Hi guys, I came across this coin recently and was thinking about buying it, but want to make sure it's legit. Coin weighs 4.48 grams Diameter is 23mm So what do you guys think: a winner or a dud?
I do not like the texture but the weight suggests it is gold and not painted bronze. That makes it a coin I would not buy not because I think it is fake but because I don't like the look of it.
I remember seeing this same coin while browsing also, and thinking the surface texture made it look like one of those gold-wrapped chocolate coins, but that the style looked ok. It probably is authentic, perhaps over-polished and photographed in rather bad lighting. But I agree with the others, not a fan of the texture, and even though it looks authentic and I bought it, I'd still have that lingering doubt that would bother me.
The weight is right. The style is fine and that type of uneven strike (e.g. the flat obverse rim from 3:00-6:00) is common. However, the obverse fields are unusually uneven. Most Byzantine gold has even fields. Search your favorite site for "solidus" and see how even the fields usually are. I'd pass on it, without claiming it is false.
Thanks for your responses, everyone. I'll pass on it; if I am going to spend that kind of money on a coin then I at least want to be certain that its' authentic. Cheers!