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 Replies: 21 / Views: 2,859 |
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Valued Member
United States
77 Posts |
Picked this up for $300 today simply because it looked really neat. I will admit I didn't do much research beforehand. Just curious to know how I did on the deal. I know it's a gold solidus from the Byzantine empire and dates to 641-668 AD. Busts on the obverse are Contans and Constantine IV. Opinions welcome.   |
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Moderator
 United States
23731 Posts |
Nice coin the reverse is upside down though. Price wise you did very well. This type usually selling within the $500-$700 range depending on condition. It looks genuine, but these coins have been widely faked so you should buy from a reputable dealer.
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Pillar of the Community
3772 Posts |
What 'echizento' said.
Hope you bought from a good dealer. Difficult to make a conclusive judgement just by a photo, especially if in a 2x2.
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Valued Member
 United States
77 Posts |
My dealer has always been pretty good to me. I will get it checked out when I can, though. What are some things to look for if it's not real?
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
435 Posts |
If I were you, I would try posting the images on the FORVM Authentiation, Fakes and Frauds pages and ask them to give it the once over...best to make sure you can give the weights and dimensions with the images though..
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Pillar of the Community
3772 Posts |
Quote:
My dealer has always been pretty good to me. Good to hear that, but the key issue is: How good is his knowledge of that type of coinage - even the best dealers can get fooled. As 'echizento' said, they have been widely faked and some of those fakes are quite good. First steps to check up: - Get it out of the 2x2. - Measure it, ie diameter and weight. - Have a look at the rim for suspicious marks. For further comments from the members here, take pictures when it is out of the 2x2 (including from the rim) and state the measurements as well. There are some websites which have a list of the specific coin types which have got the attention of forgers. Note: No one here wants to scare you, just raising your level of awareness on the issue. |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
5417 Posts |
You did really well. I myself picked up a common Byzantine solidus last month for $300 and was really happy to have gotten such as good deal on it. Here's mine:  |
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Valued Member
United States
77 Posts |
For the record, I just weighed mine and it was 4.5 grams.
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Pillar of the Community
3772 Posts |
4.5 grams is the right weight for a Solidus of that time.
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
201 Posts |
Assuming there genuine I think you both done very well for $300.
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
I am NOT saying this one is a fake, but if you wish to check it, the best and cheapest test would be X Ray Florescence analysis. This test does not damage the coin in any way. It examines ALL elements present in the surface of the coin. Lots of of modern fakes of ancient coins are done in modern coin gold, which is usually a 'pure' alloy in fixed proportions of gold and copper. The ancients were not able to control the purity of the naturally occurring trace elements in their gold coins; they just went for controlling the purity of the gold and adding copper to the alloy. It is those trace elements that XRF can reveal, which are not present in modern coin gold. Earlier Byzantine solidii had little or no deliberately added copper or silver to the alloy. Silver or copper was added in later times to make a man made 'electumm' alloy. In appearance a pale gold or a very coppery looking gold was the result. Some ancient gold alloy coins as blanks, had their surface treated with acid to leach out copper from the surface, before striking. This treatment increased the purity of the gold in the surface only, and gave the coin a richer appearance. Trace elements however, can still be found by XRF. Any modern bullion gold coin dealer worth his salt should have an XRF testing instrument. I dunno if TPG'ers would have an XRF instrument or not; modern coins are usually their 'thing'. There is only about $180 worth of gold in a coin of 4.5 grammes in weight, so at a sale price of $300, a reasonable profit can still be made by an unscrupulous coin faker. Edited by sel_69l
12/03/2014 10:48 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
870 Posts |
There is an example of a fake die of this type on FORVM but I don't see any actual fake examples this type. They obviously exist since there is a fake die.
The die in question is not a match for this coin. It looks OK to me though I'm by no means an authority. I think you did well.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4964 Posts |
man, if that's real you did very well. congrats on a lovely coin.
maybe in the future, if you're in good with the dealer, he would let you take pics and weight it in the store, that way you can check it out before you buy. post pics here, check out the fake coin reports at forum...stuff like that.
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Pillar of the Community
New Zealand
526 Posts |
I've always fancied getting into the ancients, and that looks like a great coin. Trusting it comes out as genuine
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Pillar of the Community
1121 Posts |
I am no good at telling 'fakes' from 'real' coins unless I can read WPL in modern script on it somewhere, but having said that,
should he be worried about the 'flaking' on the wreath at the top of the reverse?
Edited by Topcat7
12/04/2014 01:40 am
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Pillar of the Community
1121 Posts |
(sorry - forgot) WELCOME to Ancients --  |
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Replies: 21 / Views: 2,859 |
Posted 12/03/2014 4:58 pm
