I assume this silver Drachma was minted in Pella , based on the golden staters from Lysimachos with the same monogram and letters. Would like to know if that is correct and possible a reference / catalog number for this Drachma.
The strange and cartoonish portrait and odd fabric prompted a quick look in Fakes archives. Your coin is not ancient http://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/displayimage.php?album=search&cat=0&pos=0 Interestingly, the AV coin shown above appears in CNG's archives as being sold in their coin shop. It must've sold many years ago because the image is not enlargeable. Both the AV and AR shown above are pressed fakes, if the Forvm entry is correct.
Seeing sellers passing off fakes of any coin really grinds my gears. You really have to have some kind of a trust relationship with who you buy from. Yes sometimes you pay a little higher price (not always though) but at least you know it's authentic. I will rarely buy from someone I've not researched or know especially an ancient.
Some sellers of fake ancients make a point of not knowing. It is easier to claim ignorance and refund when caught than it is to educate yourself. The same ignorance allows you to sell a $10 coin for $100 when the buyer believes all ancients are rare museum pieces. Being a professional does not mean you are good at something, it just means you have found someone silly enough to pay you for your 'help'.
*rats* => that sucks, eh? Imagine the hassles you could have avoided had you decided to post your coin-target "before" you pulled the trigger? ... yup, that is the best piece of advice that I can give other ancient coin collectors, whether they're new-comers or pros ... => post your coin-targets "before" you go-in blind (or perhaps PM a coin-buddy or two on this site and ask his/her opinion just to get another reassuring opinion ... there is safety in numbers and the extra effort/precaution is worth its weight in gold) Man, I hate seeing fakes pop-up within our coin-pack (I'm really sorry to hear that, Andres2)
I agree with what your saying Doug. The best example I can think of was just last week. I've been looking for a particular coin. I had it eye balled but that same day JA posted his auction. He had the exact coin I was looking for. From the pics was in much better condition. I ended up paying about $20 more for it. It came in the mail today. That extra $20 was well worth it. When I get time later this week I will post it. While that has nothing to do with fake it does highlight the trust relationship type scenario.
@stevex6 I didn't buy this coin in the first place from this Aussie seller, but a listed Lysimachos Tetra Drachm , after a month I got this Drachm in my mailbox,surprise, surprise I asked for a partial refund which I got, I now filed a claim with PayPal , I'm sure I will get my money back. Had the same issue with a seller from Israel , send me a total different banknote then the one in his listing . No use to ask upfront if sellers send different stuff then the stuff in their listings. I hate sending bought eBay items back to these sca*bags, the guy from Israel simply didn't pick up the returned banknote at his postoffice. eBay refunded me anyway.
Sucks to hear about all the runaround and scams out there. In most cases you have to watch out who you buy from online. There are some good eBay sellers but for the most part you really have to be careful.
The TIF-a-nator showing off some serious fake-fu skills! Nice catch TIF. Looks like the "copy" on the stater didn't quite make the shorter flan. LOL
Well, its all been explained by others, but people should check forgerynetwork.com if they have doubts. This one is there, entry #7567: http://forgerynetwork.com/viewasset...f2vYy3sF2SpMb5EMxrg==&srco=1&num=20&srchall=0
Check out item # 9927. It's the gold stater version of forgery. Lots of coins there gave me pause. That's so sad. Good site to look at Ken Dorney.
Today PayPal made a full refund in my account, the eBay seller coin_corp never responded and didn't ask to send the fake coin back to Australia.
If you can, please try to find some way to mark the coin as a replica. If not it could find its way into the market again.
