Thoughts on 3-Coin Ring?

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by utopos, Dec 12, 2016.

Page 1 of 2
  1. utopos

    utopos New Member

    WTH did I just buy?

    I've done some research and I'm pretty sure I got fooled, although someone sure spent a lot of time, especially building in a Vergina Sun pattern around the coins....
     

    Attached Files:

    utopos, Dec 12, 2016
    #1 + Quote Reply
    Pellinore, Makanudo and Theodosius like this.
  2. Avatar

    Guest User Guest



    to hide this ad.
  3. utopos

    utopos New Member

    Ive determined its a New Athenian Owl up top along with Alexander the Great coins on either side, but they look more like Slavey replicas than anything I've seen....
     
    utopos, Dec 12, 2016
    #2 + Quote Reply
  4. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan 48-year collector Moderator

    Well, now that's certainly interesting. If not actually ancient, then certainly old, I would think. Victorian, perhaps?

    Neat item. Of course I'm completely useless as a source of any information about it.
     
    lordmarcovan, Dec 12, 2016
    #3 + Quote Reply
    utopos likes this.
  5. stevex6

    stevex6 Random Mayhem

    welcome, utpos
     
    stevex6, Dec 12, 2016
    #4 + Quote Reply
    utopos likes this.
  6. Theodosius

    Theodosius Fine Style Seeker

    Welcome to coin talk!

    Coins do not look authentic. Lions hair behind his head is modeled in an unusual way. New style Athens tetradrachm should be silver.

    On the other hand that is a pretty cool artifact. What is it supposed to be?

    John
     
    Theodosius, Dec 12, 2016
    #5 + Quote Reply
    utopos and lordmarcovan like this.
  7. utopos

    utopos New Member

    I don't know, its a ring that somebody made. It's very confusing the amount of work that went into the body to have fake coins inside.
     
    utopos, Dec 12, 2016
    #6 + Quote Reply
  8. Theodosius

    Theodosius Fine Style Seeker

    It looks way too big to be a ring you wear on your finger. Is it a napkin ring?
     
    Theodosius, Dec 12, 2016
    #7 + Quote Reply
    utopos likes this.
  9. utopos

    utopos New Member

    Agreed that its too big, but I dont know about napkin ring either.

    Whatever it is I just bought it and it cost too much so I'm debating returning it after realizing (couple hundred).
     
    utopos, Dec 12, 2016
    #8 + Quote Reply
  10. Theodosius

    Theodosius Fine Style Seeker

    Good plan. Coins do not look real.

    Take your refund and go to vcoins for some authentic ancient coins.

    Many cool items available for $50-100.
     
    Theodosius, Dec 12, 2016
    #9 + Quote Reply
    Alegandron and utopos like this.
  11. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan 48-year collector Moderator

    Napkin ring crossed my mind, too. Or a kerchief slide, perhaps? I'm on a horrible connection so I couldn't load your full sized images.

    If you want real coins, then yes, return this thing and buy some real coins that aren't mounted in jewelry or whatever. I agree about VCoins.

    If, on the other hand, you're into odd and unusual antiques, then whatever that is could conceivably have some antique value in its own right. Just not numismatic value. For all I know it could very well be worth what you paid, to the right collector of vintage curiosities. Just not a coin collector, is all.
     
    lordmarcovan, Dec 12, 2016
    #10 + Quote Reply
    Nicholas Molinari and utopos like this.
  12. utopos

    utopos New Member

    That's fair, I'm still curious about the piece, but considering there are fake coins it makes my curiosity a little less captivated. It was listed as a "Roman Artifact" but its clearly not Roman with all the Greek/Macedonian themes so I can probably return it on that account. Yet I am still intrigued as to why it would have a Macedonian Star built into it.

    Furthermore, I find it strange how similar to "Slavey Petrov" the coins are. Would you say Slavey Petrovs coins are copied from authentic on details or he tends to take freedoms - as expressed with the hair and other details.

    I've been combing through thousands of coins looking for similar on both the Alexander and the Athena. I've found somewhat close accounts for the Alexander, but nothing exactly like it, and somewhat similar on the Athena, but nothing with the same curves in the helmet decorum.
     
    utopos, Dec 12, 2016
    #11 + Quote Reply
  13. utopos

    utopos New Member

    For instance, http://counterfeitcoins.reidgold.com/slavey.html, the coin on the top matches very perfectly to what they say is Slavey's copy of 2553v. I have a hard time finding the original.

