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 Replies: 15 / Views: 1,653 |
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New Member
United Kingdom
5 Posts |
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Moderator
 United States
23731 Posts |
 to the community Looking at your pictures I don't see any casting signs which is a good thing. However if this coin is real you have a coin that would be worth many tens of thousands of dollars. The weight indicates that it could be a Dekadrachm (10 drachm) coin. SB 2516, BMC 11.40. I see that you are in the UK. Your best bet is to take the coin to the British Museum an have it verified. |
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Pillar of the Community
3772 Posts |
My first impression was that it is a phantasy issue. While there are some style elements which mimic archaic Greek coinage other style elements do not fit in. But as 'echizento' said, show it to a museum curator responsible for coins at a museum near you. |
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New Member
 United Kingdom
5 Posts |
Yes,I know it is a dekadrahm but I could not be sure,if it is real or not.I will show it to some other people too.
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New Member
United Kingdom
5 Posts |
Medieval,
What do you mean with "other style elements"?
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
 , the BM is the ONLY place you should take it. Because these Athenian dekadrachms are so famous, and if this coin is new to the records, nobody will believe you unless it is verified by such a recognised authority as the British Museum. Expect them to take all efforts with modern equipment to verify it. That equipment would include XRF, X-Ray and industrial MRI. I certainly do not have enough experience to offer a definitive opinion, but the face on the owl is quite dull and indistinct, and I am not all that happy with the style of the feather detail, relative to the Seltman example. The British Museum will ask you from where and how you acquired it, and will verify your answer. Edited by sel_69l
01/04/2015 07:42 am
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Pillar of the Community
3772 Posts |
Eg the dots and line pattern and the face of the owl.
Postscript:
If genuine it would certainly be a new type/variety,
Edited by Medieval
01/04/2015 07:58 am
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New Member
Canada
20 Posts |
I have seen this coin before, however only in a replica. I have no idea if your coin is real or not. I just wanted to post this picture to let you see it. It is on ebay atm.  |
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Pillar of the Community
1121 Posts |
Coinfun - I love it! I cannot see anything that would tell me it was a 'fake' but I have that 'nagging doubt' in the back of my mind. There is no wear on some of the high spots where you would expect to see it appear (first), and yet there is some wear elsewhere on the coin. Echizento (and others) have given you the exact right advice. The B.M. IS the place to go, and please let us know how you go. P.S. THanks for the great presentation of pictures! AND Welcome to our Forum Edited by Topcat7
01/04/2015 4:21 pm
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Moderator
Australia
16868 Posts |
Unfortunately, I don't think the British Museum helps in cases like this any more. In early 2014 they instituted a new policy that any non-British artifacts brought in for identification without a provenance that goes back to before 1970 will no longer be identified.
Which seems a silly rule, if you ask me; if you had provable provenance for an item going back to 1970, it's pretty certain that you'd already know what the thing is.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
Are there any other top museums in the World that would verify it?
BN (Bibliotheque Nationale - Paris) or the Hermitage in St Petersburg?
This coin NEEDS to be verified, before it can be considered to have any value at all.
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Moderator
United States
23731 Posts |
That's a shame that the BM will no longer do that. I guess if he wants to pay the fees it can send it to David Sear for vitrifaction. If it comes back real he will be in the money big time. If not he is out the cost of shipping and Davids fees. If it were mine I would send it to him.
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Pillar of the Community
1121 Posts |
You have to find out whether to throw it into the back of your sock drawer or to rent a 'safety deposit box' at your local Bank.
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Valued Member
United States
356 Posts |
Where and how did you acquire the coin is the real and only relevant question at this point until Sear verifies it. Of course, your answer to the question posed determines whether Sear even needs to see it. Example, owner acquired it for $200 on ebay auction from Saxby means fake and time to get your money back. However if the owner was somewhere in Greece and stumbled upon a tomb buried deep below the surface and found the coin, well... send it to Sear. So..... |
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
Except if the coin was found in Greece, it would have been illegal, under Greek Law, to own it.
A coin of this grat significance would be considered to be a National heritage and should only be in the ownership of the Greek People. A licence would have been needed to export it.
Similar laws in most other European Countries regarding the export of heritage items are in operation.
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New Member
United Kingdom
5 Posts |
Thanks a lot for everybody for their precious ideas...I will do my best to learn if it is real or not.It seems that it cannot be understood by photos only.Another question,is there another version of this coin?The guy who owns this coin says there is a strange coin similar to this one but he told me that he could not find it in any coin catalogue.I will also put its photos here soon.Thanks again.
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Replies: 15 / Views: 1,653 |
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Posted 01/04/2015 06:54 am
