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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;dougsmit, post: 684458, member: 19463&quot;]I see no reasonable doubt that the OP coin is anything but a modern fake. It appears to be silver plated but does not show the signs of the technique used to silver plate fake coins in that time so I would not suspect it of being an ancient fake. </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The reason the Tyre coins were acceptable for temple use was that that city had a reputation for purity of the silver in its coins. They did not debase to 90% or Sterling levels in the name of making a product that would wear well. They used good silver. Good silver wears in a specific way. This OP coin does not show that smooth kind of wear. The reddish areas seem to be where they would be if the coin were copper and plated. The coin shown in the PCGS holder is hard to see clearly because of the PCGS holder but could quite possibly be genuine. I would not accept the opinion of PCGS as &#039;gospel&#039; but I see nothing from the photo that suggests they were incorrect.&nbsp; I would say that David Vagi&#039;s work with NGC is more likely to be correct than other slab brands but you are not buying guaranteed correctness and more people who would buy a slabbed ancient might prefer a brand matching their US coins. </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>There is another point here that should be addressed. This coin, as was pointed out, is faked more often than any other ancient. There is a huge demand for them from Christian and Jewish collectors and Bible readers that have no interest in collecting coins in general. This situation is shared by Widow&#039;s Mites and Tribute Pennies but thos coins exist by the millions (perhaps billions when it comes to the Widow&#039;s Mites?). As common as they are, these two coins are often faked. Tyrian silver is not as common but the demand is there. What appears to be a good deal on one is most likely to be a fake. Coins that don&#039;t look very good at all bring over $300 while nice ones seem to be closer to $1000. It is not a coin to buy from anything but the most reputable and knowledgeable dealer.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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