Another FEL TEMP Galley...

I checked his listings. They are mostly artifacts, but s/he has a lot of low-to-mid grade coins, too. Must make his money through volume, since most of the coins will probably sell for less than $20, many for less than $10. I did notice this legionary denarius, though:

 

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Yeah, before posting these newer coins I was undecided. I certainly trust your judgement but wishful thinking was keeping me from accepting the coin was more than a die match.

Anyway, I’m convinced. I’d like to hear a bit more about your coin too. How do the edges look? Knowing now that it is likely a cast... does it feel off? Do you think this seller is selling the host and copies? Could yours just be the host coin?

 

I have been looking at my example under a loupe.

It doesn't have the immediate "soapy" feeling that you get with most casts.

I have made quite a study of fakes over the years and have delivberately bought many just to get familiar with them.

The application of a sandy patina on the top of the surfaces has been done to hide many of the things that I would normally look for. It looks as though the surfaces have been brushed with a brass brush or similar (it has a slightly burnished look that you get from this) before the sand and chemicals were applied.

I believe that the casting sprue is at 8 o'clock on the obverse. This has been hidden under a thick layer of red sand, visible on the obverse image of my coin.

The edge doesn't look as though there is a casting seam but then it is difficult to get a clear view at the moment as it has a fine layer of dust/sane all around the edge.

I think that my fingers are being fooled by the surface dirt and this may be distracting me from the soapy feel.

I will try and strip the coin back to see what lies beneath. I will report back after my experiments are done.

My coin didn't come from the same seller as the new one. Quite a different route in fact. I will watch out for others.

 

Here are the next two from the same fake studio....