shot coins ebay?????

**josh100** · 01-04-2014, 04:29 PM

hi well i have a reply to my message it wont let me copy and paste for some reason
i asked
how come you have so many
where did you get them all
how come the coins come to have a bullet in and why did the bullet not go through the coin all the way
are they genuine

trenchcoin replied hello and thanks for your questions regarding my items i fully understand your concerns as i at some point have purchased these myself over the last 15 years. some were given to me by a family member and then i just started to collect them mostly from car boot sales, local auctions, militaria fayres, and collectable shops in and around the uk, although a few have come from souvenir shops around europe mainly france, germany,belgium.
most of the coins have bullets in from rangeing in there sights(setting up a sight to be acurate) or from range fireing, some fellow collectors say that often shooting competitions with the coin being the target would take place among troops, or to gamble, alot of people make the mistake of thinking that the coin has somehow saved someones life im afraid that is not the case well not that i know of. most people say that the bullet has not gone all the way through as the coin has been placed up against a backdrop so something solid that has helped dispurse the impact and also range and muzzle velocity play a huge factor. i do as far as i know beleave them to be genuine as i would not have purchased them. if you are still in doubt feel free to bid and if you win inspect the coin if you are not happy then i will issue a full refund. even better i will be attending quite alot of militaria fayres this year with my coin collection maybe you could attend and see the coins in person before you commit to buying. also there will be other collectors that can help clarify your issues. and it always makes a great day out and some of even the larger shows can be cheap to enter(some even free) hope that helps if you have any other questions please dont hesitate to contact me also if you would like a list of the events i will be at i will forward them on to you all the best and happy new year

seems fair cant really ask for anymore maybe have to attend one of these shows any recomendations im in the kent area thanks everyone at war relics

**NickW** · 01-04-2014, 05:09 PM

Interesting he actually took the trouble to reply! - I know these coins are being discussed elsewhere and some people are getting pretty angry about them! Consensus seems to be very consistent - THEY ARE TOTALLY FAKE - including the stamped up ones he sells without the bullets! I do not profess to be any expert on ballistics and do have a couple of bullet holed items - including a WWI soldier's prayer book - but have only ever seen a projectile still in an item, when their has been another layer / obstacle to stop it - eg a small shell splinter in a cigarette case or a bullet in an ammunition box that had gone through one side, lost its jacket and then shattered against the other side - high velocity projectiles are just too destructive to ever form something so contrived.

From his reply he states he has collected these "over the last 15 years" and from"mostly from car boot sales, local auctions, militaria fayres, and collectable shops in and around the uk, although a few have come from souvenir shops around europe mainly france, germany,belgium"

All I can say is for the last 30 years I have been collecting Trench Art from exactly such sources and NEVER seen such an item or indeed been offered such a thing by any of my contacts in the trade! Yet in that time I have seen just about every possible variation of Trench Art and WW1 relic that ever appears on here or ebay! Until they started appearing on ebay, it seems these items were unknown.

**relicz** · 01-04-2014, 05:16 PM

I've shot coin with a rifle in my youth. The don't stand up to the round and are typically a through and through. Not to mention that it is often a perimeter hit and difficult to locate the coin after impact....never mind finding the bullet.

**josh100** · 01-04-2014, 05:17 PM

hi nick thanks for your reply and have not bid on these. where else is this being discussed they may well be genuine if not its a real shame that this is going on there does seem to be a large amount of fake trench art about.

**Panzer 3** · 01-04-2014, 05:21 PM

Hi
As said hard to believe but target practice comes to mind we,v all shot coins at one time or another.
Just my thoughts.
Dave.

**josh100** · 01-04-2014, 05:26 PM

just noticed there is another seller on ebay selling them aswell theres all seem to be very clean

**mpw** · 01-04-2014, 05:32 PM

The 'Mafeking' marked coin is dated 1897. As the siege was between october 1899 and may 1900 there seems rather a lot of wear for a two year old coin.

Mark.

**josh100** · 01-04-2014, 05:35 PM

thanks all well trenchcoins selection look better than this other seller his look almost pristine condition thanks again for all your help

**NickW** · 01-04-2014, 05:39 PM

Hi Josh - Yes there is a lot of fake Trench Art & I suspect things will get worse as the 100 year commemorations start to get public attention - for instance, If I could afford a brass WW1 tank model now, I would need a lot of provenance to convince me to part with my money, as most I have seen recently are fake IMO - I had the chance of a couple back when they were affordable (& no fakes were being made), but I was more interested in the little bullet aeroplane models at the time. The coins got a fair bit of coverage on a couple of WWI related groups on FB late last year.