Real Alexander?

Hi everybody, new to the ancient coin world and all it's historic wonderment... Just bought this Alexander tetradrachm and was curious as to it's authenticity. It's roughly 27mm in diameter and 16+ grams... My wife's baking scale doesn't have tenths of a gram. I believe it is genuine upon magnification. Any info would be greatly appreciated... Ancient coins are beyond cool... Oh the stories they could tell....I thank you..

 

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is there a seem on the edge of the coin ? wait for more experienced opinions...

 

No visible seam... Even under magnification.... Ring and ice test within parameters.... The seller obviously tested it with bleach... Hence the dark spot.

 

At first look I thought it was a fake, but when I magnified it and saw the crystalization (?), Slight flaking, as well as what seems like natural pitting of the silver, I soon began to believe it is genuine.... But I really don't have a clue...

 

It's very hard to tell just from an image. Having said that, I lean towards it being authentic. Wait for some of our more experienced Greek specialist to have a say. BTW, welcome to CT @Eriksund

 

Welcome to Cointalk!!!

 

Thank you thank you... I've been in a crusty Roman fixation lately... I've got them laying all over the house... The coin in question is my daily driver pocket coin.... Just having a piece of ancient history in my pocket somehow gives me comfort... Yeah.. People are strange...

 

Once I found out how relatively inexpensive ancient coins were, I've been spending my allowance on them... And by inexpensive I mean not thousands...I always thought that ancient coins were rarer than they actually are.... History is cool...

 

Oh....I paid $100 for it on eBay... Not that it really matters.... It's what I could afford at the time...

 

Yeah, I like them too...here are my babies:



Yours does look a bit spongey, but let's see what the mavens say.

 

BTW, got this from Amazon and it is pretty good...

 

Dude.. those are killer! I need to start saving.... How do most folks store/display their coins? I just have them laying/displayed all over the house.... Along with my Dino poop,.. coprolite... My wife is very understanding...

 

Here are my Alexander Lifetime Tetradrachmae... I understand most of the AE's or AR Fractionals would be Lifetime.

perhaps these sites can help you explore Alexander III's coins:

http://numismatics.org/pella/

http://www.coinproject.com/search_common.php?global_keyword=Alexander III&submit=submit

http://rg.ancients.info/alexander/tets.html


Makedon Alexander III Lifetime Tet Myriandrus mint-Alexandria near Issus


Makedon Alexander III - Alexandrine Babylon Di-Shekel Tet 24mm 16.35g LIFETIME 328-311 Baal-Lion


Makedon Alexander III 336-323 BC AR Obol 7mm 0.51g Babylon Lifetime Herakles lion skin Club bow quiver wreath M Price 3744


This one is kinda hard to get...

Makedon Alexander III 336-323 BC AE 16 Eagle Tbolt Crescent

Yeah, I have to post Alexander III's... my Avatar name is a corruption of his name, and his final words under my Avatar...

 

Welcome to CoinTalk! I think your coin looks authentic. Careful doing ring tests on ancients because crystallized silver can break. Here's my lifetime tetradrachm from Alexander:


Macedonian Kingdom, Alexander III
AR tetradrachm, 17.18g; Amphipolis mint, lifetime issue, struck under Antipater, c. 325-323 BC.
Obv.: Head of Herakles right, clad in Nemean Lion scalp headdress tied at neck.
Rev.: AΛEΞANΔΡOY Zeus enshrined left, throne without back and two leg struts,bright leg forward (archaic lifetime style), eagle in extended right hand, long scepter vertical behind in left hand, TE monogram lower left, concave field

 

Excellent, fantastic... Thank you, bidding on another as we speak. Very very nice... They all seem like works of art to me...

 

Here's a story you'll enjoy...I was traveling and carrying a 2x2 with an Alex Tet in one side and an Athena Owl in the other. I emptied my pockets into the tub and when I got through, the TSA agent was scoping out the coins...I told her they were over 2000 years old and she called over more agents to look at them...

 

That's killer..I keep mine in my pocket, show certain folks at times...I get varied responses... Some people are completely blown away and others are like eh.... Cool,..I personally think they are nectar of the gods... The guys at work are beyond amazed....

 

Welcome to cointalk!

Once you learn about ancients you are hooked.



John

 

Thank you... It's good to be here.

I am indeed!

 

I'm sorry to tell you, but that coin you bought on eBay is a cast fake, perhaps you can sent it back to the seller for a refund.
The poll says 4 members think its a fake, nobody voted genuine.

Here a few from my collection, these are all $ 200-$300 coins, except the left lower of Ptolemy which costs considerably more.