Hi all! I spotted this coin online recently, and it appears to be an aureus of Trajan. However, the striking looks strange, and the rim looks raised. It's being sold alongside definitely genuine coins (it's next to and about the same size as an antoninianus of Salonina). The person selling it mainly sells large lots of uncleaned coins Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
Thanks! I was wondering if that was just the light reflecting from the coin, or maybe the coin was just dirty. What do you make of the line across the bust?
Die cracks appear on real ancient coins, but the rest of this piece looks fake, especially if it’s supposed to be gold.
That is correct. It's possible that the mold was cracked or that the original coin--the one from which the mold was made--was stamped with a cracked die. BTW, here's an example of the aureus that the coin copies: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=3020597
Here is the Trajan version from the Forvm Fake reports and the same reverse die on some Hadrian fakes too