I have looked on wildwinds and I can not find exactly what it is. Can someone in cointalk land please help me. The pictures arent the greatest a little too dark. Thanks Tom
I believe this is the correct information: KINGS of MACEDON. Alexander III. 336-323 BC. AR Tetradrachm / Pamphylia, Asia Minor / Aspendos mint. Dated year 24. Head of Herakles right, wearing lion's skin headdress / Zeus seated left, holding eagle and sceptre; AS above KD (date) in left field, eagle below throne. Price #2903 The first two mint marks in the reverse left field, alpha and sigma, stand for the first two letters of Aspendos. The two letters underneath this are year dates for the coin K D - year 24 ?189/188? (not sure about this). The first year of this local era is thought to correspond to the defeat of the Seleukid general Achaeus and the beginning of a period of autonomy for Aspendos.
If it is as I have identified it, and it is authentic. I wouldnt comment on authenticity but to say they are highly faked coins though I have never seen a fake reported from this mint (which isnt saying much), 150-200 USD more or less? Someone else might be able to be more specific for the going rate. this one: which has been counter marked sold in 2002 for 90 USD so you can be the judge. Yours seems to be in better shape.
The reverse makes me a little nervous. I seem to be seeing the telltale pockmarks of casting, rather than the flow lines of a strike. Can you try to get a better picture?
didn't you 2 ancient guys tell me to look at the edge for a parting line of some sort? I looked at my Tetradrachm AOE and immeadiatly saw it.....was a replica
yeah, you can look for an edge seam from a casting where the two sides of the cast meet, maybe file marks (might be very slight) where they might have attempted to file off the seam. The surface did make me question as well as the mouth area...I just dont want to make a judgement if I am not sure which I am not...
There is absoulutely No parting or casting lines. The picture was a horrible one. Sorry about that. I will try for some better photos later. I am about 99.9% sure this is original. This coin came out of a collection from a well respected ancient collector here in missouri. Tom
I have been thinking about this coin. I seldom like to say for sure that a coin is fake unless I am 100% but it just looks like a cast. I decided to show it around to some people who know ancients and are very knowledgeable about fakes in that area. I did not say what I thought, just asked what they think of the coin. Most answered the same as this one (though possibly less brash ): It looks like cast crap to me. Your coin has the following signs of casting 1) Obverse - look carefully at the lion mane - there seems to be missing low level relief between the tufts of hair. I also do not like the zone between the lips 2) Obverse - there is a lot of pitting and roughness. 3) Reverse - again missing low level relief on the eagle, Zeus' torso and the tops of the legend is very rounded 4) Reverse - extensive pitting This is not conclusive, but it is very dubious from the images. I was somewhat able to forgive the pitting as this can happen to old silver for various reasons and I cannot see the surface real close to see if it is the type of pitting one would get from a cast. But it is in such fantastic condition, one would not expect to see such pitting and corrosion from such a great example. Also the mane I was able to forgive because time and pressure while buried or what not could possbly be a reason for the problems. Then again...the reverse details are SO STRONG as if there is little to no wear at all...so why would it not have strong details on the smaller elemants like the eagle. But as I said before...the lips bother me the most. If you look at the genuine example and then yours...you will see that yours has what one might called a bridge between the upper and bottom lip while on the other example, it goes much deeper between the lips as it should. The lows aren't going low enough on yours (in many places but more pronounced on the lips) which is a sign of a casting not letting metal flow into deep crevasses. Not only that but the genuine example has pitting, very uneven and sporadic like one would expect. Like he said above...not 100% sure but I think it is a cast.
