Hi, i'm new to ancient collecting... I'm wondering how common fakes are... usually the higher grade coins? in silver denarius for example...are there lots of fakes floating around, how difficult is it to tell the real thing...any tips on telling the difference? thanks!
I cannot tell you how 'common' fakes/counterfeits are in the area of ancient numismatics, but I can tell you that they are encountered quite often, offered with the intent to deceive the unknowing. My own main interest lies in the area of roman bronzes of the 1st century a.d, and have been duped a few times by some very well made fakes.... This is a good site to view documented fakes: http://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/index.php If you don't known this ancient coin forum, I highly recommend you join to learn more about known fakes of ancient coins. If you are looking to start building a collection, it is good advice to only purchase from KNOWN and reputable sellers, for example www.vcoins.com, www.cngcoins.com and the major auction houses.
I've seen fakes that were passed off in both the lower and upper price ranges (starting around a dollar) Ill 2nd that
Many of the fakes come from sources such as these. Of course, they are advertised as replicas but the buyers, in some cases, will try to resell them as real. http://coins.shop.ebay.com/Replicas...i.html?_catref=1&_fln=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m282
