Help with Titurius

I picked this guy up this morning. The coin is slightly pitted. I'm wondering if this is ground action or if the coin is counterfeit. It weighs 3.7 grams.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

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Looks like it's just silver leakage. I'll check to see if it matches any of the known fake dies though.

stainless

 

Just checked. It's fine, just a little rough as yuo mentioned.


stainless

 

Ah a piece I would love to have, but in better shape.

 

After looking at other struck off these same dies, this one is actually pretty good. I love the hair. There are better looking ones as far as grade, but this one was struck off of a more crude die. I think it is less common than the others, still doing research on it.

stainless

 

History of the reverse can be found below, which makes the coin more interesting then other republics.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rape_of_the_Sabine_Women

 

LD, if you look under a scope I think you will find surface leeching on ancients to apprear differently than casting bubbles. That is what worries many who see a granular surface on ancients many times. I had some known cast fakes, and looked under a 16/32x scope, then compared that with granular ancients. The appearances are markedly different under the scope, though you are right on the face of it they can appear similar.

I find a binocular miscroscope to be very useful for issues like this.

Chris

 

I'd like to get one of these too.

 

Here is another I found in this lot I bought.

 

There are three common types of this moneyer. You have two of them. The first is the commemorative of the 'Rape of the Sabine women' and is probably the most popular. The last is the ordinary one that has little demand. My favorite is the third showing Tarpeia who betrayed her country in promise for 'what the men wore on their arms'. She meant the gold bracelets that the Sabines wore but, not liking traitors, the soldiers paid her by burying her in shields.

The moneyer was proud of his Sabine heritage. The style is a little crude compared to some Republican moneyers making you wonder if he was trying to employ a Sabine style. I have sen enough porous ones that I wonder if the silver he used might have been a little lower quality than some but it might just be that these popular types get sold in illustrated venues at grades lower than would be done with less popular coins. I see nothing wrong with either of your coins.