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Any specific reason to doubt the authenticity of this Apollonia Pontika Anchor/Gorgoneion Drachm?
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<p>[QUOTE="DonnaML, post: 4591319, member: 110350"]I am well aware that as common as genuine examples of the Apollonia Pontika AR drachms from the 5th and 4th centuries BCE may be -- both the ones with a gorgoneion/Medusa on one side, and the ones depicting Apollo -- they are notorious for the large numbers of fakes that have entered the market in the last couple of decades, particularly via the so-called "Black Sea Hoard" and "New York Hoard." But I've wanted one with a Medusa for some time, so I recently bought one from a reputable seller (London Ancient Coins) -- but only after looking at every single one of the many examples of fakes of these coins posted on "Dr. Ilya Prokopov's Fake Ancient Coin Reports" (<a href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/" rel="nofollow">http://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/</a>), to confirm that the coin I planned to buy didn't resemble any of them.</p><p><br /></p><p>I also studied the relevant articles, with images of both fakes and genuine examples, by Reid Goldsborough -- which I had to dig up from the Wayback Machine, because the old links don't work and the articles don't appear to be on his current website; see <i>Apollonia Pontika Drachms</i> (<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20141115000124/http://medusacoins.reidgold.com/apollonia.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://web.archive.org/web/20141115000124/http://medusacoins.reidgold.com/apollonia.html" rel="nofollow">https://web.archive.org/web/20141115000124/http://medusacoins.reidgold.com/apollonia.html</a>) and <i>Apollonia Pontika Fakes: "New York" Hoard </i>(<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20141114235344/http://medusacoins.reidgold.com/newyork.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://web.archive.org/web/20141114235344/http://medusacoins.reidgold.com/newyork.html" rel="nofollow">https://web.archive.org/web/20141114235344/http://medusacoins.reidgold.com/newyork.html</a>) -- and Ed Snible (see <i>Black Sea Hoard and other Apollonia diobol fakes</i>, at</p><p><a href="http://snible.org/coins/black_sea_hoard.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://snible.org/coins/black_sea_hoard.html" rel="nofollow">http://snible.org/coins/black_sea_hoard.html</a>). The coin I was interested in didn't resemble any of the fakes posted, or any of the genuine examples described as the kinds most commonly faked. To the contrary, I found at least one genuine type -- not described as commonly faked -- which my prospective purchase did resemble. (See below.) The diameter of the one I wanted was also within what seems to be the normal range for genuine examples; the weight is a little bit low, but not significantly so, I think.</p><p><br /></p><p>So I went ahead and took the plunge, and bought this one:</p><p><br /></p><p>Thrace, Apollonia Pontika, AR Drachm, ca. 450-400 BCE. Obv. Upright anchor with large flukes and curved stock; “A” [for Apollonia] to left and crayfish to right between flukes and stock / Rev. Facing gorgoneion (Medusa), wavy hair parted in middle, 16 open-mouthed snakes around head as additional hair or crown, puffy cheeks, mouth open, tongue protruding (but not extending below chin), all within shallow incuse. Goldsborough Type 3 [Goldsborough, Reid, <i>Apollonia Pontika Drachms</i> (see <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20141115000124/http:/medusacoins.reidgold.com/apollonia.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://web.archive.org/web/20141115000124/http:/medusacoins.reidgold.com/apollonia.html" rel="nofollow">https://web.archive.org/web/20141115000124/http://medusacoins.reidgold.com/apollonia.html</a>), Catalogue of Types]; Seaby 1655 <i>var. </i>(crayfish to left, A to right) [Sear, David, <i>Greek Coins and their Values, Vol. 1: Europe</i> (Seaby 1978)]; Topalov Nos. 41-42 [Topalov, Stavri, <i>Apollonia Pontika: Contribution to the Study of the Coin Minting of the City 6th - 1st c. B.C., Catalogue of Apollonia Coins, 7th-1st c. B.C. </i>(Sofia, 2007) (English Translation, Kindle edition)]; BMC 15 Mysia 2-4, 8 [Wroth, Warwick, <i>A Catalog of the Greek Coins in the British Museum, Vol. 15, Mysia</i> (London, 1892) at p. 8]; SNG.BM.159 [<i>Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Great Britain, Volume IX, British Museum, Part 1: The Black Sea</i> (London, 1993)] [online ID <a href="http://www.s391106508.websitehome.co.uk/PHP/SNG_PHP/04_03_Reply.php?Series=SNGuk&AccessionNo=0901_0249" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.s391106508.websitehome.co.uk/PHP/SNG_PHP/04_03_Reply.php?Series=SNGuk&AccessionNo=0901_0249" rel="nofollow"><b>SNGuk_0901_0159</b></a> ]; see also id. Nos. 154-158. 