5 Caesars real or fake?

Well I have one RESPECTED opinion on these. However;

There is credibility at stake here, and I do not have time to send them in to authenticate.

So as I said last night it would be nice to just "bury my head in the sand" but I can't.

So with a growing respect for the people of this FORUM please give me your unbiased opinion on this pieces.

If you can be so kind as to say a few words why you think they are real/forgeries.

Thank you for your Help! Hopefully this will help some others too.

 

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Well, authenticating from photos can be hard, but here we go:

First one, looks OK, may be a fouree, but the photo is really bad.
Second one, a poorly cast fake.
Third one, looks OK at first glance, but the reverse really shows it as a fake.
Fourth one, certainly looks cast, but the photo is fuzzy.
Fifth one, the obverse looks cast, the reverse looks fine. Are they the same coin??

Overall, I would say these are all bad.

 

I'm convinced too that Otho is a cast...look at those pits on the surfaces... We would need better pictures though, and clear rim shots, weight, and diameter of the coins will also help the task. Where did you get so many questionable coins? eBay?

 

Want to follow to see what others think. I haven't been in the ancients long enough to give a reliable opinion, but am no rookie to coin collecting. That being said, I think you have a mix here not purchased as a lot or from the same dealer/seller, picked up over a period. There are some I feel authentic some not. Holding back until I see what others say.

 

Perhaps the question should be: Just where and how did you acquire these 'coins' ??? There is a list on FORUM of notorious sellers, especially several that continually hawk their wares on eBay.

 

Yes different picture of reverse Augustus same coin

 

I wouldn't be posting this if it were solved that easy
The sellers are not on the list

 

I commented on the Augustus too quickly (with a fast look). Looking at the reverse more closely it too is a bad fake. I would seek a refund!

 

My point is that if you buy from a questionable source (I.E one that sells scarce coins at amazing discounts) whether listed as a 'notorious seller' or not you usually get burned...

I see stylistic problems with each and every one but having an Otho among them makes me even more suspicious since it is among the priciest for any grade that is offered on the market.

If one seems bad---and it seems all are---then the rest are suspect as well.

 

They all look counterfeit to me also. NOW, one more plea. As I have written several times before on CT... Without Sharply DEFINED photos, it makes what should often be an easy task with coins of this quality, difficult.

 

4 different sellers beside on Heritage as well as other auctions the Claudius sells for more than the Otho

 

I will take my time and retake pictures they will be on here shortly

 

Thanks. It's important to document fakes carefully to teach others what to be on the lookout for, especially the newbies. I had to undergo that task not long ago. Here's mine.



Missing from the desription is another teltale sign. Look at all those casting pits like little pockmarks. Your Othoo has it too. That is one of the easiest warning signs to spot. Note: Some coins do have naturally marked surfaces from leaching of the impurities inside the cin over the years, but they look different. Get to know the difference.



And the casting seam and gate!

The sad thing is that the heavy toning hid the cast mark so well you can't see it with a 5x loupe. I had to go 100X magnification under heavy light to get the final proof. Which is why I recommend people invest not only on a good eye loupe, calipers, and scale, but also on a decent plugable microscope capable of at least 100x magnification.

 

@AngelDeath when you posted these last night I was more than skeptical and the more I look at them, the more I believe them all to be fake. I know how that feels when told something you own is fake. Like a kick in the belly. If you can, show the better images, but I think you should be investigative how to return them all. Which coin did you get from Heritage, if I might ask?

 

This is the best I can do for now

 

None from Heritage when this pans out I will post where they came from 4 different Sellers Yeah it is no fun! But I embrace HONESTY there will be better days!

 

They actually look a lot better now. I still do not like the bottom three or the style of the top three. Personally,I would pass on any of them.

HOWEVER, If any of these were in a major auction, then everyone who viewed the lots considered them genuine and they saw the actual coins. So you can probably FORGET our opinions here.

 

They were not from a major auction so I value everyone's opinion here so I would like to hear them. Thanks so much for yours!

 

I see the Caesar and the Augustus as fakes but relatively better ones than some. The others strike me as poor fakes not even slightly deceptive. Ken mentioned the Caesar might be a fourree but it does not show signs of the style fourrees that were popular when that coin was current so I believe it was made later (somewhere between 200 and 2000 years later?).

 

The Augustus, Claudius, Nero, and Otho are modern casts beyond doubt. I had already condemned them last night in this thread: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/3-vespasian-or-1-titus.280589/page-3 and suggested the others are highly suspect.

BTW, those 4 all have matches in Forvm's fake reports.