Wow if its real thats one amazing piece But I dunno...not a true match but never know... http://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/displayimage.php?album=search&cat=0&pos=17
I don't like the look of it but I'm not one to listen to on a coin like this. I certainly would not buy it from you and you should not buy it from me. There are dealers who handle coins of this nature often enough that their opinion would be worth seeking. If it is genuine, it would bring enough more in a sale by one of the better dealers that the only reasons anyone would offer it elsewhere would be that they suspect it is fake or believe they know enough to make the call. It is an often faked type.
Just for the sake of learning... What about the piece besides "the look" speceficallly don't you like?
It is a style thing. These often look a bit crude in an die cut sense and the Antony here has a reasonable look with Octavian being a bit overly neat. It is not that I feel the coin is bad but that the variations on these is great enough that I would not make that call. The fields are very regular which can mean a well struck coin or one pressed in a machine. I do not think the coin is a cast. I see no signs od age that could not be created artificially. That does not make the coin bad but it does not confirm it either. If goes back to the point that I would not buy the coin from a stranger who walked in off the street but would be more inclined to shop at Harlan Berk or CNG if I wanted one of these. Actually, I do have one but it is fourree and really terrible looking. I bought it in 1988 from a dealer no longer with us for a price that recognized it was junk. It is the only one I have ever handled and that exposure does not qualify me beyond having a feeling that the coin should be expertised. I'd send it to David Sear for a certificate or see if Berk (Chicago) would buy/consign it. I would not risk my name by selling it to someone who knows less about it than I do. I don't know if modern coins have equivalents in gray area coins but I see ancients that are good, bad and ones I'd avoid just to be safe. Since I do not pretend to be a dealer, I don't have to bet real money on gray coins - I just don't buy them. If I were to make a suggestion to you it would be to see if you can get Harlan Berk or one of his primary employees to do a spot on the Coin Show and discuss the status of the Ancient Coin hobby with you and your audience. As part of the interview you could bring up the question of how you know something that old is real and offer the coin as an example. If you learn nothing about the coin you at least get a spot I'd like to hear on the show.
Have a look at mine for comparison :http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-34327 One should have it in hand to be certain (perhaps...). It's difficult to tell from pics only but the style of portraits, especially Octavian is a bit weird. Not enough to condemn the coin, but in this price range I would be careful. My general behavior is, if I don't feel it, I pass Q
I agree, the main thing I don't like about it is the Octavian. This coin was struck by Antony, and he intentionally made himself look manly and Octavian like a boy. Look at authentic examples. Your example appears to have been crafted by someone who didn't know that fact, and made Octavian look more authoritative. There are millions of stories like this, once a person starts to learn them then ancients start making more sense, at least to me. I know I will never know all of them, but the few I do know makes the hobby more interesting.
