Another Day, Another Denarius (Elephant Caesar, real or..?)

Was snooping around eBay and MA Shops recently and saw a dual-post for a Caesar Elephant. It has since been bought, but it has many pictures available.

Here is a link to the original eBay listing. The weight looks about right, what are your thoughts? I am looking for some of the tells that distinguish it as a reproduction (aside from the suspicious price).

If the link or photos don't work I will go in and repost them here full-size.

Thank you for your expertise!

Happy hunting!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1445208692...=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

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the seller is notorious for selling fakes.

I have had him on my fake seller's list for a couple of years

http://www.lateromanbronzecoinforum.com/index.php/topic,1218.0.html

 

That's a horrible forgery.

 

Yeah, I've always wanted a nice example, but I'm afraid of buying a forgery. This one would not entice me.

 

Me too, in fact sometimes I look for embedded coins in jewelry to carefully examine whether they used a real ancient instead of a repro.

The search continues!

 

Agree with all here that this is a fake. Strike is too fresh and sharp to be genuine. Also, coming from Serbia is a red flag. Making fake coins is a cottage industry in that area (Serbia, Yugoslavia etc).

 

I'm starting to think that the seller is a reprobate seller of fake coins...Oh My

 

The fact is, selling ancient coins from Serbia abroad is strictly forbidden by law, just like in Greece, Turkey and some other countries. Those who are still in that business are people breaking the law and thus not to be trusted by definition. I guess eBay can do more - such as remove sellers registered in Serbia from ancient and medieval coins categories, or at least have legal warning accompanying their listings. In that way, collectors and dealers outside Serbia would know that by buying an item they are breaking the country's law.

From my vantage point, I do not believe that Serbia is the main source of fake coins, especially high-end or those really dangerous. Even among the 'notorious fake seller' lists Serbian sellers are far from the most represented. On the other hand, there are many people who engage in metal detecting, and every year some of their best finds find their way to major auction houses in Europe, and many more genuine coins get dispersed locally or internationally.