eBay Conmen Fraudsters and Hucksters
Most of the eBay listings we see for these replicas describe them as rare, restrikes, sovereigns, coins, patterns; and also place them in the wrong categories under coins rather than medallions, replicas, or exonumia.
eBay tends to be stuffed full of misdescribed, mis-categorised, and over-hyped items offered by a myriad of dodgy dealers, some of whom should know better.

A Few Examples

Vendor ID	Item Title	Category Listed	Brief Description	Price*
reggaediamond	1819 full sovereign restrike	Coins Coins British Milled (1816-1837) Sovereign	1819 full sovereign restrike king george produce by pobjoy mint weight 8grams complete with certificate & case proof condition international bidders postage may vary, please contact us before bidding as we cannot send to some countries due to postal restrictions	£450.00
goldguinea	1819 George III Pobjoy Gold Sovereign. See eBay Shop.	Coins Coins British Milled (1816-1837) Sovereign Coins Coins British Victoria (1837-1901) Sovereign	This 22ct gold full sovereign has been made to the exact specifications as the original George III sovereign by the famous Pobjoy Mint. It has been made to the exact standards of the orginal sovereign 7.98 grams and 22mm in diameter and solid 22ct gold in proof quality. This is a very rare coin only a 250 limited edition. Comes in its original high quality Pobjoy box together with its certificate of authenticity. For sale elsewhere on eBay for £650+ The pictures below are taken through the coins plastic capsule, the coin itself is perfect FDC	£375.00
goldguinea	1819 George III Pobjoy Gold Sovereign. See eBay Shop.1818 George III Gold Sovereign Pobjoy. Only 100 made.	Coins Coins British Milled (1816-1837) Sovereign Coins Coins British Victoria (1837-1901) Sovereign	This 22ct gold full sovereign has been made to the exact specifications as the original George III sovereign by the famous Pobjoy Mint. It has been made to the exact standards of the orginal sovereign 7.98 grams and 22mm in diameter and solid 22ct gold in proof quality. Much rarer than the 1819 version as only a 100 made compared to the 250 for the 1819 limited edition. Comes in its original high quality Pobjoy box together with its certificate of authenticity. Is for sale else where on eBay for 550.	£425.00
coins.sovereigns	1841 Shield Full Sovereign 22ct gold	Coins Coins British Victoria (1837-1901) Sovereign	1841 * *key date of most wanted coins * * *FULL SHIELD SOVEREIGN ** Issued by pobjoy boxed with coa *GREAT COIN *22 ct GOLD * 8. GMS each I have 2 of these coins, being sold for my dealer , I have shown a picture of the other coins i have in a box of 4 , which are 1838 1818 1819 1841 but this auction is for the 1841 only if you want another one pls check it is available before you buy people who buy from me know i dont sell scratched, dented or marked coins , just quality, that is why i have to pay higher prices for these coins, and the winner will not be dissapointed , i offer a full refund if you are not happy with any coin purchased , *** if you buy coins from my website they are 10% cheaper you can call me 07917 138846 *** THESE ARE THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER COINS, ANY DATE PRE 1870 *** AND YOU WOULD VERY RARELY FIND AN UNC ONE THESE DAYS **I HAVE 100 NEW COINS TO LIST IN THE NEXT 10 DAYS , IF SHIELDS AND BUNHEADS IS YOUR THING KEEP LOOKING UNTOUCHED NEVER OPENED THE BOX AS SEEN	£625
brightongold	SET OF 1838, 1839 1841 FULL SOVEREIGNS BY POBJOY LIMITED EDTION RESTIKE 1841 VICTORIA PROOF SOVEREIGN	Coins Coins British Victoria (1837-1901) Sovereign	1838 , 1839 1841 , HERE WE HAVE 3 FULL SOVEREIGN BOXED WITH COA ISSUED BY THE POBJOY MINT UNTOUCHED NEVER OPENED THE BOX AS SEEN	£1800
thecoinhouse	LIMITED EDTION RESTIKE 1841 VICTORIA PROOF SOVEREIGN	Coins Coins British Victoria (1837-1901) Sovereign	1841 Restrike Proof Sovereign Limited Edition of 100 this is number 80 This is a quality restike by Pobjoy Mint, of this rare sovereign comes with Certificate and Pobjoy mint box and protective outer sleve these coins were made as getting some coin are so expensive due to rarity or a good example is very expensive the dates known to restriked by Pobjoy Mint are 1818, 1819, 1838,1839,1841 This coin is 22ct Gold, 8 grams weight and 22.05 mm diameter	£400
thelondoncoincompany	1841 VICTORIA PATTERN GOLD PROOF FULL SOVEREIGN COIN	Coins Coins British Victoria (1837-1901) Sovereign	This is a very collectable Limited Issue, 1841 Queen Victoria Young Head Pattern Re-strike Shield solid 22 Carat Gold Proof Full Sovereign minted by the Pobjoy Mint. The coin is hallmarked solid 22 carat gold in a Proof finish and is a very Limited Issue of only 100 coins worldwide. These solid 22 Carat Gold coins have been struck to proof quality using specially prepared dies and highly polished blanks. Specifications: Full Soveriegn - Weight: 7.98 Grams / Diameter: 22.05mm Metal: Solid 22 Carat Gold Quality: Gold Proof Issue Limit: 100 Worldwide Presented: Boxed with Certificate of Authenticity	£695.95 £645.95
thelondoncoincompany Ingram Lieberman	1819 GEORGE III PATTERN GOLD PROOF FULL SOVEREIGN RARE	Coins: Coins: British: Milled (1816-1837): Sovereign	EXTREMELY RARE 1819 UNITED KINGDOM GEORGE III LAUR HEAD ST GEORGE & THE DRAGON SOLID 22K GOLD PROOF PATTERN RE-STRIKE FULL SOVEREIGN COIN HALLMARKED IN MINT CONDITION!! ORIGINAL MINT BOX WITH CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY VERY RARE & COLLECTABLE LIMITED ISSUE ITEM 201 OF 250!!	£699.95
uk_ta	1819 George III Gold Sovereign FDC. Very rare 250 made.	Coins: Coins: British: Milled (1816-1837): Sovereign Coins: Coins: British: Proof Sets/ Coins: Pre-1970	This 22ct gold full sovereign has been made to the exact specifications as the original George III sovereign by the famous Pobjoy Mint. It has been made to the exact standards of the original sovereign 7.98 grams and 22mm in diameter and solid 22ct gold in proof quality. This is a very rare coin only a 250 limited edition. This is number 44. Comes in its original high quality Pobjoy box together with its certificate of authenticity. For sale else where on eBay for £800.	£690

