Any coin shop who actually know ancients could have at least noted era and if correct style to possibly be gold. I think that short of a pic it gets back to having it taken to an ancient dealer or certified. You saying its heavily worn worries me, as that is not common at all for ancient gold coins. Ancient gold did not circulate heavily, and are not typically worn much. I am not saying heavily worn gold coins don't exist, but they are very rare, much rarer than mint state examples.
The guy probably doesn't know actual vintage on the coin. It could be a poor strike. I owned a Solidus once and it was around 1/5 ounce. I could give the guy a deposit, send it in to be graded and then offer the balance when graded. Clearly he is fishing around for top dollar, preferably cash. He bought it when gold was a lot cheaper.
An expert on ancients is going to check the coin out tomorrow, the coin he originally sold. When I spoke with him he said it was an Indian gold coin, over 1/4 oz., from around 300 CE.
Oh Indian. That is entirely possible. Those have gone up considerably in the last decade, that could be a good pickup, even worn. Edit: Just looked up CNG, and Kushan dinars from 300 ad run about 7.7 grams, so it looks as if it could be that. Like I said, for gold price if authentic its a good buy.
That is most likely it. Any idea what it's worth in VG to Fine? Probably best way to handle it is to get it certified, then look for a buyer. NGC has an express service that runs about $50 and a lesser service for $30 or so.
I am not sure if I would bother with certifying. As long as a respected dealer says its good that should be enough. Most ancient collectors do not like TPG slabs. The worth of the coin will depend on its rarity of course, many of these are worth relatively little in lower grades, but there are major rarities. Go to CNG and they have a few on auction right now.
This is an auction with a 15% buyers premium as well. Like all auctions, lots of action at the end and most auctions there end above estimate. I don't thik you can ever go wrong buying a gold coin at melt, let alone an ancient.
It looks like the Kushan Empire gold. The "expert" was there to authenticate at the coin shop. He figured it had around $300 gold based on an 80%/ 20 karat content. There are differences both on obverse and reverse from the examples at auction. I may send it into NGC to authenticate.
Its your call, but if you just posted a pick I am sure we can attribute it for you. I own all Michiner titles, and those cover these issues. There is a wide variety of these made, so I wouldn't expect it to exactly match. I was just saying if you ever sell it to me or Doug or many others the first thing we would do is take a bandsaw to it, so didn't want you to spend the $50 needlessly. If you personally want it slabbed that is your business man. Chris
this thread has got to be one of the most pointless and boring threads of all time, first of all its a stater then roman and now kushan it may end up as something completely different with the next 4 posts.........may i suggest that in future you first get a photo of the coin and then do a little research before posting on here.
The original owner of it said it was a Stater. He had lost the tag, so we were in the dark on it. From those I asked, I was told there was a good chance it would be a counterfeit.
I shipped it to an true expert and a gentleman on these gold coins, Mr. Kern. He called me about it and said it was a "Gupta II", Changor, not "Kushan" empire "Dinar". He said the word "Stator" is also used to type it. 380-414. He graded it a VF and offered $350 and settled on $375. Melt is around $300. My apologies for those who were upset by my inquiry.
Great news. Showing it to the a dealer who knew the series paid off for you. http://www.mcsearch.info/search.html?search=similar%3A161601&view_mode=1#0 This link shows coins of Chandra Gupta II sold over the past few years including several for less than you got but gold back then was not what it is today so that makes sense. Perhaps you can check the list above and find a match; perhaps not. There are many variations. Below is a bit more scholarly but does not have prices: http://coinindia.com/galleries-chandragupta2.html I hope it survives the melt pot.
I overpaid on this Indian coin, $400 to be exact, and the guy wanted cash. I am sure Mr. Kern is finding or already found a market for this coin. It was fresh and original looking and would not be graded "details" or other problem designation in Mr. K's opinion. Sometimes I get nervous after buying a coin that I made a mistake.
