Saw this on Ebay this morning. While I initially didnt think it would fool anyone, I was surprised to see it has 18 bids and is bid to $278! I give them an A+ for creativity, a D for artistic merit, and an A+ for fooling some people.
Which just goes to show that fools abound. BTW, I own a bridge in Brooklyn I am trying to sell on Ebay. Anyone interested?
I agree with the grades as presented but have to wonder why there are no letters behind the head. If I were making such a thing I might make it using a coin as the reverse die just like the real thing but I wonder if this was a die made for the purpose. The real way would make each brockage different possibly fooling people who have been told to beware of identical coins. Of course there is the matter of the die work being nothing like the real thing (hence D for artistic merit). As I get older and nastier, I am feeling less sorry for people with $278 of free cash and not a nickel's worth of common sense. Fakes of $20 coins made to fool tourists bother me but fakes of $700 coins made to sell for $200 to people who think they can get 'a deal' are bothering me less and less. Have you seen the obverse used with a reverse? I am a bit impressed by the way the obverse is off center losing part of the OTHO opening the market to people savvy enough to spot a sleeper. I'd market it as a rare brockage error and not mention the Otho part to attract the 'smart' crowd.
It's not uncommon to lose lettering on a brokage strike as the lettering is in lower relief. Ken is too generous with his grade for artistic merit. I give it an F.
:0 Error Strike ????? very very very rare or is it a (dozens) fool(s) can be parted with their money ?
Out of curiosity, other than the lettering being too nice for a blockage, and the sloppy reverse, what else is wrong with that coin? I don't know anything about Otho coinage, so I'd love to learn what to look out for.
We can never answer this question fully. How is it you recognize which tree in the school play is your child? How do you look at a signature on a document and know it is genuine? Some of us have seen many Othos; many of us have seen some. The more you have seen, the less this one will look like one to your eyes.
