Spotting Fakes

Good afternoon Doucet. Actually, I am trying to educate myself and hoping that others will profit from all my mistakes and fumbling around.

I do love this hobby and have been collecting Roman coins off and on since the early 1980's. Actually, I'm so afraid that over all these years I have been taken to the bank by all the unscrupulous traders in this field of numismatics. I'm not even sure I want to look too closely at my collection for fear of what I may find. But I am determined to do this no matter how I feel. I have a collection of just over 300 coins so I have a lot to look at and it will take some time. As always, when I need a little help, I plan to ask.

Thanks for your input Martin. Everything you said about this coin is correct. It looks good not only in pictures but in hand as well.

The man who sold this to me opened his home to me and my local colleague and was more than hospitable. He never offered to sell me this coin until I asked where I might find one like it. The area I was working was very near the Roman ruins of Siscia now Siska. I felt like a kid in the candy store as there were more coins available in the area then one can shake a stick. Most were AE2/3 of the Constantine era and an awful lot of Probus. I bought a few of these at a flea market and am very pleased with all of them. This one was the only Denarius and the only one outside of the flea market in Pula

OLD? What is that? I'm retired military but I travel a lot in my current job all over the world. So what is old?

As for Roman Empire holdings, last year I was in Pula, Croatia, Arles, France and Trier, Germany. And this year I just returned from a trip to Southern Spain and such places as Bolognia , aka Claudia Baelo, Arunda and Anicipus, and Italica - what a wonderful place for us Romanphiles (is that a word?). I found no coins for sale anywhere. When I inquired at a coin dealer in Ronda, he was horrified that I asked. And in hushed tones told me it was illegal to buy and sell such antiquities in Spain. Funny how so many seam to be sold on ebay from Spain. Hmmmm.

Thanks echizento. I now have a warm and fuzzy about his coin. You know, if I had been taken, the money was not the issue as he hardly charged me for this coin (I've paid less for dinner for two at MickyD's). It was just the thought of how I may have been fooled so easily. I am very grateful to know that this man was genuine. Than all of you so much for restoring my confidence in humanity.

I also agree with maridvnvm, looks fine to me, from the pictures.

When I am considering the purchase of an ancient, I always like to see the coin in hand first. I have thus prevented myself from buying via ebay for ancients. That leaves me with auctions, reputable dealers and coin shows.

Interestingly, I have a gold aureus of this type, in about the same condition. I bought mine from a dealer, whom I know well, who used to work for B.A. Seaby in London. I have had my coin for about 15 years.