Bogus Half Annas: East India Company 'Gems' on Ebay India

[Rangnath]

Hmmm, they do make attractive door handles, don't they?
richie

[Overlord]

This one takes the cake

http://cgi.ebay.in/QUEEN-VICTORIA-COIN-OF-BRITISH-INDIA-DATED-1874_W0QQitemZ250276562530QQihZ015QQcategoryZ118379QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Figleaf]

I laughed so hard the neighbours came to ask if I was all right.

Peter

[Overlord]

Did you find the Easter egg hidden in the seller's 'other items'. Napoleon Bonaparte rises from the dead to issue 'one last coin'. 

[Overlord]

 

http://cgi.ebay.in/NAI-KASU-DOG-COIN_W0QQitemZ220285530680QQihZ012QQcategoryZ16176QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Figleaf]

How did I know I'd find the word "rare" on the other end of that link?

I want you to know we have similar medals here, tied in the neck of doggies to show that doggy tax was paid or that doggy got an ouch in the rear end from the vet to protect it from evil diseases.

Peter

[Rangnath]

I suppose the 1200 RS for this rare copper isn't really too dear if it is accompanied with inoculations for distemper, rabies, canine kennel cough and heart worm control plus certification that there is absolutely NO hip dysplasia in the family. Undoubtably this is a coin dealer who cares.
richie

[Bimat]

Here's one more, this time showing Lord Ganesha..Current bid is INR 502 (~10 USD), 13 bids

http://cgi.ebay.in/1717-GOD-GANPATI-HALF-ANNA-COIN-EAST-INDIA-COMPANY-/110639037106?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_203&hash=item19c299bab2#ht_3041wt_932

Aditya

[Overlord]

I did hear that the Mumbai Indians were upset over the recent IPL 4 auctions, but I hadn't imagined they would take it out on coin collectors. 

I have observed some fakes of rare Mughal coins recently (e.g., this one), all sold for INR 2500+.

[asm]

Here's one more, this time showing Lord Ganesha..Current bid is INR 502 (~10 USD), 13 bids ........

Aditya

A machine struck copper 1717. Should have rung alarm bells........or is it AH 1717?

Amit

[Figleaf]

As Marlène Dietrich sang: "when will they ever learn". Or maybe an American expression says it better: "There's a sucker born every minute...and two to take 'em!" (there are plenty of idiots around and two con men for each to take advantage of them.)

When was the last time I have taken advantage of someone? I was out of action for six weeks. The organisation I worked for continued to pay my salary. Then, I got a check from from social security for salary over the same period. I called to say there'd been a mistake. They told me they don't make mistakes. I kept the money for almost a year before they claimed it. Paid it back promptly, but kept the interest it had earned.

Peter

[Abhay]

Here's one more, this time showing Lord Ganesha..Current bid is INR 502 (~10 USD), 13 bids

[Aditya

These coins are easily available for Rs. 50-60 per peice, in Daryagunj Sunday Market. So don't get fooled by these RARE coins. They are all modern fakes.

See this post also.

I will post some more images of these coins tomorrow.

Abhay

[Coinsforever]

Mostly such tokens /medals are to attract tourists and amateur collectors .

Places viz temples , palaces , Forts , Archeological places etc where souvenir are being sold are favorite places of such seller to dupe who so ever  become their victim

Cheers

[Overlord]

Oesho's explanation is buried deep in this thread. I am quoting it below:

These medalic tokens are fantasy pieces. The appeared on the market sometime during the late 1980's. They have a large variety of religious motifs on the obverse. On the reverse one often find a reference to the East India Company, a denomination and sometimes a date too.
The earliest pieces are of quite good workmanship, often with a milled edge, with all kind of religious motifs, but they became more and more crude. Some mention a place name Ratlam. Perhaps they were (and probably still are) manufactured there.
The majority of the pieces, which I have seen, bear mostly a 'date' 1818, but it seems they have gone back in time by adding a 'date' 1616. A 'date' 1839 is also popular on these pieces.
The monkey with the scales and the two cats represent a popular children's story. Two cats quarrelled about food. So the monkey would try to equally divide it, but every time the scale got out of balance, the monkey tried to get it in balance by eating the food from the heavier side. This went on and on, till nothing was left. The morality of the story you can fill-in yourself.
These pieces can in general be regarded as religious motivated tokens. Their references to the East India Company is purely fantasy, as are the dates on them.
But for the price of approximately $ 2.00 it makes an interesting collecting as you may find almost the whole Indian pantheon or popular folk themes on them.
They are a continuation of a long standing Indian tradition of all kind of religious tokens.

[asm]

On the same topic there is a very very hot discussion on SACG. From what Mr Sastri J C Phillips says, it appears that there have been a spurt in the number of such tokens produced recently aimed to fool the uninitiated......

Amit