    Later on the page is the Alexander that matches this "ring" that says is a copy of 3730, which I cannot find anywhere.

    I was under the illusion, based on the Macedonian Star built in, that if those coins existed in reality, that this was of a high value if legitimate - at the very least being, if those DESIGN styles existed in other metals. For there are rumors of bronzes more valuable then silver alone...
     
    utopos, Dec 12, 2016
    #12 + Quote Reply
  14. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan 48-year collector Moderator

    Slavey copies are a possibility, I suppose, though it is apparent to me that you've read up on them more than I have.

    I think this thing is old, as mentioned, though not ancient.

    I do sense a Victorian vibe here, or 1910s-'20s at the latest.

    But that is of course based on nothing but gut instinct.
     
    lordmarcovan, Dec 12, 2016
    #13 + Quote Reply
    utopos likes this.
  15. utopos

    utopos New Member

    And if it is the case, Slavey Petrov began his copying in 1966 - so Id have to determine if its older than that or really not that old. I mean I've cleaned up bronze vases that turned out to be not nearly as old as I thought it would be.

    For instance...
     

    Attached Files:

    utopos, Dec 12, 2016
    #14 + Quote Reply
  16. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan 48-year collector Moderator

    I thought Slavey was earlier.

    OK, so some earlier forger, then. Slavey was of course far from the only one, and there were skilled forgers LONG before him.

    My gut instinct could also be way off (remember, I've only been able to zoom in on the thumbnails and not load the full sized pix on my crap connection). Maybe it is indeed Slavey, and therefore more modern than I thought.

    (Autocorrect keeps fighting me over Slavey's name and "correcting" it to "slavery".)
     
    lordmarcovan, Dec 12, 2016
    #15 + Quote Reply
    utopos likes this.
  17. utopos

    utopos New Member

    Would you say this is a replica?
    I finally found a match for the top coin -
    http://www.ancientmoney.org/greece_proper/athens_antiochos.html

    Just curious initially at what makes it a fake in your experience.
    Is it the metal? Let's consider the random circumstance that they somehow minted a few coins in some other metal, wouldn't bronze or a bronze-alloy hold more shape?
     
    utopos, Dec 12, 2016
    #16 + Quote Reply
  18. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan 48-year collector Moderator

    Those are NOT ancient coins. Not only is the metal totally wrong, the style is miles off. After finally loading your bigger pictures, I stand by my earlier assessment. It is an old curio of some kind. An interesting antique, but not a numismatic item.

    I wouldn't even be surprised if the "coins" are little one-sided appliquéd medallions. Can you see the back sides at all?

    Sorry. Cool item, whatever it is, but those are not coins. Just coin lookalikes.
     
    lordmarcovan, Dec 12, 2016
    #17 + Quote Reply
    Paul M. and utopos like this.
  19. utopos

    utopos New Member

    utopos, Dec 12, 2016
    #18 + Quote Reply
  20. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan 48-year collector Moderator

    I make no pretense of being an expert, at least not here.

    But those don't look like any ancient coins I've ever seen, in style or metal, and I've seen a few.

    Sure, they mimic actual coin designs. Not well enough to fool anyone with ancient coin experience, but the craftsmanship as a jewelry item or curio is pretty nice.
     
    lordmarcovan, Dec 12, 2016
    #19 + Quote Reply
    Paul M. likes this.
  21. Theodosius

    Theodosius Fine Style Seeker

    Forgers often use real coins to make molds or transfer dies so they can be exact looking matches. Other things then give them away: castings tend to softer looking, with pills on the surface from grains of sand in the mold, the edges are often wrong, the weights are wrong, the metal is wrong, there is a whole discipline to detecting fakes.

    The Athena looks good but it should not be bronze. The style of the alexander is wrong.

    Still a cool artifact just know what you are getting.

    John
     
    Theodosius, Dec 12, 2016
    #20 + Quote Reply
    Makanudo, Paul M. and utopos like this.
18 more messages...
Page 1 of 2
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page