Bavaria 1826 Thaler - Real Or Fake ?

Looks fake to me also, not something I would buy unless
it was certified. The low price alone should be a flag.

@mvo, what is the specific gravity of this piece?

Looks like pizza dough to me...

1826 Bavarian Thaler (Ludwig I of Bavaria)
- Metal / Fineness: Silver, 0.868 fine
- Weight: ~28.06 g
- Diameter: ~39 mm
- ASW (Actual Silver Weight): ~0.783 oz
- Mint: Munich
- Edge: Inscribed (medal alignment #8593;#8593;)
- Mintage: ~51,478 pieces (for the Reichenbach-Fraunhofer commemorative type)

Obverse
- Portrait: Head of King Ludwig I facing right.
- Legend: LUDWIG KOENIG VON BAYERN
- Exergue: ZEHN EINE FEINE MARK (denoting the silver standard: 10 thalers to a fine mark of silver).

Reverse
- Design: Dual portraits of Johann von Reichenbach and Joseph von Fraunhofer, two Bavarian scientists.
- Legend: DEM VERDIENSTE SEINE KRONEN ("To merit its crowns").
- Exergue: REICHENBACH - FRAUNHOFER.
- This reverse commemorates their contributions to optics and astronomy.

Key Diagnostics
- Fabric: Struck, not cast; sharp rims and uniform milling.
- Portrait style: Ludwig's bust is fine-lined, with a distinctive high forehead and swept hair.
- Lettering: Tall, narrow font with crisp serifs; weak or mushy letters are a red flag for later copies.
- Weight check: Should be very close to 28.0 g; significant deviation suggests forgery or clipping.
- Silver tone: Genuine pieces often show attractive cabinet toning; bright white surfaces may indicate cleaning.

Distinguishing from Baden Issues
- Baden thalers of Ludwig I (Grand Duke, 1829-1830 issues) are smaller (~18 g, 33 mm, .875 silver) and bear the legend LUDWIG GROSSHERZOG VON BADEN.
- Bavaria's 1826 thaler is larger, heavier, and explicitly names KOENIG VON BAYERN.

So: the 1826 Bavarian thaler of Ludwig I is a commemorative silver crown, 39 mm, ~28 g, with the Reichenbach-Fraunhofer reverse. It's distinct from Baden's Ludwig I thalers, which are lighter and carry different legends.

Fake.
As some others have said, there is a "look" which is too uniform for a coin with this degree of wear, but also which is common to many fake thalers. Smooth surfaces everywhere, a too-uniform patination of slightly darker areas where there are recesses. A color and luster which does not photograph comparably to real examples.

And while I agree with Pertinax that the details are extraordinarily good, there are a few tiny tells. On the originals, the letters N have impossibly thin vertical strokes with perfectly perpendicular serifs, and these have not been reproduced correctly. The cavity in the ear is not the correct shape. The curl that points toward the eyebrow is too long, the lock at the forehead should not have a space between it and the forehead, etc. (no, these are not die differences)


Lastly, I could not even find another example with this degree of wear. Because the coin was not meant to circulate, and apparently it didn't.

Thank you all for replying to my question, especially @tdziemia with that side by side comparison. It was not just informative but also educational for anyone interested in these types of coins :)

PS coin was in the end sold (not to me :D ) on an auction site for a price of 5.251 RSD (= 52.31$)

https://www.limundo.com/kupovina/Nu...er/149624637