Marcus Aurelius Denarius Ric 148 Authentic?

If it's a phony, it's extremely well done. I'd judge it far more likely to be genuine than not. But I'd certainly understand the extremely high state of preservation leading to some "too good to be true" doubt.

This specimen would be a good candidate for testing via x-ray fluorescence (XRF) - the presence or absence of certain trace metals in its composition could point definitively to whether it's truly ancient or of more modern origin.

Thank you all! That makes me happy, because I bought it together with a Severus Alexander RIC 178 (my first two Roman coins):



I'll store them in this box below, aiming to make a collection of the Adoptive Emperors and some other coins I like.



Just with cards and such like this guy does:

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Do you guys have information on do's and don'ts regarding storing ancient coins? How fragile are these and how to avoid them becoming black or brown?

Can I just touch them by bare hands or do you prefer gloves? I think washing my hands before touching the coins should suffice.

Washing your hands is always good !
That said .......
Part of the joy of owning "affordable" ancients is placing them in your hand and touching a distant time past
Silver can become brittle after two thousand years so laying them down in your tray will certainly not harm them
Dropping them on a hard floor might result in cracking or even breaking them !
One of the first coins I owned was a gift from my brother 45 years ago
He had managed to crack a Republican denarius in half by too hastily taking it out of a plastic flip
He was so disgusted he gave it to me and never wanted to be reminded
But of course I did
A little crazy glue (that was new back then) and it was almost ...... almost as good as new
In fact you can often find broken silver
coins for sale
They usually go cheap !
On the other hand
They do have a certain degree of authenticity !

Put them in your tray and take them out to enjoy them on occasion
But don't drop them !!!

@Quintillius...Really nice way to start a collection
Good luck in your Adoptive set....

I keep my coins in a similar way and I 'strangely' always hold a Denarius in my hand when buying another..
Don't no why but it gives me more of a feel as to what I'm purchasing...?!