Hi guy's and girl's, I need some help working out exactly what sort of coin this is. I have been doing the normal internet search marlarky and have found coins that look close, just not quite right.. Anyone any ideas? It's weigh is 22.8 grams
Vespasian Judaea Capta. One of the more desirable first-century coins. Details look soft and surfaces bubbly. Unless you purchased it from a respected dealer, I'd hold it suspect. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/coins-from-judaea-capta Click here and scroll down to RIC 159 or so if you haven't been to wildwinds already. http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/ric/vespasian/t.html Some specialists may be by soon to offer their opinions.
This coin is very, very likely to be a fake. While the weight is close to similar examples of this type, the obverse and reverse legends appear to be too thick relative to the amount of wear this coin seems to have, and the figures on either side of the palm tree (on the reverse) are really unlikely to have worn this way. Compare this to a real example of this coin: It's pretty clear that a more worn example of the above coin wouldn't look like the one that you posted.
These Judea Capta coins are one of the most faked series of coins on the market. It's supposed to be a sestertius, RIC 424, BMCRE 533, RCV 2325, but it's too small at 22.8 grams. Moreover, the obverse inscription is not correct. It's weight is closer to that of an as denomination, but there is no Vespasian as with that reverse.
At first, I also thought the weight was too small, but surprisingly, when I researched this particular type on ACSEARCH, I found that most of them were in the 22.6 - 23.9 g. weight range. So I'm not sure that the weight itself is an indicator of a forgery. FYI, the genuine coin that I posted above has a weight of 22.94 g.
Thanks for the very fast replys guy's. I'm not sure if this will help or not but the coin is 3.5mm thick and 33mm diameter. Here's a few macro shots. The coin was bequeathed to me from a relative who had heavy links with the Vatican, and was not the sort of person who would of been likely to have a fake coin unless it was passed to her in error.
Unfortunately, your additional photos only reinforce my belief that this coin is a cast forgery. A well-focused, straight-on photo of the edge might be helpful in determining if there is a telltale casting seam.
I wish I could provide more helpful information about your coin, but I lack the expertise to provide a definitive opinion on its authenticity. The pictures of the edge are inconclusive and if you really want to get an authoritative answer, you'll have to have a recognized expert examine the coin in hand, and provide his/her opinion. Any expert will certainly charge a fee for this service, so you'll have to decide for yourself whether or not it's worth the expense. I would also suggest that you spend an hour or more simply looking at photos of these coins that are available on various auction websites such as ACSEARCH. Here's one link to get you started: https://www.acsearch.info/search.ht...s=1¤cy=usd&thesaurus=1&order=0&company= At the very least, you'll get a sense of what this coin looks like in various conditions of wear (F, VF, EF) and get a better understanding of why your coin looks so unlikely to be genuine.
For what it's worth, I think this coin is almost certainly inauthentic. To me the edge looks smoothed and repatinated to hide evidence of the casting method. If you absolutely want a definitive answer my suggestion would be to send it to either David Sear or NGC - as much as I am not a fan of NGC I trust that they will be able to assess whether or not this is a cast, which I think is extremely likely. If the coin is authentic it will be worth every cent if you go to sell it because I think most prospective buyers would believe it is a cast based on the appearance and even from a major dealer I think most would stay away and not bid, but if it comes back as inauthentic you're out $50 or so with nothing to show for it.
The devices look puffy and indistinct. This can happen when a mold is made. The relief portions of the coin "gain weight" with each subsequent mold. Plus, it has a "soapy" appearance, with indistinct junctions between the fields and devices. The edges have been ground down, probably to disguise a seam. I don't think edge grinding was a common part of flan production for Imperial coins of that era. In the fourth picture of the "macro shots", you can see grinding of the edge in the ~7:00 position. That may have been where the casting sprue was ground off. I think it's a modern fake (cast). Could I be wrong? You bet. I'm not an expert and I haven't examined it firsthand.
Maybe you noticed a fact of ancient coins. Some coins are guilty of being fake until they are proven innocent. This is the leading type on that list. If I see a photo that has 1% suspicion of a problem, that coin is fake to me simply because of the number of fakes there are. Sending the coin to NGC would be like buying a lottery ticket. If you win, you win. If you lose, we told you so there should be no complaint.
