I'd appreciate opinions on weather or not this is fake. It shows no indications of being cast and it is certainly silver. I'd like to ID this for an aunt who has had it for 30 years or so. Thank you all in advance.
Other folks who are knowledgeable about such things can provide you with much more valuable information. (Since you said you'd "like to ID this", I'm assuming that you are looking for information about the coin, as well as verification on the authenticity.) I cannot speak to the authenticity of the piece, but as a newbie, I can tell you that I'm pretty sure it is a real/fake lifetime issue of Alexander the Great. It is either a drachm (pronounced "dram") or a Tetradrachm (which is larger). Coin Types The drachm is about 18 mm wide and weighs about 4.2 grams of silver (size of a penny). The tetradrachm size varies according to when and where it was minted but ranges from 25-40 mm wide and weighs 17.2 grams of silver (larger than a quarter). Coin Inscriptions There are two types of inscriptions found on the reverse of Alexander coins. The primary inscription is ALEXANDROU (of Alexander) and ALEXANDROU BASILEWS (of Alexander the King). The "of" refers to the "coin of Alexander". The title "King" found on certain coins varied according to region and time period. The Greek speaking people were not partial to the idea of being ruled by any king and therefore the title is not generally found on Alexander coins of mainland Greece. http://www.coinsoftime.com/Articles/Coins_of_Alexander_the_Great.html
To be honest I cannot be sure that it is authentic. The portrait seems a bit off and the metal doesn't show convincing evidence that it was actually struck. But I'm sure those more expert in Alexander's and posthumous issues in his name will chime in.
First, let me say that I can be easily fooled by some of the good fakes of ancient coins. However, having said that, I think it looks authentic. I do not see anything amiss.
I have a different point of view. Yes, it will most probably be marred forever, but it's still a good example of the type. I don't want my coins to be in jewelery, but, if I came upon this piece of jewelry at a decent price, I would buy it.
@SCpatron , I know it wouldn't be 100% accurate if you weighed it, but if you gave the dimensions of the coin, that might help as well.
Looks like as if there is a dot in the circle below the throne, which makes it a Θ. With Θ and if it's a tetradrachm it is Price 214 from Pella http://numismatics.org/pella/id/price.214
