It looks like the detail in his hair has been 'enhanced.' Has this coin been tooled? CoinTalk ancient experts; What say ye? http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/331235046894
Hi Bannon ... well, it is a cool lookin' coin, but yah, Nero's perfect hair looks a wee bit suspect to me ...... also, the figures on the reverse may have had a bit of plastic surgery as well? (they seem to "pop" a bit too much when compared against the legend) ... you must also have your suspicions, right? (suspicions are never good ... there is nothing worse than thumbing through your collection and then stopping on that one coin that has always bugged you ... it's not ideal) "whenever there is any doubt, there is no doubt"
I suspect it's been tooled; however, even tooled, it's not a bad looking coin IMHO. But there are those that would not ever consider buying a coin that has been tooled. I think many coins we buy have some tooling.
The reverse bothers me more than the obverse. Look at the center of the reverse below the cornucopia. What is that? A disembodied arm? The obverse may have been messed with, but at least its decent looking work. The reverse looks like a train wreck IMHO.
Absolutely correct. While the obverse exhibits only minor tooling, the reverse has been significantly tooled, to the point that I don't think this is a worthwhile purchase for a serious collector.
Obverse has also been extensively tooled imo, very apparent on the wreath and quite much on the hair. A worn coin that was upgraded to a piece of crap
I think you're right. It's human nature after all to want to "improve" something. Throw in the financial incentive that an individual can "buy low" and with a little work he can "sell high" and you can see why it's so pervasive. Among ancients I would submit there is even more incentive to tool/re-ingrave/'enhance' since so many coins spent long time periods in the ground and sustained environmental damage, or saw years and years in circulation. Some tooling jobs are no doubt more evident than others. I agree that the reverse is a bit of a hatchet job on this particular coin.
