Hey i found yet another ancient coin at the local pawn shop. The owner lets me do research and allows me to take a picture. So I figured I would show you guys here on the forum. It seems to be an Ancient Greek tetradrachm in very good condition. The owner wants about 2000 dollars for it but I don't know anything about it. Here it is. Thanks in advance
Just because it is nice doesn't make it fake... It looks like it was cast from a very nice coin... Just look at Ancient Joe's coin on this page... http://www.cointalk.com/t229218/
Hello all, new to the board, just thought I would chime in real quick on this.... Windchild, if the coin looks like it was cast from anything, good or not, that in itself would make it a fake. No ancient coins were cast, they were pressed. Forvm has an extensive library of fakes, Dionysos did some research, found the identical fake, so even if it is a nice coin... it is a fake! No 2 ancient coins are identical, so if ever you find two that are exactly the same, you know they are not authentic. Here are a few authentic coins of this type...
You misunderstood. I meant that it isn't fake because it is really nice, but because it was cast. That is incorrect... Look at Stevex6's recent post. I know... You might want to think that you misread or read what I posted above (3rd post) before posting this...
Windchild, I most definitely misunderstood. Your one post without taking reference to the earlier one made it sound like you were defending the possibility that it could be authentic, and that it should not be condemned based on that fact that it looked to good, "Just because it is nice doesn't make it fake..." Your link was to another board members VERY nice coin (and thats an understatement.... BEAUTIFUL COIN!!!) adding credibility to what I assumed was your argument that the coin could be authentic... My apologize, not the best way to introduce myself on the board... I think we can all agree though, the coin the op posted is a fake!
Welcome Jiminey. Yeah, I think you misunderstood WC. No harm, no foul. The OP coin is most definitely fake and WC was just trying to explain the fact that just because a coin looks good doesn't make it a fake. Looking forward to more posts from you. Once again, welcome.
For the record, I fail to see evidence that the OP coin is a cast. Certainly it is a fake but the style strikes me as out of the spirit of the period suggesting that the item was made from original, modern artwork. That could be fake dies or a cast from a master that was no more ancient than the children it produced. It is not all that unusual for fakes of this general quality to be available in a variety of metals. You might find the same thing in tin and gold. When you are in the business of making fakes, there is no reason not to produce what your customers desire. Also for the record, this coin is a perfect example of why we always tell people new to the hobby to buy only from sellers both honest and knowledgeable. Your Pawn shop dealer may be one or the other but no one beyond an elementary level of study could possibly believe the item shown is a $2000 coin. I find it distressing that there are enough people with $2000 to throw away that a seller can make a living feeding their demand to be cheated. If this coin walked into a knowledgeable and honest pawn shop, the owner would have to make some effort to, as they do on TV, call in an 'expert'. Even our relatively new to the business experts smelled this one. I have no idea whether your seller is lacking in knowledge or in scruples but it makes no real difference. When you are paying full retail, you deserve full service. When you are paying 10% of full retail, you deserve honesty at least. Buy your coins elsewhere.
Agreed. Buying from someone who appears to be honest like this pawn shop, but not knowledgable, can be dangerous. Even posting pics cannot be foolproof. In this case we can tell by style, (look at horse's head for example), but some fakes can be very well done and need to be examined in hand. If this seller has this coin, it makes me very nervous about any other ancient in his store. One thing about fakes, they seem to love company. I have almost never seen only ONE fake in a seller's case, you know what I mean? Btw, I still think your Sassanid is fine.
