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 Replies: 28 / Views: 3,739 |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
2843 Posts |
I can't just toss it without getting the opinion of the forum. Weight is 16.5 grams. Thanks.   |
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Moderator
 United States
23731 Posts |
If this is a fake it is done very well. Would lie to see a picture of the edge, but IMO it looks good.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6130 Posts |
I don't know this series well, but I don't like the lettering could be a false flag, but it looks too thin for the time period, and a bit shaky, like the engraver was not fluent in Greek. Copying rather than writing, if that makes sense.
Barring that, I would agree that nothing else throws up major red flags.
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Valued Member
Canada
266 Posts |
Quote:
If this is a fake it is done very well. Would lie to see a picture of the edge, but IMO it looks good. Seriously? I really can't see anything about that coin that would make me think it is genuine.... a few things wrong with it... underweight... style.................... metal circle outside the border on both the obverse + reverse? I don't think I have ever seen, or at least more than a few times a alexander tetradrachm which had such a big flan that there is space around both the obverse and reverse border. surfaces look strange... 0 wear + do those reverse symbols even show up on a genuine coin? Edited by arnoldoe
04/21/2017 01:35 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3443 Posts |
Not my strongest area (silver) but I agree that several things about it just aren't kosher.
First thing I noticed was the odd looking flan.
And as mentioned above the faint outer ring just doesn't belong.
Perhaps a practice run for someone learning the fine art of fakery ?
A talented artist made this. Probably in the not too distant past !
Would make a good piece for jewelry.
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Moderator
United States
34418 Posts |
@BS, not really my area of expertise, but I will say that it looks stuck to me. Looks at the radial lines at 3 o'clock on the obv--thise make me think struck. Also, just outside of the beaded border on the obv is a thin circumferential line. That could be the edge of the die IMO.
"If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Moderator
United States
23731 Posts |
I have to admit the shape of the coin is odd along with how sharp the detail of the beaded edge is. The overall detail looks well executed and the lettering looks OK. At 16.5g given a margin for error for the scale used is within limits of the approx 17g Attic standard. The coin appears struck and not cast. Looking at the coin more closely I do notice a line outside the beaded edge which does concern me a bit. I think the coin needs to be looked at by and expert in this type before it is condemned.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2624 Posts |
The style struck me as quite wrong so I was surprised that it wasn't instantly condemned, though in its favour I can see that it is not poor in execution.
I agree that the line around the outside is somewhat of a corcern.
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
A century ago a numismatic expert could pick a fake by style.
I am well less that 100 years old, but to my eye,
the style is quite unfamiliar, and makes me suspicious.
My suspicions will be lessened if anyone else can picture a coin with a closely similar style.
Compare with a few examples on Wildwinds and Vcoins.
An edge examination may be helpful.
In a more modern approach, it would be nice to check it with an XRF instrument and compare the trace metal analysis with a few known genuine tetradrachms.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2100 Posts |
The style loooks completely wrong on both sides. I have seen a few of these being sold as Celtic imitations but I believe that they are modern in origin.
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Valued Member
Canada
266 Posts |
Quote:
I have to admit the shape of the coin is odd along with how sharp the detail of the beaded edge is. The overall detail looks well executed and the lettering looks OK. At 16.5g given a margin for error for the scale used is within limits of the approx 17g Attic standard. The coin appears struck and not cast. Looking at the coin more closely I do notice a line outside the beaded edge which does concern me a bit. I think the coin needs to be looked at by and expert in this type before it is condemned.
adding up everything that is unusual There is no chance whatsoever the coin is genuine... 1) underweight... (very rare for tetradrachm of the period coin to be that underweight) 2) unusual style 3) border circle 4) surfaces look strange (blackened areas look similar to many fakes..) 5) no wear 6) unusual shaped flan 7) unusually large flan ( fitting the entire design 8) metal shows no signs of age, corrosion etc.. 9) lettering does not look ok 10) The Reverse control symbols do not appear on a genuine coin, the coin isn't even a fake it is a fantasy piece... |
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Moderator
United States
23731 Posts |
I spend the last hour or so looking at thousands of examples of this type. Many genuine example listed look like poorly made fakes but are not. This coin has it's good points and some that may lead us to think it's not genuine. My contention at this point is to defer to an expert on this type. Until that happens I am not going to say with 100% certainty if it's genuine, fake, or a fantasy piece.
@arnolde, you make some excellent points, but I think we disagree with each other on some of them.
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New Member
United States
45 Posts |
Arnoldoe is valid in all of his points. This coin is definitely modern. In addition to the points made, the strange style and the strange surface of this coin just confirm that it is "fake".
Marsha
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Moderator
United States
23731 Posts |
@mylimebug, can you define what you mean about the strange style and surface?    Here are three images of Alexander tetradrachm two with odd shaped flans. Are they all real, all fake, or a mix? |
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Valued Member
Canada
266 Posts |
 I'm not too good about describing how the style is unusual just that it doesn't look genuine whatsoever..... but here are a few more unusual things about the reverse.. 1: the bird has an indented eye, - could't find another like that 2: zeus has a pot belly... 3: strange foot stool shape 4: hairstyle? - design looks cramped on the reverse compared to others |
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Moderator
United States
23731 Posts |
This is an interesting thread, we haven't had a decent debate here in a while. And I kind of push this one a bit. I did conclude that this piece is most likely a fake and arnoldoe your last post was what I was looking for to help prove it. However I still would recommend that an expert in this type check it out. @BigSilver if your planning on tossing it, send it to be. I would love to study it a bit more.
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Replies: 28 / Views: 3,739 |
Posted 04/21/2017 12:21 am
