Hello everyone, I am new member to CT. I have been "collecting" coins since the late 60's. I don't have anything of value but it has been fun. I've been in Iraq for 2 years now and have shopped at many a hole in the wall. Sometimes literally!! I have been fortunate to be able to do a lot of travel and I have picked up a few goodies from the mountains of northern Iraq where Alex the Great spent time. If this coin is real, cool. If it's fake, cool too. I will post a pic for all of you ancient coin buffs. Thanks, Kenny
unfortunately I believe its fake but if your interested, you can get authentic ones at pretty good prices from reliable dealers.
Certainly it is a fake or perhaps one farther - a fantasy since I'm not recognizing what it was intended to copy. We need to remember that producing goods to fool tourists is an honorable profession in many countries and considering that few tourists have any idea what the real thing looks like, 'tourist grade' is the name we give to the worst quality fakes. Better fakes go to the collector market to be sold on eBay and at flea markets in Europe and the US. The best go to try to fool real coin dealers and collectors and some even slip through 'experts' in museums. We even have reached the point now that the best of fakes with pedigrees are selling for more money than many less thrilling genuine coins. This, however, is a tourist item.
The owl on the reverse resembles that... but the head on the front is completely different, and looks to be that of a male.
