Is this coin (RCV I#303, RSC#33) a forgery?

Hello! Quick backstory: I snagged this coin on eBay for a suspiciously good price. The seller allowed returns, so I figured I'd buy it, then return it if it was ultimately fake. I'm relatively new to collecting ancient coins however, so it's difficult for me to tell if it's a forgery or simply well-worn. I know which conclusion I'm leaning towards, but I'm looking for a second opinion! I uploaded a few pictures, which can be seen below; apologies for their quality, it's hard to take pictures through a magnifying glass! Thanks in advance for all your help!

 

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Is the seller on this list at the link? and or from Bulgaria or the Ukraine?
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=18502.0

 

The seller is not on that list! And the coin was shipped from Belgium, although the seller's profile said he was based in the UK.

 

Send it back. It's a forgery.

First red flag: Seller's feedback. All are showing as Private because he doesn't want you to see what he sold.

Second red flag: As you pointed out, is the nation discrepancy; which is common among those who purposefully sell forgeries.

Third red flag: Although some of forgeries are partially convincing, we let groups of forgeries interpret forgeries. This guy has sold 15 coins since January 31st. All of them have the same patina, the same washed out/weak devices, and gray silver look.

He has doctored the surface on many of them after they were cast; in order to get rid of the bubbles. Though, it didn't work with many of the deeper bubbles on the edge. The style is right on a few, but the soft devices on an otherwise decent surface doesn't make sense with regular wear. Others are not so convincing, like his Antony Legionary Denarius.

Better luck next time.

-Michael

 

I agree, almost certainly a forgery just looking at the appearance of the coin. Seeing the sellers other items strengthens my opinion. This is why there are so many recommendations for new collectors to stay away from eBay until they have some experience.

 

I was half-convinced it was a forgery when I bought it, but I knew I could get my money back! I figured if it wasn't a forgery, then I stumbled on a great deal, and if it was a forgery, then I'd gain good experience through investigating it! Pity it wasn't the former possibility, but I'll settle for the latter, I suppose.

 

Side note, is there a way to get him added to that list of forgers?

 

You probably could; but they just rinse and repeat. It's why he only has 15 transactions. He'll get flagged, deleted, then start another fake seller account.

 

How infuriating. I suppose there's nothing to be done then. I'll enjoy shaming him when eBay asks why I am requesting a refund.

 

He may try to make you pay the return postage etc. Tell him you will leave very negative feedback if he doesn't pay return postage and full refund etc. Then after you get all your money back give the bad feedback anyway.

 

This guy on facebook is out of the UK and he hunts these fake sellers: you may report this guy to him on his page: https://www.facebook.com/fakeancientcoinssellersonebay/

 

Excellent ideas, both the above quoted and the facebook man. I suspect the seller will be closing out his account very shortly, so he might not care about negative feedback; but if he insists, I'll complain very strongly to eBay instead.

Quaecumque.

 

They do care very much about negative feedback. They usually don't close an account till after they get some negatives to dent their 100% positive rating. They get five change chances on negative feedback. The one of two fakes I bought on ebay he begged me to change the negative feedback and he would ship me a silver greek coin from cyprus where he sold from, that he personally found himself(haha). I agreed to changing the feedback after he refunded the postage in full as well as the full price. When I got the refund I just left the negative feedback. I could have used the change process to change feedback and then keep it the same because they only get five changes. But I had already spent hours on that bandoogle and just wanted it done. EBAY will not do much for you beyond making sure you get a refund.

 

Unfortunately this is what these sellers bank on. You should get a full refund and use it for the next authentic purchase! Best of luck friend.

 

You should have him added to Forum's list. Even if he changes names he can be tracked and added with the new name.

 

Anyone else notice that he sold the same two coins twice? The Octavian on February 23rd and then again on March 6th. The Julius Caesar the same dates. That in itself is a red flag. When buying anything on Ebay it is really important (if you have any reserves at all) to look at all the relevant transactions.

 

This is a bad idea. I believe eBay has a policy against this. It is called feedback blackmail. It can basically be considered extortion. I know someone who did this and the seller reported them to eBay. Ebay called it "blackmail" using feedback and the seller didn't have to issue refund.

 

...just contact ebay and tell them the coin has been deemed most likely a forgery by a group of old salts(experts) and the seller or ebay will give all your money back, including shipping from and to, if the seller wants it back, which i doubt he will. it just takes a little time and it's a good lesson of "too good to be true" which most all of us have experienced. the only coins i've ever found on ebay that are good deals..selling way far under what others like it are, are ones that have been mislisted. you have to be aware that at least 100 coin collectors are looking at the same coin you are and what logic it is that they aren't bidding on it

 

The sad thing is there are good eBay ancients sellers but eBay does almost nothing to weed out the bad ones.

There are several good people who post here frequently that also sell on eBay, and I trust them.

John

 

Yup. Don't think you are outsmarting anyone. The con man depends on the greed of the person being conned. The perceived ability to get a refund is part of the illusion. The things that you presume will protect you, are actually the smoke and mirrors that seduce you into falling for the con.

Regarding negative feedback: I had a seller send me threatening emails after I left negative feedback. He charged for overnight FedEX but shipped regular US Mail(non-coin) The item was untrackable for weeks and the seller went quiet. The profanity and vitriol in the emails bordered on the unhinged.

I shared the emails with EBAY and told the sender I was sharing the emails with their local police and my local police. It ended the harrassment. The seller continues to sell on Ebay.

Caveat Emptor