Coin Community Family of Web Sites Join Thousands of Coin, Bullion, & Money Collectors
Coin, Banknote and Medal Collectors's Online Mall Specializing in Modern Numismatics Join Thousands of Coin, Bullion, & Money Collectors 300,000 items to help build your collection! Shop for APMEX Bullion on eBay!Vancouvers #1 Coin and Paper Money Dealer Royal Canadian Mint products, Canadian, Polish, American, and world coins and banknotes.








Username:
Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?


This page may contain links that result in small commissions to keep this free site up and running.

Welcome Guest! Registering and/or logging in will remove the anchor (bottom) ads. It's Free!

Visigothic Coinage, Real Or Really Good Forgery?

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.
Author Previous TopicReplies: 4 / Views: 1,579Next Topic  
New Member

Portugal
22 Posts
 Posted 01/19/2019  11:01 pm Show Profile   Bookmark this topic Add DanielGu to your friends list Get a Link to this Message Number of Subscribers
Hi, I just wanted to get some opinions...
This is a Visigothic tremissis from king Sisebuto (612-621) Ispalis (Sevilla) mint, These coins have per norm 1.45g and 18.5cm.
Mine as 1.5g and 19cm.
I have read a book and some articles about Visigothic coinage and to me it seems 100% real, is there anything I'm missing?

I'm just doubtful of its authenticity because the seller was selling some fakes (all sestertius) nothing remotely related to gold or medieval coinage

Here's mine: (mind the poor lighting)

Visigothic-Coinage,--Real-Or-Really-Good-Forgery?
Visigothic-Coinage,--Real-Or-Really-Good-Forgery?
Visigothic-Coinage,--Real-Or-Really-Good-Forgery?
Visigothic-Coinage,--Real-Or-Really-Good-Forgery?

And for reference here is one that's real for sure:

Visigothic-Coinage,--Real-Or-Really-Good-Forgery?
Visigothic-Coinage,--Real-Or-Really-Good-Forgery?

Don't go by letter placement, another example of a real one with the exact same letter placement:


Visigothic-Coinage,--Real-Or-Really-Good-Forgery?
Visigothic-Coinage,--Real-Or-Really-Good-Forgery?
Edited by DanielGu
01/19/2019 11:15 pm
Pillar of the Community
Russian Federation
5172 Posts
 Posted 01/19/2019  11:50 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add january1may to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
The really thin lines make me think forgery, but I don't know remotely enough to be even close to sure one way or the other.

If the seller had been selling fake sestertii, it's probably more likely than not that his gold is fake as well, anyway.
Moderator
Learn More...
echizento's Avatar
United States
23731 Posts
 Posted 01/20/2019  01:57 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add echizento to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Not my area either, but I would agree if the person is a known fake seller it's most likely this is a fake also.
Pillar of the Community
Ben's Avatar
United Kingdom
4208 Posts
 Posted 01/20/2019  06:03 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Ben to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
The gold looks too uniform to me. It is very easy for gold to pick up minor defects, especially during cleaning. Also, ancient gold isn't .999 like we are used to with modern gold coins, so it does tarnish somewhat.

Without looking at the coin at all, however, I would avoid it. Any seller who has multiple clear forgeries cannot be trusted with rare and valuable coins.
Moderator
Learn More...
Spence's Avatar
United States
34401 Posts
 Posted 01/20/2019  09:49 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Spence to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply

Quote:
I just wanted to get some opinions


It sounds like you have already bought this coin. If so, then I recommend getting a non-destructive test performed on it to look for trace elements (i.e. beyond the gold content). That will at least tell you if the flan could be from the 7th Century or is recent. If you haven't bought it, then I would agree with the others that avoiding purchasing coins from folks who sell fakes is a bad idea.
"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
  Previous TopicReplies: 4 / Views: 1,579Next Topic  

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.



    




Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Coin Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2026 Coin Community Family- all rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Coin Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited.
Contact Us  |  Advertise Here  |  Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

Coin Community Forum © 2005 - 2026 Coin Community Forums
It took 0.25 seconds to rattle this change. Forums