Hi, I'm new to ancient coins, so when I saw a lot of 2 ancient coins at my auction, I couldn't resist, so I bought the pair for $23 each. Upon further exception, after the purchase, I found that the surface was kind of blurry. So I'm not sure if the purchase was worth it. These are both silvered antoninianus of emperor Licinius. Looking forward to your feedback!
I think they were harshly cleaned at least. Not worth $23 each. Not even worth $23 for the pair. Sorry for the blunt reply.
I agree with @chrsmat71 . I think they were spray painted or plated in something that is not silver. Silvered, bronze ants are common; but don't look like that. I think the coins are genuine, though. So, not a complete bust. I to would return them.
I agree with everyone else. They are somewhat worn/corroded authentic coins which have been electroplated or maybe just painted (gasp!).
I has a half decent Licinius of the type a few years back. It was a not silvered but a very dark brown, nearing black. I sold this one for around $10 in 2007.
I don't want to sound mean but you'll get the point. I'm new to ancients myself and I wouldn't have touched those for $5.00 total. If you can return them, please, do so.
Welcome @Obone . Nice pics, are they yours? I am a big fan of buying the book before the coin, or soon afterwards. If you want to buy ancients that are likely "real" and a good buy, do some research first. I think $50 is a cheap lesson. I know plenty of folks (not me of course - ha) who have spent way too much for coins genuine or not. If they are your first ancient coins, keep them in a display you see often and remember to do some homework before buying. I keep two modern fakes on a shelf from e-bay when I first bought ancient coins on line. After buying those, I did not buy without a good picture and knowledge of what the coin should look like. The coins look like LRB, Late Roman Bronzes, that have been coated (I vote spray paint). The inexpensive book I like on the subject is: Handbook of Roman Imperial Coins: A Complete Guide to the History, Types and Values of Roman Imperial Coinage Paperback – December, 1991 by David Van Meter. Amazon has one for $35, but I have seen them for less. I will pick a bit on the seller. I think these coins are normally called Follis, AE XX where the XX is the diameter. The obverse of an antoninianus normally has a crown. I only found a few for Licinius on acsearch.info picture from Roma
