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 Replies: 17 / Views: 3,253 |
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Valued Member
Canada
96 Posts |
Hi all, I've have had these coins from my collection for close to 15 years now. I would like your opinions please of whether they are genuine or not? If they are not genuine do you think they are made of gold and silver? I remember where I bought some of them and if it turns out they were not genuine I'm not going to sell them back to these jewelers that sold it to me because theyll probably are going to con other people too. So I will melt them and maybe get a jewellery create something out of them or something. Please note that the Greek Athena tet I was told it was found in a tomb back then, where? no idea. Also can some of these coins have an unknown styles? I mean what if someone says this one is fake because the style is not familiar to me or found in my books, how can one be sure it's not a new style an unknown style for instance? And..If they are genuine how much would they be worth please? I have added a us quarter for size comparison. Thank you !        |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2044 Posts |
I'm not even familiar with any of those coins too much. I'd say to do them one at a time and a close up photo. If any of them do turn out to be fake you can have them added to a fake database, perhaps.
A couple of the Romans look good to me but I'm not experienced with those gold coins.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4971 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5155 Posts |
The weight is incorrect for the owl coin should be high 15g to low 17g in that state of preservation, the Alexander and Ptolemy at 16.3 are close but I am unsure with out closer examination. The other I am not familiar the 4.1g looks ok but again not sure w/out better pics of each one. I can't comment on the Golds not my area.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10045 Posts |
Quote:
The weight is incorrect for the owl coin should be high 15g to low 17g in that state of preservation  Weighing under 16.5gr raises flags for me. But the style is just as indicative of a copy--or possibly a imitative type.  I'm pretty sure it's not Athenian. |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2838 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4253 Posts |
Style wise, most, if not all, look off to me, Greek and Roman alike.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2838 Posts |
Coin 3 (Julian II) is a match for this know fake:  http://www.forumancientcoins.com/fa...p?pos=-10680Quote:
Struck from published modern dies; condemned by the International Bureau for the Suppression of Counterfeit Coins. From a series of Counterfeit Solidii of Bulgarian origin; many appear to have entered the marketplace in the early 1990s, though die matches are published as early as 1977. Fits in well with a number hitting the market around the time you bought yours. Edited by bobbyhelmet
01/05/2013 11:03 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2838 Posts |
Quote:
Style wise, most, if not all, look off to me, Greek and Roman alike. Agreed - I don't like any of them from sight alone, two of the small owls in the last picture even look like they came from the same die or mould. I suspect its just a matter of time before known fake matches are found for all. Anyone know if coin 1 is Cornelius Sulla, having trouble IDing it, its a bit old for me  As far as the two 'golds' I have covered so far are concerned it doesn't seem like the fakes were made of gold so I doubt melting them will recover you much cash, sorry. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10045 Posts |
Bobby, sadly...I would have to agree.  That one mark, and the legends are exact matches.  |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2838 Posts |
Sad indeed DVC. The Ptolemy V is also definitely a fake, cant find a match but it is. As far as the others go, especially the owls too many fakes have been documented to wade through but if anyone wants to then I suggest they head over to FAC fake database. Pat, some of these may actually be silver but even that is not a certainty. I'm wondering if these might all be 'Toronto Group' (fakes from the Toronto area 90s and 00s) coins? Quote:
Also can some of these coins have an unknown styles? I mean what if someone says this one is fake because the style is not familiar to me or found in my books, how can one be sure it's not a new style an unknown style for instance? Not really, yes oddities turn up from time to time but even those can usually be authenticated by experts. Style says nothing to the inexperienced but everything to the experienced collector / expert. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
549 Posts |
The 7.2 gram gold piece, as well as the 14.0 gram Athens tetradrachm, are certainly fakes.
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Valued Member
 Canada
96 Posts |
Unbelievable!....Thank you all very much!..So I've been taking care of all this garbage all these years for nothing..wow
I'm going to get the gold ones tested with acids tomorrow at a jeweler, hopefully something is in gold...I'll keep you posted.
The thing is I only like and comfortable the most in collecting bronze ancient it's my field and I feel at home and I stay away as far as possible from silver and gold. But sometimes you kinda fall to the temptation of "i only have this silver or this gold coin" of a jeweler or a coinshop owner scheme luring you into buying it you know..Since he only have this coin and rarely get others..But behind the counter the garbage bag has plenty more.
Yes, feel free to put these pics in the fake archives and if anybody needs a close up shots let me know.
Thanks again to everyone who helped or tried helping!
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Valued Member
Canada
96 Posts |
Sorry...Forgot to add that most of these coins were bought in the middle east so I think most probably they may have been made either in Lebanon or Syria.
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
I would really like to have a close look at these with a 10 or 15 x loupe, especially examining thew edges.
The provenance that is indicated does not do much for their authenticity.
DVC: good investigative work!
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Moderator
 United States
23731 Posts |
These fakes were made very well especially the gold coins and from a distance can fool most collectors. If not for the internet and the fake reports most would pass as real outwardly. An unsuspecting buyer seeing this lot and thinking they were getting a haul would grab them only to find out later when they researched each coin that they were fake.
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Replies: 17 / Views: 3,253 |
Posted 01/05/2013 9:25 pm
