Theodosius II AV Solidus Authenticity

Hi Everyone,

Recently picked this Solidus up in a collection, I was a little bit unsure of authenticity as I'm not as familiar with Byzantine coinage. The big red flag for me was the weight, 3.92g, but as far as I know, there could be many other issues.

If possible, could anyone weigh in on thoughts towards authenticity?

Thanks in advance!

 

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It does have an odd look to it, maybe it's the color or the slightly off/blocked strike. They probably had to pump a lot of these out. It's a little light too, but it has that bite missing. I'd probably buy it, but then again wait for another opinion...

RIC X 293; Depeyrot 84/1

 

I have to say I don’t like the look of this coin. It looks flat and mushy, and I’m missing a lot of the details; on the cuirass for example. Compare with this Theodosius II:

 

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Obone, Unless you got the coin for melt value try & get your money back . The last Theodosius II solidus I had is pictured below.

 

The style is off, and with the weight being off by about 0.5g, I would assure that it's not official. I've never seen a Vandalic-era imitation before, and I don't even know if they exist, but this sure looks like one. Do you think it's possible?

 

After doing more research, I believe this is a Germanic imitation, the style is more accurate, and the weight is slightly less. The legend is accurate with an imitation too I believe

 

Is the edge where it is clipped sharp?

 

I would believe that too. Theodosius II had a lot of contemporary imitations of his coinage.

 

Obone, If you're confident this coin is a Germanic imitation why not send it to NGC for verification ? It would be a small investment for a possible big gain . Pictured below is a Germanic imitation of a solidus of Theodosius II sold by CNG for $2,750.00.


UNCERTAIN GERMANIC TRIBES, Pseudo-Imperial coinage imitating Roman emperor Theodosius II, mid to late 5th century AD. AV Solidus: 4.50 gm, 20 mm, 7 h. CNG inventory #885434.

The coin pictured below is a Germanic imitation of a solidus of Theodosius I, sold at CNG 417, lot 506, for $1,092.50.

Uncertain Germanic Tribes, Pseudo-Imperial coinage of Theodosius I, AV Solidus: 4.65 gm, 21 mm, 6 h. Imitating a Milan mint issue.

The coin pictured below is an earlier Germanic imitation of a Zeno solidus I had NGC slab for me.