Didius Julianus AE Sestertius, what ya think?

is this a good coin?, I’m new to this,

 

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Welcome to CT! I never like to start on a down note but I have reservations about the coin being authentic...
Do you know the seller well?
I see there is a tag above the coin. Could you share a pic of it as well?

 

Welcome to CoinTalk. Here's a thread you might find worth reading:

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancient-coins-beginners’-faq-thread.324858/

As for the coin, it looks like a modern creation .

Was there anything in particular that led you to purchase this coin? Do you have an interest in that particular emperor or time in history?

 

Though if real, that is onevhelluva coin right there Didius J is a VERY infamous short lived ruler of Rome. He disgracefully bought the purple only to be murdered less than 3 months later!

 

You should get lots of input on this. Show the tag.

 

The coin came from a well known collector named James Cain, he said it was real, he gave it to me about 8 years ago when he finished his Medusa set. Hears the tag

 

He also gave me this coin about a month later, it’s a Gordian the 3rd

 

I was his auto mechanic for over 10 years and we always talked coins and he’d bring a lot in to show me, he even had the little gold jelly bean currencies that that were older than Methuselah lol

 

Here are the coin images posted in full so you don't have to click to see each side:



Here's the shot of the flip with the tag. Note that it seems to be an NGC slab label. There is no grade on the right side of the tag. If the tag is not a fake, the coin wasn't graded. Why would there be no grade? There wouldn't be a grade if the coin is inauthentic or if they otherwise decline to slab it.



Maybe NGC prints a partial tag when returning coins which they deem inauthentic? Perhaps that's what was printed on the lower half of the tag which has been cut off? Maybe instead of a certification number they write the reason for the body bag? I suspect it was submitted for certification and part of the intake is to briefly identify the coin and weigh it. There was no need to go further in the slabbing process because it isn't authentic and that is why the rest of the label is not filled out. It's probably not a fake label because who would fake an NGC label and not fill it out completely?

For comparison, here's an example of that style of NGC tag taken from a screen shot of a Heritage Auctions Didius Julianus denarius:

 

I agree with this and you can see highlighting where the tag was cut which typically indicates a negative with NGC:

 

So it’s a paper weight? Figures tho I have one thing I’m proud of and it’s fake

 

I'm sorry .

However, ancient coins in general are very affordable, abundant, and in some cases dirt cheap! You can buy one of your own . It's a very fun hobby.

 

Thanks man, but not affordable when your disabled with no income.

 

Still a kind of neet paperweight. Best of luck.

 

Since i was a gift you are out nothing. You do gain the education of the situation if you choose to take the opportunity. Examine the coin and figure out why the people here who saw it were so certain it is a fake. Save that tag and the coin as part of a collection that includes early mistakes. Most of us had to pay money for ours.

One thing to learn here is that coins of the high rollers of history are more likely to be fake than coins of the common and cheap people. I have trouble understanding beginners who feel pressured to buy rare coins as their first coins but we here on CT have regularly been shown coins of Otho, Pertinax and Didius level rulers by people who did not have a Constantine, Septimius or Trajan (to pick on three common guys). I can't blame you for the Didius since you did not select it but the Gordian is a much more appropriate beginner coin and a real one.

 

What a shame, it looks lovey too! So many fake coins, its so sad

 

Here is my very worn but genuine Sestertius of Didius Julianus to compare:



Notice the realistic wear on this example, while the OP coin has the same level of detail on all devices no matter how high they are.

Also, if genuine the OP coin would have a market value of well above 1000 USD which would make it an unlikely gift to anyone who is not an expert.

 

On the bright side, the Gordian III is most likely authentic. It's probably worth around $30-$40. The Didius Julianus, if real, would probably be worth $30,000-$40,000 in that condition--not the type of coin someone is likely to give as a gift.

 

Interesting thread. I am amazed that some of these coins being so so old that they are relatively cheap! Did they make tons of them? Or just not much collector demand? How did they all survive so long? I need to study and read up it is fascinating!

 

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancient-coins-beginners’-faq-thread.324858/

This is a thread with advice for people new to ancients.

They are awesome to collect and many can be bought for $25-50.