Hello, I have some reservations about this coin. I don’t see any flow lines, and it appears of a different style than others I’ve seen... Am I being too picky or is it just in really good shape? Thanks, Jim
If I may use my favorite quote from the TV show Firefly: "You paid money for this, sir? On purpose?" This coin is fake. Fake fake fake fake fake fake fakety fake. The same goes for the alleged Menander coin you are showing in a different thread. The style is completely unlike anything original (that goes for both coins). You are also correct that this piece shows no flow lines, though that's less definitive- genuine ancient coins don't always show flow lines, especially if they are somewhat worn. But the style alone is damning enough; at that point, finding other issues is more of an academic exercise. I would suggest that you make a note to yourself of the name of the person trying to sell this, so that you remember to never buy coins from them again.
Big +1, nothing else to add. @James R, I commented on your fake Menander coin as well, I suggest you stay away from this seller and the other seller (if they are not the same). Also, I suggest you familiarize yourself with Ancient coinage, especially before buying gold coins. Gold coins are faked a lot, and I recommend you only buying them from trustable auction houses and dealers, not from ebay or some other uncontrolled market place.
Thank you, I haven’t paid for either coin...I was looking for honest responses. I appreciate your candor. Thanks again, Jim. Although, to some degree all coins were unslabbed at some point right? There must be some remaining in the world that deserve a good home, I guess just not these . Jim
None of my coins in my collection are slabbed, only 1 out of dozens were previously slabbed, all the other ones never, and I am sure all of my coins are genuine. It depends more on where you buy the coins from, the coins from trustable dealer/auction house are 99.9% of the time genuine. Also, please do not forget to look at the price, too good to be true is exactly what it is. These ancient gold coins are very expensive if genuine. Just take a look at your two examples. A Menander stater: CNG 102, Lot: 706. Estimate $50000. Sold for $60000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee. The Kushan coin: Sale: Triton XII, Lot: 428. Estimate $150000. Sold For $160000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.
Here's an idea: go to VCoins or Agora Auction's Archive and search for "Kushan" or "Menander" (or whatever else you are interested in). You will get some idea of what different coins are out there, what they look like, and what they typically cost. If you want to see only higher-grade examples, you can go to CNG's Research page and do the same thing.
