Sextus Pompeius Fostlus Denarius - too close for comfort?

I know there was a thread just yesterday that revealed a fake example of one of these, but I thought I'd post mine since I've been scrutinizing it closely over the past few days. It arrived last week, and I had a few niggling doubts about its unusual pattern of surface cracks, as well as some questions on style (spacing of the pellets at the top of Roma's helmet, and the slightly strange rendering of "X" in the "SEX" on the reverse).


I looked at all the examples I could find online and did a bit of a double take when I spotted this one in CNG's sales archives:


They're not identical, but on the other hand, it's a double die match, shows about the same amount of wear, has a very similar flan shape, and an unnervingly similar centering and strike that crowds (or loses) the devices at the same places. What are the odds?

I'm no expert, but I've looked at the coin through a stereo microscope and can find nothing about it that suggests cast or modern. What do you guys think?

 

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It looks fine to me @zumbly

Here is my humble example

 

Nothing jumps out to say fake.

Look at the flaw on the wolfs hindquarters. Notice that it is not repeated on the cng coin the way it would be if they were struck from the same transfer die.

Looks good!

 

I am inclined to accept it as good. It might be good to count dies you can find and see just how odd it is to find a match. Mine is not a match.

 

Mine is probly too worn...


RR Sextus Pompeius 137 BCE AR Den She-Wolf Rom Rem Sear 112 Craw 235-1a

 

Your coin looks perfectly fine to me, Zum.

 

I wish I had one like this. A real one, I mean. Sigh.

 

Thanks, all, for weighing in with your reassuring opinions.

I’m sure one with your name on it will come up soon enough .

 

A wonderful example, and some others are too. Mine doesn't show the birds so well


S. Pompeius Fostlus, Denarius
Rome mint, 137 BC
Helmeted head of Roma right, X below chin, jug behind head
SEX PO [FOSTLVS] She wolf suckling Remus and Romulus, fig tree in background, the shepherd Faustulus behind. ROMA at exergue
3,73 gr
Ref : RCV # 112 var, RSC Pompeia # 1a, Crawford # 235/1c

Q

 

Looks good.

 

@zumbly, your coin looks fine to me as well. Here's mine, but the SEX PO is mostly off the flan.

 

Neat! Yours looks like the scarcer variety that spells PMO rather than PO or POM.

 

Thanks for pointing that out @zumbly! I didn't even notice it was the scarcer variety, you have made my day