Hello Barry, While I agree with most everything you just pointed I do not believe that adding coins will interfere with dating this piece in any way. We have no idea whether the coins would have been new ones or old ones when they were added to the hilt. Even if the original coins used were still present they really cannot be relied on as any indicator of age as this piece could have just as easily been made earlier or later than the coins themselves.
Best,
Robert
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