The OP was for sale on ebay by a seller on the Forvm NFSL in October 2021. Everything for sale by him was a cast fake and often a cast fake from known modern dies. These dies have been used to make fakes which have also then been cast. Same reverse die used on various other fakes As to the coin being the same coin. If it has made it's way from Bulgaria (actual location of seller) purporting to be in Ireland (ebay identified location of seller) to Octago in NZ does not change the fact that it is a fake.
Sometimes people have a really hard time believing that their coins are fake, despite all the evidence. It's embarrassing to accept. But we can all be fooled, and most of us have. The only Mark Antony legionary denarius I ever bought, from a reputable dealer (Frank Robinson) turned out to be fake as well. Fortunately, he readily accepted the return and refunded my payment, as any reputable dealer should. I've been very wary of trying to buy another legionary denarius ever since. They must be among the most faked of all ancient coins. The OP should simply chalk it up to experience, and hope that the seller issues a refund.
True, but the only people who should be embarrassed are the dealer who sold the coin (hopefully in ignorance) and the forger who made the coin. I dare to say that there is no serious collector who hasn't been fooled by a fake. I just hope he gets his money back.
I am having a hard time reading this awkward thread. This thread should have ended at the time that it was pointed out that the coin is on the fake list. But instead it appears that this person is doubling down on their mistake and saying this obvious fake isn't obviously a fake. Either they are selling something or...
I hope that he asks for it back. But it sounds like he still thinks this a legit coin and is arguing about it with professionals trying to help him understand it is a forgery.
I don't doubt that the above coin is genuine, but how do you actually know that? I mean there is hardly anything left of the design. If I was a forger I would produce tons of highly worn fakes, which should be really hard to call out.
I bought it from a reputable dealer (John Anthony) who was selling it as a worn example of the type. These coins circulated well into Imperial times. I don't doubt its authenticity but I suppose anything is possible. Edit: Actually had another example in my old collection which I sold off in the early 90s. That one was purchased from the noted numismatist Frank L. Kovacs.
Lanz has sold a bunch of these legionary denarii in the past - almost identical style - which are fakes. I posted them on CT a while back.
Photos attached of my coin. Would appreciate your comments. If this coin is fake then I am truly indebted to you. However, I do have a bit of an emotional investment in this coin and must be sure before sending it back.
Previous CT posts - coins do not exactly match the OP's, although I remember others of the same style being sold by Lanz in the past 12 months. Unfortunately I didn't take screenshots at the time as this is not my collecting area. Note that fakes can be struck and are not always cast. More recent fakes have even had the metal distressed to look convincingly ancient. I would be wary of any of these types of coins from suspect dealers or with a price tag that looks too good to be true. Caveat emptor. https://www.cointalk.com/threads/new-fakes-part-3-mark-antony-times-7.384110/#post-7790643 https://www.cointalk.com/threads/legion-coin-antony-on-ebay-opinions.382116/#post-7675482 https://www.cointalk.com/threads/more-fakes-for-sale.380284/
There is no way to be certain from an image alone. However: 1. The surfaces or fields really look problematic to me. They look like what a cast coin would exhibit. It certainly doesn't look hammered (or struck) 2. The edges look very wrong to me too. 3. Apparently it was sold by numismatic.888, a seller on Forvm's NFSL It looks like the seller didn't mention the weight of the coin on his website. Most of the active listings don't either. To me, that is a sign that he doesn't specialise in ancients. Nothing wrong with that, just that the relevant expertise may not be there. On balance I really don't think the coin is genuine. You wrote that the coin doesn't exhibit the characteristics of casts. What are those?
As I said, I don't doubt your coin at all. However, given the prevalence of dangerous fakes, I find it impossible to authenticate a worn example, which doesn't of course mean that others probably can authenticate them.
For what its worth, I think the coin is a forgery. It probably comes from the source as the Lanz-group. In any case, given the lingering doubt, you will probably never be able to really enjoy it. I would definitely send it back. You have all the evidence needed to get a full refund.
