Can anyone help me determine if this is authentic?

I am a new member to this forum and to ancient coin collecting in general and unfortunately purchased this Ionian Drachm without really knowing very much about it. It is my first coin and is actually going to be a gift for my girlfriend who is studying ancient history. I'm eager to get into this hobby myself though. Anyways, after purchasing I posted the pictures to Reddit where I had a few people questioning its legitimacy. The bad news is that it is already shipped. The good news is that I am able to make a return if need be. The Ebay seller apollo_archiology is being cooperative and I believe has no ill intentions.

The supposed story is that these were part of his collection. He bought about 20 of them from someone who claimed that they came from a cache of about 100 silver coins. They were found near Cesme, Turkey in a leather bag which contained other bronze objects and likely belonged to a soldier...

I've tried comparing the coins to ones on WildWinds and CoinProject, finding very similar coins but none that are an exact match.

The coin I purchased is the one being held on the left side. The seller offered either coin from his personal collection. The other photos are of a previous sale.

Any information and advice to a newby would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
-AdamB

 

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Here are a few other ones he has sold. Presumably all from the same location.

 

Hang in there...you're about to get some excellent responses (sorry it's not from me, but I'll be following this.)

 

The style of the coin you bought looks okay, the weight is correct, and the sharp-edged flan cracks indicate it was struck (not a cast). I don't see this seller on ForumAncientCoin's "Notorious Fake Seller List" (not that it is ever complete) nor do I see this coin or one like it in their Fakes Gallery.

Comparing it to other examples in ACsearch I'm giving it a thumbs up. Please note that I am not a professional numismatist and while it is sometimes possible to ascertain a coin's fakeness in photos, it is generally not possible to authenticate a coin with 100% certainty based on photos alone.

What a wonderful and thoughtful gift!

 

Thanks for the reply! I agree and am looking forward to examining it in person. Hopefully I don't have to explain to her that it's a fake!

 

..good lQQkin' coins man........very kool...

 

Wow, cool.

My Bees... Yeah, I am a Beekeeper Ancients collector, AND I am a contemporary Beekeeper, too.


Iona-Ephesos AR Obol Bee - opposing stag heads 340 BCE Seaby



Iona-Ephesos AR Hemi-Drachm-TriObol Bee - Incuse Sq TIMESIANAX 335-320 BCE Seaby 4368

 

..really?!?..well, send me some honey

 

LOL. The Vikings also harassed us Celtic Scot-Irish too. We were those Beekeepers that fought off those Norsemen (hey check out why the Thistle is the Flower of Scotland). My wife is Norwegian, and I always have to remind her of this story...

 

@AdamB, see what I mean?...& it didn't take that long! :

 

Absolutely!

 

..i will ole friend! ..i was trying to get monty pythons on but i had to settle of SCTV, which i like(d)..too

 

I love buckwheat honey on bananas. Also eat a lot of Goldenrod amber comb honey....good.

 

In the Piedmont of North Carolina, we had a LOT of flowering trees and wildflowers that contributed pollen to the Honey our Bees made. Wow, pretty yummy stuff.

 

Honey must be very healthy/ I eat about 10 pounds of it every year....and I have not seen a doctor since grade 8!

 

I played sports from Jr High, HS, and University. I had to go to the Dr to cough, then get a release signed.

 

I'm late, but I agree with @TIF

 

Appreciated

 

Welcome to the forum and the hobby!
This thread sure took an unexpected turn. Take my opinion with a grain of salt, but the coins look authentic. As @TIF said: the edges are sharp, and the flan cracks are convincing (flan cracks on pressed coins usually look a bit different).