Gold, Gold Plated, or Gold Filled?
We notice many items on eBay described in their titles as gold, which are only gold-plated (sometimes called the even more misleading Americanism gold filled. Sometime the full description actually states the real metal composition, often it completely fails to do so. At best, this wastes the valuable time of many potential buyers, at worst it serves to cheat and defraud people.

Coins, Medals, or Medallions?
There are also many items being offered on eBay, and elsewhere, described as coins, which are clearly not coins. Again, sometimes the vendors are "honest" enough to describe them in the full description (or small print) as medallions, tokens, patterns, or some other euphemism, often they fail to do even this. On some occasions, the vendors use deliberately obscure and unclear descriptions in the hope that the mugs and punters will be fooled, and this seems to happen regularly judging by the astoundingly high feedback of some of these junk vendors.

Examples

• 1865 MEXICAN MAXIMILLIAN GOLD PESO ~ COIN ~ TOKEN - zapote2
  Real originals do exist, but they are composed of 0.875 (21 carat) gold, not 10 carat, they have a different design, and catalogue at $2,500! When we looked, the vendor had 16 identical items listed, and a feedback of 338.

• REPRODUCTION HENRY VIII GOLD MEDAL. STRUCK IN 1545. - coinsrus031269
  If it's a reproduction, how does he know it was struck in 1545. We guess it was struck in 2008!

• 1938 GOLD GERMAN COIN. - coinsrus031269
  "THIS IS A GENUINE 1938 GOLD GERMAN COIN. ( please note : THIS COIN IS ONLY GOLD IN COLOUR AND IS NOT REAL GOLD )"

• STUNNING 1901 ISLE OF MAN VICTORIAN PATTERN CROWN. - coinsrus031269
  "THIS IS A STUNNING 1901 ISLE OF MAN VICTORIAN PATTERN GOLD CROWN." He forgets to mention it is not actually made of gold, and is not a real original pattern, simply a modern fantasy piece. Feedback 6119

• MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS GOLD RYAL COIN. - coinsrus031269
  "THIS IS A REPRODUCTION OF A MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS GOLD RYAL COIN. DATED 1557." Why not say so in the item title, then? And we bet it is not gold!

• US Commemorative GOLD COIN - President ABRAHAM LINCOLN - gifts_ca
  24k gold plated medallion, Diameter 40mm. Wish the vendor would make his mind up! Feedback 869.

• HOROSCOPE AQUARIUS GOLD COIN ELIZABETH II COOK ISLANDS - gifts_ca
  This is one of 12 HOROSCOPE Collectible Coin Series, 24k gold plated medallion with Diameter 40mm

• NEW GOLD COIN CHAMPS-ELYSEES-ETOILE TOUR PARIS FRANCE - gifts_ca
  24k gold plated medallion, Diameter 40mm

• NEW US SILVER COIN Korea The Forgotten War - gifts_ca
  Sliver Plated medallion, in Diameter 40mm

• FOOTBALL SOCCER GOLD COIN - Uruguay-World Cup - gifts_ca
  24k gold plated medallion Diameter 40mm

• US Commemorative GOLD COIN-The CAPITOL-Brand New - gifts_ca
  24k gold plated medallion Diameter 40mm

• GOLD Olympic Game SPORT Collection Coin-Football SOCCER - gifts_ca
  24k gold plated medallion Diameter 40mm

• US GOLD COIN United States PRESIDENT George W. Bush - gifts_ca
  24k gold plated medallion Diameter 40mm

• NEW BU 2007 George Washington GOLD Dollar Coin ERROR? integritysales_2
  "Brilliant Uncirculated 2007 P George Washington Golden Dollar" Where is the integrity in calling a golden coin gold? Feedback 3675!

• NEW BU ! 2008 JAMES MONROE $1 GOLD Dollar Coin ERROR? integritysales_2
  Brilliant Uncirculated 2008 P James Monroe Presidential Dollar Coin
  Near the end of the listing in small print the vendor states "Each coin in the new Presidential Dollar series composition is: 6% Zinc, 3.5% Manganese, 2% Nickel, and 88.5% Copper." So why call it gold?

• NEW BU ! 2007 JOHN ADAMS $1 GOLD Dollar Coin ERROR? integritysales_2
  Brilliant Uncirculated 2007 P John Adams Presidential Dollar Coin

• Lot of 2 St. Gauden's Mini 22K Gold Coins BU ! dpirnia1
  Lot of 2 Beautiful, Uncirculated St. Gauden's Mini 22K Gold Coins: Up for bid I have 2 HGE 22K St. Gauden's Mini $20 gold coins. Each coin weighs 0.45 grams. The diameter of each coin is 10 mm. Feedback 644.
  Mini coins are not coins!