1819 George III Gold Pattern Sovereign by Pobjoy
We have no doubt that Pobjoy sold these honestly and ethically for what they were, although we do take issue with their certificates which clearly state these to be "re-strike" . This does not stop secondary market dealers trying to rip people off by purporting that they are some kind of rarity.
Although we have little respect for Ingram Lieberman and his so-called London Coin Company, at least he does state it to be a "Pattern Restrike", which although still misleading, might at least alert the less stupid buyers. Uk_ta, on the other hand, incidentally yet another eBay copyright thief, describes it in his item title as a proof full sovereign, only in the detailed description does he allude to it as "restrike" (a euphemism for fake).

Not More!
As we got to this point writing this page, we checked on eBay (UK) by searching for "1819 sovereign". and found 7 listings for the same crap, all asking greedy and extortionate prices, all giving misleading descriptions, all con merchants in our opinion. If and when we find time, we may add a page specifically about these fantasy replica coins. At present suffice it to say that, if their specification is similar to a real sovereign, their gold content is about £150 each, and as for the "Royal Sovereigns", we would think we had overcharged somebody if we sold them one of these medallic replicas for double the intrinsic value, a "fair" valuation might be about £200.

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), unless you really want it, know what you are buying, and only pay a sensible price for it.

Rip-Off Prices
Most eBay sellers ask what we consider to be ridiculously high prices for these replicas. Perhaps they genuinely believe that the low mintage figures actually make them rare or valuable. Whenever we acquire similar items, we try to describe them accurately, and also ask what we believe are sensible and realistic prices for them. Even then, this sort of stuff hardly ever flies off our shelves!

Misleading Descriptions
Real, bricks and mortar, old style businesses would probably go bust if they tried to run their businesses in the same way that most eBay dealers do. Apart from acquiring an early reputation for misleading and overcharging people, they would fall fall of consumer legislation in most countries.
Although the internet, and sites like eBay have made things better in many ways, they have opened up untold opportunities for small-thinking, small-time dealers to not only make a quick buck or two, but to keep getting away with it for a few years. If they get chucked off eBay, they can rejoin under a different name; some user maintain multiple IDs. Many of these dealers do not maintain the high ethical standards that other old-fashioned dealers do. Eventually most of them will fade away, but unfortunately will almost certainly be replaced by other similar chancers.

Semi-Literates
What many of these small dealers appear to have in common is a disregard for the English language. Most of them write in text speak, and often use either all capital or no capitals. A cockroach could have higher aspirations! Their attitude towards education, grammar, spelling, and other human beings seems to be "who cares?".

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!

Kings and Queens of England Miniature Gold Medals by John Pinches
The gold medallion images shown on this page are from a "Kings and queens of England miniature gold medal collection" by John Pinches.

Replicas
A replica is an imitation of an original coin, not intended to deceive for gain.

Coin Replicas And Patterns (CRAP) on eBay
eBay seems to awash with so-called replica, restrike, and pattern coins, most of which are not what they are stated to be. eBay do not appear to care.
We have decided to start this page as a partial catalogue of these items. Unfortunately the title "Coin Replicas And Patterns" creates the acronym C.R.A.P., a word we would normally prefer to avoid, rather like most of the items it describes. Most of the items listed here should be described as "Imitation", "Fantasy", "Fake", or some other word or combination or words.

eBay Copyright Abuse
A small selection of crooked eBay vendors and their dishonest listings using our high quality coin photographs.

eBay Index
More about eBay, most of it bad!

1936 Edward VIII Pattern Sovereign - Fantasy Piece
We describe, and comment upon, a fantasy so-called pattern 1936 sovereign of Edward VIII. Similar half sovereign "patterns" also exist.

Restrike Gold Sovereigns
Our index page of replica sovereigns on our Gold Sovereigns website.
We soemtimes have these for sale (described accurately of course). As at March 2011, we had a number of the above listed items at £295 each, we we fell more fairly reflects their actual value.