Dear Masters, I have recently bought this coin.It is 10,3 grams and its diameter is 23mm and 25 mm. I didnt check if it is magnetic or not.Please help about its authenticity.Thanx in advance..
I only own one of this type so I am not the one to authenticate your coin. My coin is much lighter and smaller at 4.2g, 17mm, making it a Drachm. My only comment on your coin is that it seems somewhat fuzzy. This could be due to the image or the coin. Just as a comparison, here is my Drachm: ALEXANDER III AR Drachm OBVERSE: Head of Herakles right in lionskin headdress REVERSE: ALEXANDROU, Zeus Aetophoros seated left, holding eagle and sceptre. Forepart of Pegasos left in left field, X on W monogram beneath throne Struck at Abydos 325-323 BC 4.2g, 17mm Price 1505
Hey, I'm no expert, but I can tell you that my TET-example is 32.49 mm and between 16-17 grams (Note => my example is from the Phaselis mint, in Lycia ... restoring the types of Alexander the Great of Macedon) ... ... Bing's is an Ar drachm, which is significantly lighter (17mm and 4.2 grams) => numiz, I hope that there is a reasonable explanation for the weight of your example (good luck & cheers)
Thank you guys.But some other friends told me that didrachms are about 9 grams which means my coin could be a fat dirachm.What do you think?
By the way, I didnt buy it on ebay but from a local seller who assures me that it is real authentic...
I looked through some counterfeit dies and don't se it, but with that coin there are MANY. I think they debsaed their currency then but 10.3 sounds unreasonable. It could always be an older counterfeit which might have collector's value. Was it attributed, at least? They should give references when posting something like that, for the period, localtion, mint, die, etc. If you want to test the metal composition some people gave me good ideas. You could go to a jewler or pawn shop and most have a tool that will tell you the metal composition. Otherwise, universities might do it for free if you go in and ask. I'm not sure if they do a spectral analysis or what, but I woud guess that would be the case (though I'm not sure if that would only determine the outside of the metal). I didn't believe that at first but my brother was a material chem major and he said people do it all the time.
Didrachms usually have a diameter of about 20mm, 23-25mm is more in the range of a tetradrachm. As for the attribution, it's Price 682... http://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=84093
Didrachms are very rare. 99% offered are fake. 10g is too heavy for a didrachm so we are back to Dionysos' post with which I agree.
Dear Dionysos and dougsmit, If you are really sure it is a fake,I will return it.But the seller is a friend of mine and I must be completely sure it is fake before returning explaining why it is fake..
As others have said, at 10.3 gms it is very much too light. Authentic Alexander tetradrachms are around 17.2 gms and don't lose much weight even when worn. And especially your coin shows no place where it has lost any significant amount of metal. And yet it's missing 40% from what its original weight should be. The light weight alone shows it to be a fake. I have never seen unworn Alexanders weight that little. Not even any where close. The soft features of the obverse especially around the mouth look cast. On the reverse Zeus and the eagle have that "melting into the coin" cast look. I respectfully disagree with RabidRick. These coins were very pure silver and were not debased during the time this coin attempts to show it was made. The weights were very constant during this time period at around 17.2 gms. Look at the edge views. Picture IMG_3527.JPG shows a strange edge with a raised lip as if the edge has been worked on. (To remove a cast seam.) Very unusual and concerning. Again, in spite of the other things I have mentioned, the weight alone shows this to be a fake. If you really want an expert's opinion so that you don't unnecessarily offend your friend, send it to David Sear for authentication. It costs $40 to $50 depending on the service. His opinion is well respected in the coin community. If you send it to David Sear please report back.
The weight is really a dead give away. 7 missing grams is far too much to explain away by clipping, porosity, or loose mint tolerances, even if this were an issue were such problems were common. But even were it not for the weight, the style is completely wrong for the issue - just compare it to the CNG coin linked to above.