• 1865 Maximillian 22K Gold Coin
  1865 Maximillian HGE 22K Gold Coin. Rare Mexican GOLD Peso dated 1865. Coin weighs 0.45 grams. The diameter is 10 mm.
  

• WORLD AZTEC Proof "YEAR OF THE SUN"GOLD unc COIN zbaysix
  Old aztec gold coin medallion necklace jewelry peice,not including neclace .This is a faithful original in near mint condition, complete with skull symbol set in bas relief against the background of an Aztec calendar on one side and an Aztec glyph on the reverse.(Aztec Gold .The Aztecs wanted it to glorify their gods. The Spaniards wanted it to finance their empire.) (A solid gold version of this Aztec would be worth US$482 when melted down - based on it's mass and the gold price at US$600 per troy ounce.)This gold glad (sic) collectible repo Aztec can be worn as a neckless Diameter=5cm Weight=25 Notice the small square shaped hole at the top of the Aztec Coin/Medallion. Feedback 616.

• MEDIEVAL SPANISH COB LOT of 10 WORLD COINS Gold Silver zbaysix
  THE MOST AUTHENTIC SPANISH PIRATE TREASURE 10 SPANISH HIGH QUALITY COBS THESE ARE THE BEST COBS ON EBAY!?! PLEASE,LOOK AT THE PICTURES... ALL OF THESE COINS ARE
  gold & silver Spanish shield-style escudo doubloon repo TRIBUTE COINS; a type that was minted from 1572 to 1734 CENTURY!!! mix of 10 gold and silver coins some gold only- They are cast in zinc and then with Ersatz Silver or Ersatz Gold!

• SAINT GAUDENS MINI $20 GOLD COIN mart-1company
  Shown here is a circulated SAINT GAUDENS GOLD MINI COIN GOLD Type : Coins Weight : 0.5112gm Year : 1965+ Method+of+Manufacture : Business+Strike (Image states 22 ct)

• 1865 MAXIMILIAN GOLD PESO B/U coin/token FREE SHIPPING! dakiniyi101 Feedback 418
  This is a bid for one(1) Brilliant Uncirculated Maximiliano Gold Peso dated 1865. The measurement is 10mm and weight is a half gram! These are listed with Krause's World Coins!
  Only an idiot or blind person would believe this! The same seller lists 62 similar items.

• 3-$20 Mini Gold Double Eagles B/U 22kt HGE! 1.5 grams! dakiniyi101 Feedback 418
  This auction is for THREE (3) mini St. Gaudens. Beautiful Brilliant Uncirculated $20 mini gold Double Eagles! 22kt HGE! WOW! These mini repros are bigger and better. They measure over 10mm and weigh over a half gram each!
  We wonder what HGE stands for?

• LOT of 20 Mini GOLD Krugerrands10+grams! FREE SHIPPING! dakiniyi101 Feedback 418
  Very nice lot of 20 mini Gold Krugerrand reproductions. Unlike some of the other lots you may find listed, these are all consistently 22kt HGE!
  Apart from anything else, the word "Krugerrand" is a registered trade mark.

• JOHN Q ADAMS 2008 ERROR GOLD DOLLAR COIN PRESIDENTIAL jogerrob. Feedback 137
  Nowhere does this vendor state the coin is not gold.

• INCREDIBLE 1898 California Gold 1 Dollar Oct Token 2168 - heideman-coins-and-collectibles. Feedback 9361
  I am no expert although I have been collecting coins for almost 30 years now.

• 1865 Maximillian Peso 10K Gold A++ GOLD edwardleemueller. Feedback 43
  Up for bids; one 1865 Gold Maximillion 1 peso. This is a beautiful coin made out of 10K gold.
  How does he know?

• 1865 MAXIMILLIAN GOLD MEXICAN PESO COIN/TOKEN NICE!!! - dougsfleamarket. Feedback 6873 This Coin is Approximately 1/2 Inch in Diameter and is GEM BU 10 KT GOLD. Coin

• Pattern Sovereigns on eBay - Fools Gold
  Every month another eBay crook (member) seems to have the bright idea of conning mugs and punters into buying these silver medallions as "Pattern Gold Sovereigns".

Our Advice
Avoid all this stuff like the plague, and the people who sell it, and the people who allow them to sell it (eBay).

Corollary or Side Effect
One side effect we have noticed because of the abundance of misleading titles and phony descriptions, is that genuine sellers with a real coin find it necessary to add to their title "Genuine Original, Not Copy" or some similar wording. A sad endictment of eBay!

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