Need some help with Commodus as Hercules denarius

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Basileus Antialcidas, Aug 1, 2020.

  1. Basileus Antialcidas

    Basileus Antialcidas Active Member

    Hello to everyone. Found this coin of Commodus which I like a lot. My only hesitation is that it comes from eBay and from a seller situated in Bulgaria which it is in my knowledge a place full of fake coins. I never buy from shady unknown sellers and even more if they are not in prestigious websites but this particular coin caught my eye. He seems quite legit as a seller and has been for a long time on eBay with only good reviews. My only hesitation is that some of his items seem fishy even if most seem very original. Also he seems unpopular as he has very few bids on his items, most even never sell. Lastly you can't view his location on the website, I had to ask him where he is situated which is strange as eBay displays always your location. Here is the photo. I will surely appreciate all your opinions!
     

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  3. DonnaML

    DonnaML Well-Known Member

    I'm not qualified to offer an opinion on this coin's authenticity. But I will point out that the fact that an ebay seller shows 100% good reviews is pretty much meaningless: I have read more than once that there's a way for sellers to delete negative reviews.
     
  4. dltsrq

    dltsrq Grumpy Old Man

    Not only is Bulgaria the epicenter of Roman coin fakery but Bulgaria has very harsh antiquities laws. The odds of genuine ancient coins being openly sold from Bulgaria on a public platform like eBay are slim to nil.
     
    Last edited: Aug 1, 2020
  5. Basileus Antialcidas

    Basileus Antialcidas Active Member

    Thank you for the answer. I know it is possible to change a review but it is not very easy. You have to ask eBay to do it after they review the case. Also you can change 5 in a year in 1000 reviews. So I don't believe it is so easy but ofcourse possible.
     
  6. Basileus Antialcidas

    Basileus Antialcidas Active Member

    I didn't know about the laws. So even if it is original it could easily be a coin obtained by illegal activities. That really sounds serious.
     
  7. Marsyas Mike

    Marsyas Mike Well-Known Member

    I spend a lot of time looking at eBay ancients, and I'd agree Bulgaria, for some reason, is the locale for a lot of fakes. Some of them are obvious even to me, but they do have some skilled counterfeiters. On bronze coins, the Bulgarian fakers have a tendency to apply a very unconvincing green spray-on patina. Even if the die-work is good, the coins often looks pressed rather than struck.

    The OP looks alarmingly good to me - especially the ragged flan. Most of the Bulgarian fakes look too round, even if the die-work is good. It looks struck as well, rather than pressed. If it is a counterfeit, it scares me - it means they are upping their game.
     
  8. Archeocultura

    Archeocultura Well-Known Member

    With 45 years of experience I dare say the coin is good. There is even some irridescense on the nott too sharp picture. The coin is scarce, but not really expensive. Most fakers try the expensive ones, though even fourth century AE 3's are faked.

    Frans
     
  9. hotwheelsearl

    hotwheelsearl Well-Known Member

    I really like the Herculi Romano issues. I have this one that managed to snag from an unsearched and mostly uncleaned lot for $0.73.
    Commodus RIC 253.JPG
    IMG_E5998.JPG
     
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  10. Terence Cheesman

    Terence Cheesman Well-Known Member

    Commodus Ar Denarius 191-192 A.D. Obv. head of commodus right wearing lion skin headdress Rv. Club flanked by bow and bow case RIC 252 3.50 grms 18 mm Photo by W. Hansen commodusd3.jpg
     
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