Demetrius Coin

I have the same coin and I can tell you to stay away from this one. Style is messed up and it does not look right to me. Sorry to say that but I think this is a modern coin, not a history piece. Coin like this can be pretty expensive, depending on the condition of course.

to the community.

I don't know a lot about this coin type, but what I can tell from you pictures is the surface is very course. These coins were struck in silver, in the pictures the coin looks like base metal. Lastly it doesn't have the classic look about it, compare it to the coins that DVCollector posted and you will see what I mean. I also believe the coin is a modern copy.

hi to all of you. but let me ask you this. the photos sent by DVcollector are nice and I saw them but what is the difference in the coins from wildwinds and the ones we have? do you notice a difference in all of them?

Like Echizento, I'm not at all an expert on these coins either, so I can only offer my observations. To illustrate what I see, I have quickly cobbled together a comparison between your photos, and one that is confirmed authentic from Cornell U. I don't know how important these differences are, but what I see is...

Portrait: On the Demetrios coins I pictured from Wildwinds, the portraits look very consistent--the profile has a very distinct style/interpretation. The style is classical Greece, while the coin you pictured is more of a interpretation of the original; it is nowhere near the same quality--as others have noted.

Inscriptions: I have not seen another example of this coin type with inscriptions around Demetrios. Demetrios and Bactria are usually inscribed on the reverse. I am not a scholar of Greek, but your coin appears to have different inscriptions from the norm--what do they say?

Flan: Bactrian coins I've seen are typically well-struck, centered on circular flans and without much cracking. Why is this coin an exception with a rough strike and large cracks?

Again, all I know about these coins is from personal interest and an eye for details--but without actual expertise. I feel the anomalies we've cited add up to a big red flag--avoid this coin, and buy one from a dealer who is an expert on Classical/Bactrian coins. Good luck!





Digging a little deeper, I have found a confirmed copy that looks very similar to the OP's coin, discussed here.

Regarding the coin you were offered, it closely matches the fake pictured, and the style is all off--big avoid!
And, the more I research these coins, the more I find differences/exceptions. Here is a genuine Demetrios coin that is the closest I've seen to the copy above. The real coins are rather expensive. Here is one example that sold in 2003