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Hadrian Semis?

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 Posted 02/21/2014  7:49 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add echizento to your friends list
Sel I guess that possible, but why would they use an official die on a reduced flan for a provincial coin?
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 Posted 02/21/2014  8:39 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add sel_69l to your friends list
I was looking through the Wildwinds listings for Hadrian, and noted that there were far more aureus types than semis types. Sear lists only one semis type (S 1146) for Hadrian.

It seems that by the time of Hadrian, the ravages of inflation had progressed far enough for the semis to be a rather scarce denomination. I notice that the semis disappears from Sear's listings after the time of Hadrian.

That would have made it somewhat morally easier for a lazy die cutter to use an already existing AS die, to produce a semis denomination, to answer a small but immediate need for them. That is my reasoning for an Imperial die being used for an Imperial semis denomination, and also explaining the weight of coin pictured here.

That makes me support your original comment about die and flan size being miss matched.
Edited by sel_69l
02/21/2014 8:43 pm
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 Posted 02/21/2014  9:08 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add echizento to your friends list
Makes sense.
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 Posted 02/22/2014  03:29 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Baltas to your friends list
Thank you! Very interesting!

This remark is from an another forum:
"It looks like an ancient cast fake, these are usually light."
What do you think this is also an option?
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Australia
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 Posted 02/22/2014  07:45 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add sel_69l to your friends list
I do NOT think this is a contemporary (ancient) cast fake, for two reasons:
1. There are small flat areas in the fields which indicate that it was struck. The rougher areas exhibit some porosity, that is indicative of corrosion caused by burial.
2. If it was an ancient strike, it would show inferior die cutting, and thus look barbarous. That is not the case here.

It would be of advantage to closely examine the edge for evidence of casting. From the pictures presented here, casting evidence of the edges, although it may be difficult to see, is certainly not obvious.

It is certainly better to have the coin 'in hand' when looking for signs of it being a fake.
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 Posted 02/22/2014  1:40 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Masis to your friends list
The opinion of Areich over on Forum Ancient Coins is that this is an ancient cast fake.
Edited by Masis
02/22/2014 1:41 pm
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 Posted 02/22/2014  5:19 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add augustus1 to your friends list
I think it may be an ancient "limesfalsa"; a cast from the Roman border region. Now imitation denarii are commonly seen, but the original meaning of "limesfalsa" was for coins just like this, also called "lightweights."
You can see some on my page:
http://esty.ancients.info/imit/Limes-falsa.html

-- Warren
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 Posted 02/22/2014  5:56 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add echizento to your friends list
That's very interesting, I've not heard of this type.
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 Posted 02/22/2014  7:53 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add nuggethill to your friends list
I brought a coin from Forvm Ancient Coins many years ago that was a cast fake and yes I brought it as such,the description was "Agrippa Ancient Cast Counterfeit" copper AS.
gF,8.128g,31.1mm,195*,illegal mint,ancient cast coin of RIC Caligula 58,S 556 (official Rome mint,38 AD)and then obv and rev leg and go's on to say why it was a fake,I did post a photo on this site 5 or 6 years ago thinking it was a frontiers coin and yes thinking I picked up a bargain because the cast lugs were still on the coin but now I believe I'm wrong and the coin is what it is.
I just want to say those people at F.A.C. know there stuff and you can't go wrong with anything you run passed them,
I also think the people here know there stuff too.
Edited by nuggethill
02/22/2014 10:55 pm
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 Posted 02/22/2014  10:12 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Baltas to your friends list
I take a few pictures:

Hadrian-Semis?

Hadrian-Semis?

Hadrian-Semis?
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 Posted 02/22/2014  10:39 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add echizento to your friends list
From the edges it looks cast.
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 Posted 02/22/2014  11:11 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add sel_69l to your friends list
Upon now seeing those edges, I have no problem at all in agreeing with echizento.
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 Posted 02/23/2014  02:52 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Baltas to your friends list
Thank you all of you! :)

So this is a "limes-falsa" from Pannonia! :)
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 Posted 02/23/2014  07:30 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add FVRIVS RVFVS to your friends list
It has been a long time since I played with fire and made castings of some of my coins (for a metals class I was attending and not for any nefarious purpose !) I seem to recall that copper did not cast well and alloy (bronze or brass) was the material of choice. Further the subject of 'shrinkage' was relevant to my project. Gold shrinks a smaller amount than silver (about 10%) and if memory serves bronze shrinks even more. Probably in the area of 15%. If the original flan were 28mm a cast copy might be around 25mm. The weight could go from close to 10 grams (or so) down to 8 grams. Add a bit of wear and you might be closer to 7.

Castings will always be somewhat 'light'. Which is why having a nice cheap digital pocket scale is sooo nice to have.
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 Posted 02/23/2014  2:28 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Baltas to your friends list
Totally! :D I had this coin a few years ago, but only last week bought a pocket scale! :D
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