Hello everyone. I'm worried i may have blundered and been tricked by a couple of recent Ebay purchases. The first is an antoninianus of Probus. Weight is 2.7 g and diameter is 23 mm at it's widest point. Legend reads. Obv: IMP C PROBVS P F AVG, Radiate, cuirassed bust right. Rev: TEMPOR FELICI, Felicitas standing right., holding caduceus and cornucopiae; I in exe. The second is a denar of Caracalla. Weight 3.1 g and diameter 19.5 mm at it's widest point. Legend reads. Obv: ANTONINVS PIVS AVG BRIT, laureate head right; Rev: MARTI PROPVGNATORI, Mars walking left, holding spear and trophy. I just read recently that there has been thousands of forged antoninianus of Probus that have been distributed as genuine coins and the Caracalla denar seems to sharp with to much lustre on the bust now that i have it in hand. Can anyone tell from the pictures whether these coins are forgeries?
The Probus is absolutely fine. It just suffers slightly from a slightly uneven strike. I am ambivalent about the Caracalla.
They look authentic to me. I don't see any of the bubbling that would indicate die cast fakes, or any other major red flags.
Ok, great .. I'm very happy with the portraits on these coins and it'd be a blow to hear they were forgeries. I only gave £8 for the Probus Ant although the sales picture didn't look half as good as the coin does in hand, (these uploaded pictures are my own). After reading about the thousands of forged Probus Ants and considering how little i paid for it i was almost sure it must be a forged coin. It's a shame there's no list of honest Ebay sellers that only sell authentic coins. I feel each purchase is a major risk on Ebay and dare not give larger sums of money for coins.
=> "vcoins" is a collection of sellers who give money back guarantees (obviously, they're a bit higher than ebay, but the peace of mind is definitely worth a bit, right?) .... oh, and there are also great sellers on ebay, but it is important to ensure that they'll stand behind their products (get a guarantee regarding money-back if any authenticity problems occur => always read their delivery and return policies)
There is a list of known Notorious Fake Sellers at this link. When in doubt take a look here http://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=18502.0. Also, you can check out particular coins at: 1. http://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/index.php 2. http://forgerynetwork.com/
Crikey there's quite a bit of action on this forum. I only posted this yesterday and already it's down on side 2. I've heard quite a few people say that there are good honest sellers on Ebay but i've yet to hear someone give a name! Are these good sellers a secret?
Some of these emperors' coins were meant for military pay and stored in clay jars which were buried in times of trouble. Plenty of trouble in the reign of Probus. These are sometimes found with metal detectors, then thrown onto the market in really remarkable condition at great prices. I would have bought them at that price.
There are many reputable dealers on vcoins that also have eBay stores. Check them out - that should give you a start. Vcoins holds their vendors to a high level of integrity. But even a reputable dealer can unknowingly pass off a fake, so its better to thoroughly research the coins you're interested in. In the end, there are no shortcuts. Also, geekpryde made a list of ancient coin dealers that we patronize regularly. Does anyone know where that list is posted??
Thanks John .. That list look very appetising, i'll give it a thorough go over just as soon as I get home from work.. @Doug .. I'm based in Scandinavia so neither of the above .. although as far as buying coins goes it doesn't really matter where the dealer is from. Thanks everyone..
I am an honest ebay seller. I do not have years of experience, but all my coins are genuine and offered with a no quibble return policy. 1000 feedback all good.
welcome orinius! i think you picked up some nice new ancients. i usually don't ebay purchase from overseas, but here's an ebay seller (and vcoins seller) in europe i'll vouch for. search for lucernae i have no connection to the guy at all, but i have purchased several coin off him and have always been happy the coins and speed of service. good communication as well.
