rnowell

Hi,
this is my first post here and had a quick question about an ancient looking coin I found I found this coin while digging around in some old boxes the other day. I have no idea where it came from, I have never seen it before.

any information you have on it would be greatly appreciated.

I'm not sure if it is genuine or a replica...so tell me what you think!

Pictures are below

Description: Very hefty for its size, On the front it has a guy with a beard, and a headband or something of that sort on. It also has some writing that spells what appears to be "ANTWNIHOC" the "W" looking character has a small dot above it.

On the back it has a Archer holding a bow, and some arrows in a container on his back. there are some symbols or designs to his left.

Now here are the pictures. Its next to an United states Quarter for size comparison





I can take more pictures if needed.

well that's it, let me guy know what you think this is!

Thanks,

Ryan

Ardatirion

Its an Egyptian tetradrachm of emperor Antoninus Pius, dated year 5, with Artemis on the reverse. Struck in Alexandria. It should date from 143-144 AD. (Plus or minus a few, this is all in my head!) Looks genuine, too.

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My Ancient Coin Collection

Ripley

Just wondering if its a silver denarius or a gold solis, difficult to tell from the picture. Think its fake, Arda??? Ripley

Ardatirion

As I said, its a tetradrachm. At this point in history in this area, the tetradrachm was a billon coin (low grade silver). Again, its genuine.

Btw, its a solidus.

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My Ancient Coin Collection

rnowell

wow, thanks for all of your help,

any idea what these are worth?

are they rare....etc?

Ripley

Et tu Arda !!! )

Fawney

I also have one of these coins it looks exactly like the one above. Would love to know how to find out it value

Ardatirion

I'm skeptical of anyone who says their coin is "just like" another one they see. (There's usually some important difference that is overlooked) If you would post a picture, I'd be happy to properly attribute your coin and give you an approximate value of it.

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My Ancient Coin Collection

Fawney

I will take pictures in the morning. I do not see any differences but there might be.
The only differences I see is that the letter on the left of the front took a magnify glass to see them. At first I just thought that it was some type of border.
But I will try and get good pictures and up load them to you.

Thanks Fawn

Fawney

My husband had this coin in a box and thought that it was nothing. It maybe nothing but I thought that I would do some research work on it
that is what lead me to your reply.

fawn

Ardatirion

I'm very suspicious of the fabric and color of your coin. But that could easily just be from the rough photos. If genuine, it is the same type as the OP's and probably worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $50-60.

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My Ancient Coin Collection

Fawney

The coin is the color of a nickle. My husband said that it was given to him by his father in the 1950's
What does the fabric mean.
How to I find out if it is genuine??
Did I thank you for your help probably not so far but thank you.

Gao

Fabric basically refers to the details of the coin aside from the design (see here for more details). Alexandrian tetradrachms from that era have a very low silver content, so it's unusual for them to look as silvery as your particular specimin, though we can't tell much from such blurry pictures. If you can get us clear, sharp pictures (you may also want to try scanning them at the highest dpi you can if you have a scanner), we may be able to tell you whether it's authentic. If you want real definitive confirmation, there are places you can send it to, but it usually costs at least $25 in addition to shipping, if I recall correctly, and I'm not sure it's worth it for a coin worth around $50.