Speaking of fakes...

Just came back from a local NGC expert/ ancient coin dealer after discovering that a Janus didrachm that I recently purchased from NobleSpirit on eBay is 100% pressed fake. First time, I've encountered a pressed forgery, can tell a cast one quite easily at this point. This one seemed legit with no clear signs of forgery besides a very faint leftover of a seam on one of the sides. Really bummed out, as I paid a lot of money for this one and this was not one of those "too good to be true" cases. Really hope that eBay helps me out on this one. So far when encountering a fake I have not had any issues getting my money back but I never dealt with a return this large before...
Oh well, at least I met and connected with a local gentlemen at the store who is an avid collector of Russian wire money which is actually my specialty. I started collecting Romano-Byzantine coins only a few months ago (since I'm satisfied with my current wire coin collection for the time being), hence the steep learning curve.
I think I am going to be doing a lot of research on Roman forgeries over the next few weeks.
To end on the positive note, Julius Caesar military mint denarius and Galba As purchased from a different eBay seller were legit.

 

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It was good to read the last sentence after having read the entirety of your thread. Fakes seem to be getting better and better, and like you said research is required before plopping down gobs of money. One of the first things I do when I see a coin I may have interest is to check it against the known forgeries and to check the seller against known sellers of fakes. Not an absolute, but a good first step.

BTW, welcome here @MoCKBu4

 

Thats'a'nice-acoin!

 

That really sucks!

I hate forgeries, forgers, and the people who sell them.

Good luck getting your money back.

John

 

Other than a faint casting seam, what else was wrong? How does the sytle compare to the authentic one>

 

I suspect your post could/will confuse some who read. Am I correct that the coin shown is the one determined to be fake by NGC? May we see photos (preferably darker and more sharp) of the other two?

 

If a coin is cast from a mold made from a genuine coin, the style should be perfect. Certainly we see casts made from struck fakes and fakes of fakes of fakes but, if a coin is determined to be pressed from copy dies, we do not need to look for a seam and if it is determined that the coin is a cast, we do not get comfort in the style being perfect. One strike, either one, and you are out.

 

Unlike baseball, there is no need for three strikes.

 

I spent $5 at my LCS today and I'm an eBay millionaire




JK, I got them as pocket pieces and they can't fool anybody knowledgeable but is there a subtle way to mark them as fake in case I lose one?

 

I wouldn't consider myself an expert in early Roman didrachms, but I don't really see anything that screams fake with that coin.

 

I purchased a Roman Republic from NobleSpirit and when I posted the e-bay pics here, it was condemned as a fake. I e-mailed them and called off the shipment.

 

MoCKBu4, Ask for your money back and keep us posted as to what happens then.

 

The style is spot on. I've identified it as Crawford 31/1 simply based on the photo in the OP. It's virtually identical to the one on wildwinds. I believed it to be authentic once I received it but it took the expert about 45 seconds to determine that it's fake. Last time I'm bidding on anything at NobleSpirit. Intend on updating the forgery database once I get my money back.

 

Will do. So far submitted a return request and, after a polite message to the seller that I won't report him in any way since he might have unintentionally overlooked the fake, he actually issued a return slip. Shipping it back after work today. Should get the money back by the end of the week.

 

If it is a cast, of course the style type would be spot on. A cast of a genuine coin will result in a fake coin with good style...but usually casting marks, filing marks on the edges, pits or bumps from casting bubbles formed at different stages of the mold making and casting process, uneven lack of detail on the design, etc. that will set it apart from the genuine coin.

This coin seems to fit that pattern, which is why I think it could be a cast. Either that or it is a very badly corroded genuine coin with corrosion that makes it look like a cast copy when it is in fact genuine. Some experts will have to examine it closely to make that determination.

 

I was told by the expert that it's a pressed fake. There was no bubble marks or other rough surface marks normally associated with a cast.

 

I posted in the wrong thread. I thought I was replying to the thread involving the suspected Claudius denarius fake. Oops

 

I saw your original post but didn't wish to say anything. Exactly WHAT IS A LOCAL NGC EXPERT/ ANCIENT COIN DEALER? Did you mean a consultant they use to help authenticate ancient coins? What city is he in? Just curious.

 

A coin dealer in Ann Arbor, Michigan that has authority and expertise to issue NGC certificates, as well as, to perform formal appraisals for insurance purposes. Not sure what a proper title would be so I went with "NGC expert".

 

NGC has satellite dealers grading coins and printing certificates?? Also, as has been discussed many times, NGC doesn't authenticate ancient coins, it merely grades them.