13th Century Austrian Pfennig (80% Sure Fake)

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

Author	Replies: 2 / Views: 987
Spence Moderator United States 34426 Posts	Posted 07/03/2019 8:28 pm Hi. I was digging around in my unknowns bag today and found this little guy (again). If I have already posted it here, I apologize for the duplicate thread. Here is what I see: Obv: 3/4 view of some dude holding a crozier in one hand and something else in the other Rev: 3/4 view of someone wearing armor or else a really pilled sweater. He is between two towers, each with a cross on top. Also, there is an annulet above his head. Other: The coin is silver colored, but there appear to be hints of copper color in some places. It weighs 0.5 g and is 14 mm in diameter. Assuming that this is supposed to be a silver penny of 13th Century Austria (either Friesach or Styria) issued by Eberhard II (cf. CNA I Cg1 or CNA Cal18a; numista link here: https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pi...92990.html), then I don't see why it would have been made in copper and then silver plated. Any chance of a it being a contemporary counterfeit? Even taking into account wear and edge shaving over the years, it is less than half the weight of a legit silver pfennig so I'm a little skeptical of it being readily accepted in commerce. Did Austria maybe issue half pfennigs in copper at this time? I'm interested in your thoughts on this piece. Thx. "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 Edited by Spence 07/04/2019 10:27 am Report this Post to the Staff

tdziemia Pillar of the Community United States 7955 Posts	Posted 07/04/2019 09:07 am I couldn't get the link to work, but agree it looks like this one: https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces92990.html If the "standard" diameter is 18 mm, and yours is 14, then this should give a decrease in weight of about 40%, down to, say 0.7 g (still to high?) Take off another 10-15% for copper or bronze vs. silver, and you get pretty close. I don't know enough to comment based on experience with medievals in this part of the world, but your hunch seems to fit with the technical aspects. Report this Post to the Staff
Spence Moderator United States 34426 Posts	Posted 07/04/2019 10:29 am Ok yes thx @tdz. I just fixed the link, but yes that was the penny that I was talking about. I'm still thinking modern fake vs. contemporary circulating counterfeit, but would love more thoughts. "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 Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 2 / Views: 987

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

All Forums Category: World Coins and Currency Forums Forum: Ancient, Greek, Roman, and Medieval Coins

The First Dollar, your premier source for bullion and rare coins. See our bullion list on the site and the coin inventory on ebay.

Silver Gold Bull US is the United States leading bullion dealer. We deliver gold coins, gold bars, silver coins, silver bars and precious metals to your door. Order today!

View Last 100 New Topics

View Last 100 Active Topics

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

It took 0.24 seconds to rattle this change.