The Atocha was a Spanish galleon en route to Spain in 1622 with bountiful New World treasures. Not yet on the high seas, it experienced the wrath of a hurricane, sinking off the Florida coast. The Spanish government and others tried several fruitless attempts to locate the Atocha . Finally, in 1985, American treasure hunter Mel Fisher and his crew located the vessel and began selling off its bountiful treasures, among which are Atocha coins. Unscrupulous forgers have replicated Atocha coins in hopes of swindling collectors out of the thousands of dollars authentic coins can command.

Things You'll Need

Atocha coin (suspect)
Internet access
Jeweler's loupe
Gold or silver testing solution

Instructions

- 1
  Visually inspect the suspect Atocha coin for any obvious signs of forgery: Imprints of modern words such as "copy." Grainy surfaces from a sand casting. Filed edges to hide a casting mold seam. Smooth molded features rather than authentic die-struck crisp features. Unrealistic dates. Any date after 1622 when the Atocha sank is impossible!
- 2
  Examine the suspect Atocha coin with a jeweler's loupe. Obvious signs of forgeries include casting bubbles, created when air gets trapped in a mold. They appear as round impressions on the surface of a coin. Also examine the edges of the suspect Atocha coin for signs of plating wear or a line indicating two mold halves have been joined together. Genuine Atocha coins were die-struck out of solid bars of silver or gold and will not have plating, bubbles or edge lines.
- 3
  Identify the metal of the coin under inspection with gold or silver testing solution. Rub the suspect coin edge over the surface of a test stone until a wide line of metal material is left on the stone. Squeeze a drop of solution onto the material. Observe any color change in the material, following the testing solution instructions. Atocha coins are made of silver and, more rarely, gold. If the metal is not silver or gold, it isn't an authentic Atocha coin!

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