I posted my set a few days ago, but I felt like this subject matter needed its own post. The more I look into this supposed Otho denarius, the more I feel like it is a fake, especially after looking into the seller themselves. When I first bought the coin off Ebay, the seller, Professorata, was listed as shipping from Belgium. There was something definitely suspicious as the seller's profile stated Bulgaria when I looked at the order again. Upon doing more research, I found out the seller's name came up on AugustusCoins fake seller list. What do you think about this coin? I fortunately immediately felt something was off and requested a return. In person, the softness of certain details was much more visible. Obverse: Bust of Otho right Reverse: Securitas standing left 18mm, 3.28gm Here's a coin of Vespasian for comparison from from Taterthecat, one of the reputable sellers I know. Obverse: Laureate bust of Vespasian right Reverse: Salus seated, holding patera 19mm, 3.47g
I agree only because the seller tried to hide their origin, and they are from Bulgaria. The coin looks fine from the images, but I learned a long time ago to never, I mean NEVER, buy coins from Bulgaria. And to top it all off, the seller is listed on a fake seller list. I hope you get your money returned.
That's definitely a fake. Just looking at the coin itself, there's this thing called honest wear, where even though most elements and the high points are worn, in real hammered coins, the lowest points would still look sharper. On this coin however they just mush into the surface, evident of a cast, look how there is no crisp transition between the surface and the elements. The seller have also sold a fake Athens tetradrachm, among other high valued denarii which were also fake.
