Forgery Canditate: Nerva Sestertius

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Julius Germanicus, Sep 17, 2017.

?

Is this an authentic Nerva Sestertius?

  1. Yes

    5 vote(s)
    29.4%
  2. No, I would try to return it

    2 vote(s)
    11.8%
  3. I don´t know but I would find it worthy enough to send it away for certification

    5 vote(s)
    29.4%
  4. I don´t know but it doesn´t look good enough to spend another 60 USD on it.

    5 vote(s)
    29.4%
  1. Julius Germanicus

    Julius Germanicus Well-Known Member

    I would not have doubted this Sestertius´ authenticity if not David Sear had written to me that it looked "a little suspect" to him as far as he could see from pictures but he could´t say more without examining it.

    Any idea what might have puzzled him?

    P2100014.jpg

    It looks like the patina came off on some of the outer portions on the reverse, see left and right on this picture.

    P2100016.jpg

    Also you´ll notice some little dents on the lower half of the reverse, but those to me look like traces of corrosion rather than casting bubbles.

    Here is an edge view (anything suspicious there?):

    P2100019.jpg
     
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  3. IdesOfMarch01

    IdesOfMarch01 Well-Known Member

    P2100019.jpg

    Based on the amount of wear to the devices on both the obverse and reverse, I would also expect the edges of the coin to be more rounded and less squared off than the above picture illustrates. There is almost no relief in the obverse and reverse devices, yet the coin is almost a perfectly squared-off table-top? Seems a little unlikely to me.

    But if the dealer offers a guarantee, and you're willing to pay for authentication, it might be worth a gamble.
     
  4. Jwt708

    Jwt708 Well-Known Member

    I think if David Seer told me he needed to see one of my coins I would sened it...unless it isn't worth it.
     
  5. Parthicus

    Parthicus Well-Known Member

    There do seem to be an awful lot of scratches along the edge. That could come from someone scraping away an edge seam. Of course, it also could just be the result of harsh cleaning to remove encrustations on a real coin. Personally, I'd spend the cash for authentication by an expert.
     
  6. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    If you sent it off and Mr. Sear said it was genuine but tooled, would you want the coin at the price? There are levels of 'real' and 'fake'. It is not always easy to tell what a coin looked like before people started playing with it. I have trouble imagining a situation where an 'expert' would certify a coin without seeing it. Many could be condemned from a photo.
     
  7. Julius Germanicus

    Julius Germanicus Well-Known Member

    Thank you for sharing you opinions on this one. As the votes seem to be evenly split, I will have to make an emotional decision.

    I think I´ll send the coin in for examination. It cost me around 200 USD and I guess that would be an OK price for a Nerva Sestertius in this grade.

    I do like this coin and would not bother if someone has been tooling around with the edge, if obverse and reverse are nothing more than cleaned, so a certificate of authenticity by a respected authority would make me want to keep it.

    I do not plan to sell my "keepers" in the next two decades, so the extra cost would not distract me :)
     
    Justin Lee likes this.
  8. ancient coin hunter

    ancient coin hunter 3rd Century Usurper

    I don't know but the relief on the reverse seems suspect given that the legend is almost completely worn off. Is it slightly tooled? Probably best to get Mr. Sear's opinion.
     
    Julius Germanicus likes this.
  9. Theodosius

    Theodosius Fine Style Seeker

    Sending it to David Sear should cost around $70ish with postage and insurance if I remember rightly from my last batch.
     
    Julius Germanicus likes this.
  10. Julius Germanicus

    Julius Germanicus Well-Known Member

    Should wear not lead to a convex shape eventually? It would look more suspicious if the center of the reverse was worn off more than the legend which is closer to the edges, I guess :).
    Could´t the stronger detail on the obverse be due to the both sides having enjoyed different wear or corrosion over time?
    There are lots of coins that have higher relief on the reverse but those that ended up with a better obverse are those who get more demand and we find them in dealer´s catalogues.

    Yes. May I ask how many coins you sent there yet and which coin value is the lowest where you find the extra cost useful?
    And have you noticed that Sear seems to write just one certificate per day? Looks like thorough work to me :)
     
  11. Julius Germanicus

    Julius Germanicus Well-Known Member

    Update: I did send the coin to Sear and received his report today.

    According to him, this Sestertius is indeed a 18th/19th century cast forgery :-(
     
    Last edited: Nov 3, 2017
  12. Ajax

    Ajax Well-Known Member

    That's too bad. Hopefully you can get a refund.
     
    Julius Germanicus likes this.
  13. Ken Dorney

    Ken Dorney Yea, I'm Cool That Way...

    Honestly I would have said the coin was good, but I wouldn't second guess Mr. Sear. It does make sense though, the coin has clearly been shellacked and this was a common practice in the 18th Century.
     
    Julius Germanicus likes this.
  14. Julius Germanicus

    Julius Germanicus Well-Known Member

    Yes, the coin will be refunded...

    ... thanks to Sears forgery report.

    According to him, apart from the flat fabric, edge filing, and an unnatural weakness of the reverse legend the falseness is indicated by the merging of some of the obverse lettering into the border, especially the N, the V and the A of NERVA and the A of CAES.

    I would not have noticed.
     
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