Please excuse this request – I usually don't like to ask for authenticity assessments on CoinTalk, but here is a coin I really don't know what to make of. I recently bought this one cheaply from Savoca London (2nd Blue Auction), thinking it was a Celtic imitation of an Alexander drachm (17mm, 3.7g). In hand, it turns out that it has a monogram and a control mark and thus should be an official postumous issue from Abydus (301–297 BC, Price 1579, see here). My best guess is that the reverse saw some wear, possibly was weakly struck to begin with, likely was covered with horn silver when it was found, and received harsh chemical cleaning. The whole coin might have been polished a bit afterwards, resulting in the shiny surfaces. Since I already have an official postumous Alexander drachm in a higher grade, I tried to sell it for what I paid here on CT. The (very friendly and sensible) buyer apparently asked some other collectors about the coin and showed them my picture. They had doubts about the coin's authenticity, and I of course offered to refund our fellow collector. Now, this has made me wonder about this coin myself. What do you think? Does it look like a forgery that has slipped through in Savoca’s auction? If so, I’ll write them a polite e-mail and the coin will go into my “black cabinet”... My picture: Savoca's picture:
Yes, it is the same coin – different lighting and my amateurish photography skills make a huge difference...
That’s crazy! The first picture makes the coin look inauthentic while the second makes it look genuine. Wow
Thanks to all of you for taking a look and giving an opinion. As far as I understand, most of you agree that it has an odd style but are reluctant to say anything else about whether it is authentic or not. I guess in this case it comes down to how much you trust Savoca's expertise... @Sallent , I appreciate your opinion. Might I ask you to elaborate a bit? Maybe you recognized something the others didn't?
It's obvious based on the shape of the flans, and little defects in the dies and other similarities in the design, that both are casts from the same mold. One is slightly sharper than the other, but both coins come from the same source.
What "both",? He posted two pictures of the same coin, one from the dealer and one he took. I would hope they look the same!
I think it's time I put this on and hope people soon forget my moment of cheer stupidity.... . That's what happens when trying to be opinionated without properly reading a post.
@Sallent , thanks for coming back and explaining. Also, no need to put on the brown paper bag – I'm sure we all have moments like this now and then.
It's okay, I initially thought the first picture was fake and the second was real. I figured the auction house bait-and-switched!
Well, it definitely is the same coin, judging from all the small imperfections of its surface. The difference between the two pictures is due to photography skills and conditions: I assume that Savoca used a ring light or ring flash and professional coin photography equipment. My picture, on the other hand, was taken with a hobby-level DSLR mounted on a tripod, and with my living room window as the only light source. This created a very different pattern of light and shadow.
Well at the end of the day I don’t see anything glaring of it being fake. That being said, depending on the value it could warrant a submission to a TPG to verify authenticity
Thanks for your opinion. Submitting it to a TPG certainly would bring extra security, yet I fear that in this case, the fee would exceed the value of the coin.
That is unfortunate. Is your main concern whether this is a modern forgery or an antique counterfeit? You could try the "tried and true" detection methods (such as magnet, specific gravity, etc) for a first effort