Does Anyone Know The History Of This Coin Or The Referenced Auction?

I usually avoid Byzantine gold coins for two reasons, one they are too expensive and two they are often faked. This example appears genuine and is Sear 734.

Looks like a very decent example. Byzantine gold really requires expert evaluation. These have been forged very well.

No help with the auction reference.

Spence: THANKS! Obviously you are correct. The only thing to do is send it off to NGC to be sure I imagine.

One thing that concerns me is the absence of flow lines from the strike. IMO for as much as it's worth is it's a copy.

The die match looks reasonable, but could indicate either a genuine or a copy. The numerous small, fine surface scratches seem unusual, a bit more evident in the field than on the raised features, but could have worn smooth there, perhaps by cleaning or rubbing. The reddish highlighting around the senior Heraclius' lower face is unusual, but could indicate contact with another material during storage, or could be an artifact of the lighting. From the photos, I don't see anything that would prove the item's origin.

NGC will not grade a coin they feel is a fake that is modern and will send it back with a detailed explaination. So that works for me as I get the nice slab and hologram which I enjoy so much if they don't discredit it. I know this as I sold a turtle years ago and because of my lifetime guarantee a buyer sent it back to me years later with the NGC rejection saying it was a museum electrotype and I refunded the buyer. Hence the reason I can't sell this until I get it through NGC as the buyer will send it off anyway so whynot do it myself and get more for the coin if I get through the process I figure.

FVRIVS RVFVS;

We all have roles in life and luckily you are apparently in a position to represent the purest of intentions to ensure people adhere to certain standards in ancient coin collecting. Thus you can very rightly give correct opinions on the way ancient coins should be treated and dealt with which is admirable. The world does need people who stand for best practices, I mean that sincerely and have no issue at all with your comments.

My roles in life are different but still I hope to be a necessary part in society. I teach chemistry hoping to create the next generation of scientists and health care professionals and quite a few have said my approach of trying to cover as many theories as possible neglects the benefit a student can have from a class that covers less but in more depth as critical thinkers are more important and a good student can learn the rest of the theories themselves. These professors who tell me this are completely correct and we need them to stand for standards even as I have a different opinion of what is important to me in my classroom.

I sing in the temple on Shabbat for services and clearly I am not a cantor and my Hebrew is always corrected by the older members of the congregation but there are very few men who can do my lower key and the temple can't always have a cantor available so I just always say, you folks are right and I'll try harder. But the Religion does need people who keep the language pronounced properly and I am always in their debt even though I continue to sing below their standards.

And finally I am a coin dealer who has people consign coins with me for percentage and the person who actually owns this coin, who found it in the unclaimed safe deposit box I mentioned originally, they expect I will find the best way to sell the coin to maximize their share of the selling price. I am not splitting the $35 I use to have NGC look at the coin, if fake I just lose and the person who owns the coin just is out a fake coin and I am out $35. But I feel humbly that this is the best way to maximize the final selling price for the client and I completely recognize that sending it to Sear is a more correct choice I just won't be doing.

So in closing this is quite a recurring theme in my life, and I recognize I don't apparently do anything to appropriate standards of any academy. So your words do resonate sir and again you are more correct than I on your points.

FVRIVS RVFVS;

NGC States: "NGC Ancients will only grade coins that it believes to be genuine." But they also are careful not to guarantee this. Translation, the guy doing the work at NGC thinks the coin is real but won't guarantee this. In short they believe the coin is real but won't give you any money back if the coin is not.

David Sear States: "Each Certificate bears the signature of David R. Sear and has its own serial number." So his certificate offers "confirmation of authenticity. It offers a level of expertise unrivaled by any other grading and certification service in the world." Translation, he never says he guarantees anything he just says he is the top authority in the world and that is all you will need and is the final word on the subject period.

What David Sear says is true of course, but you can just think of NGC as being more humble and accepting others may not agree so they can't offer a guarantee. And David Sear says he is just the top authority and thus you don't need a guarantee.

The two just have different ways of speaking but neither will ever refund you anything I imagine, the first just accepts they can be wrong and the second is quite sure he never will be wrong. And I am not saying he ever is of course.