Coin Or Token ID Needed | Byzantine Follis Of Justinian I

Looks to be Byzantine, Emperor Maurice. Not much, but it's a start.

Very nice example with clear legend and excellent details.

Very nice! Most of these are worn to the point that the face shows little detail.

Most ancient coinage usually had either a 0 or 180 degree die axis. However, an error like that is not likely to increase the value of the coin.

Nice example by the way.

Hello,

I would like to present another similar coin currently up for bid on ebay located at the following URL:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/35085316850....m1423.l2649

My previously-discussed coin's x‘s obverse and reverse sides are shown along side of the ebay coin y below.

My questions are:

a) Since it appears that coin y's surface has a richer, darker, and possibly treated texture compared to coin x could coin y have some type of reconditioning chemical applied to its surface?

a. If this is the case, what chemical(s) are typically used for coins like this to prevent further pitting similar to what is seen on the left part of the chin on coin x?

b) Also, one can notice the lighter rust-colored area on coin x to the right of the big ‘M'. If this growth is rust, what should one do to prevent further rust formation and to simultaneously visually mask this chemical complex/compound?

a. Does this rust bring the resale value downward?

i. If it does, what percentage decrease do you guess would be expected?

c) Being that both coin's devices illustrate that a great deal of variation can and does exist between these two coins which were probably minted with the same or similar tools during the same time frame; how can someone like myself distinguish between an authentic and counterfeit coin of this nature when inspecting these types of coins down the road?

d) Finally, the ebay owner of coin y wants more than $ 500 for his/her coin while the Wildwinds page SB 163 comments for my coin x indicated that the sales were between $ 200 - $ 400.

a. Does coin y appear to be worth double the value of coin x ?

b. What specific characteristics overall would cause coin y to be more valuable than coin x?

Thanks for answering each question above to further enlighten a Byzantine newbie like myself.

mdpmedia

(a) - Yes. All ancient bronze coins require "cleaning" of some kind, since they usually come out of the ground looking like little green rocks. How severe the cleaning needs to be depends to a large extent, as echizento said, on the chemical composition of the soil in which it was buried. "Desert" or "sand" patinas are relatively easy to remove and leave the coin looking quite dark.

Any pitting that has happened on your coin occurred centuries ago, while it was still buried. Nothing you do to it now can undo such damage. The green patina on your con can be stripped away with chemicals, but this will likely reveal all of the pitting and corrosion on your coin currently hidden by the patina. Ancients collectors prefer if possible to keep the patina in place for this reason. Coins that have been stripped down to bare metal can be "repatinated" with proprietary formulas such as Dellers Darkener, though doing so without revealing that this has been done is considered deceptive.

(b) - it is not "rust", it is patina - chemically, it is a mixture of metal, metallic compounds and soil and dirt still clinging to the surface. It should not expand or get any worse. Ancients collectors like their coins "crusty" like this.

You should, however, be warned of the existence of "bronze disease". This is a particularly virulent form of corrosion and is contagious and can spread, especially if the coin is kept in a moist, salty environment. Bronze disease is typically pale greenish-blue in colour and powdery in appearance. If it appears on your coins (and it can appear on modern coppers as well as ancient ones), it will need treating to stabilize it. But until and unless bronze disease develops, leave your nicely patinated coin alone.

(c) - it all comes down to experience. When trying to avoid counterfeits, the following general rules of thumb apply.

Consider the source. You're much more likely to obtain a fake from a random seller on ebay than you are from a trusted dealer in ancients who's been in the business for fifty years. You're also, ironically, much more likely to obtain fakes from people in (or who have recently visited) Greece, Turkey, Italy and the Middle East - in those countries, selling genuine ancient coins is illegal or tightly controlled, but selling fakes to tourists is perfectly OK. Bulgaria and other former Communist countries are the current hotspots for fake ancient coin production.

Use the resources available. The FORVM fake database, for example, is a little unwieldy to use if you're not used to it but is good for detecting previously-known types of fakes. Most fake-makers re-use the same dies and designs over and over, so you can use diagnostics to spot them when they reappear. See the fake Byzantine follis of Justinian in this thread for an excellent example of a fake spotted using FORVM.

(d) - No, not to me anyway.

I thought everyone would like to see the final NGC slabbed product:

I like this because with NGC (or PCGS for that matter) one can zoom in on any area with extremely high magnification.

Before clicking on the URL first take a stab at the grade NGC assigned to it; hone up on your 'ancient' grading skills especially if you haven't taken any recent CE grading classes lately.

https://www.NGCcoin.com/certlookup/...NGCAncients/

https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/hone