Nice portrait! Obviously, it would be interesting to compare this coin with the existing and official dies for this type. But I would not rule out the possibility of a fourrée struck illegally with official dies, by some moneyer's employer... I can't remember where I had read before, but there is a theory that 1:10 or 1:7 denarius minted on Republican period- early Imperial period were officially struck plated. The explanation was the economy by the retention of silver by the Roman Treasury.
Me neither! And personally, I like very much to collect fourrées. I believe that in my collection there are almost 40 fourrées, both in silver and in gold.
Seeing such a great coin as a fouree makes me wonder how many of our coins are plated and we don't know.
Nice coin, but I still can't personally bring myself to purposely buying a fake, even an ancient fake. Mark my words here and now, and record them for posterity as I will never change my mind: As God is my witness, I will not buy a fouree. Not now, not ever! You can take that to the bank. And if I break that promise I'll let you all call me a moron or an idiot in an open thread and thank you for it.
My concern is that I would not know if the plating was not broken through. Would weight be far enough off to be sure?
That's a very attractive portrait for a fourree...and one I'd consider purchasing at the right price Hmm, I wonder if a bad, evil 'Secret Santa' will make you reconsider those sentiments
...or buy anything but silver coins, as I recall? Usually it is a big tip off. For example, most fourree Athenian owl tetradrachms are about 4g lighter than solid ones because copper weighs less than silver. I have one that is an exception and weighs enough but is sufficiently larger than most to the point that it looks fishy to me. Imagine how it must have struck ancient Athenians who handled them every day. Anyone for whom being 'sure' about everything is probably best advised to find a different hobby. Ancient studies of any kind requires piecing together evidence and accepting the fact that any day may bring a new piece of evidence that will change everything that used to be a fact into something to be ridiculed. Things about coins that have changed in the last century are many. The future will be no different. Experts of the last century said all fourrees were fakes and not worth studying. I'll say only most fourrees are fakes and everything is worth studying.
I totally agree. 100%. As I wrote above, there is a theory about the official fourrées struck by the roman treasure. I really believe this. Of course that the most of the roman fourrées are ancient forgeries. But I really think that, in the minimal hypothesis, official dies were used in unofficial circumstances to struck some of them.
As an example of a debatable unofficial/official fouree, I'll post this denarius I purchased more than a year ago....naturally, it cost a fraction of what a 'genuine' example would have brought at auction. RE: Agora Auctions: Octavian. 44-27 B.C. AR fourrée denarius (19.6 mm, 3.05 g, 11 h). Pergamum mint, struck 28 B.C. Rare. CAESAR DIVI F COS VI, bare head right, small capricorn below /AEGVPTO CAPTA, crocodile standing right. cf.RIC 545; cf.CRI 432; cf.RSC 4. aVF. Although the core is not visible on this example, it is significantly underweight, it must be a fourree. It clearly circulated as authentic due to its wear. Another plated example with the same dies was recently offered by CNG.
Exactly! Is not always so obvious to detect. Maybe this fine crack on the flan at the Augustus' shouder and front of the face, over the legend, and the underweight can be the clue. And a possible official die...