14 mm., 2.96 g., 3 h.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1136883[/ATTACH]</p><p>Here's the image from Goldsborough's <i>Apollina Pontika</i> article of the type of gorgoneion or Medusa he classifies as "Type 3"; I do believe that it at least somewhat resembles the one on my coin:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1136885[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>For a contrast, here are Goldsborough's Types 1 and 2, which he describes as follows: "Types 1 and 2 are seen the most frequently, and these are the varieties that the New York Hoard forgeries are patterned after. These are the only varieties in which Medusa has a small head and dramatically puffed-out cheeks. With Types 6 to 16, Medusa's face is rounder and proportioned more like a human face. Types 3 to 5 depict Medusa with slightly puffed-out cheeks."</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1136889[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>As careful as I was, of course one can never be sure. So I thought I'd ask if any of you has any specific reason, based on the photos I'm posting here, to doubt the authenticity of my coin -- apart from whatever generalized suspicions you may have of all examples of this kind of coin![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="DonnaML, post: 4591319, member: 110350"]I am well aware that as common as genuine examples of the Apollonia Pontika AR drachms from the 5th and 4th centuries BCE may be -- both the ones with a gorgoneion/Medusa on one side, and the ones depicting Apollo -- they are notorious for the large numbers of fakes that have entered the market in the last couple of decades, particularly via the so-called "Black Sea Hoard" and "New York Hoard." But I've wanted one with a Medusa for some time, so I recently bought one from a reputable seller (London Ancient Coins) -- but only after looking at every single one of the many examples of fakes of these coins posted on "Dr. Ilya Prokopov's Fake Ancient Coin Reports" ([URL]http://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/[/URL]), to confirm that the coin I planned to buy didn't resemble any of them. I also studied the relevant articles, with images of both fakes and genuine examples, by Reid Goldsborough -- which I had to dig up from the Wayback Machine, because the old links don't work and the articles don't appear to be on his current website; see [I]Apollonia Pontika Drachms[/I] ([URL]https://web.archive.org/web/20141115000124/http://medusacoins.reidgold.com/apollonia.html[/URL]) and [I]Apollonia Pontika Fakes: "New York" Hoard [/I]([URL]https://web.archive.org/web/20141114235344/http://medusacoins.reidgold.com/newyork.html[/URL]) -- and Ed Snible (see [I]Black Sea Hoard and other Apollonia diobol fakes[/I], at [URL]http://snible.org/coins/black_sea_hoard.html[/URL]). The coin I was interested in didn't resemble any of the fakes posted, or any of the genuine examples described as the kinds most commonly faked. To the contrary, I found at least one genuine type -- not described as commonly faked -- which my prospective purchase did resemble. (See below.) The diameter of the one I wanted was also within what seems to be the normal range for genuine examples; the weight is a little bit low, but not significantly so, I think. So I went ahead and took the plunge, and bought this one: Thrace, Apollonia Pontika, AR Drachm, ca. 450-400 BCE. Obv. Upright anchor with large flukes and curved stock; “A” [for Apollonia] to left and crayfish to right between flukes and stock / Rev. Facing gorgoneion (Medusa), wavy hair parted in middle, 16 open-mouthed snakes around head as additional hair or crown, puffy cheeks, mouth open, tongue protruding (but not extending below chin), all within shallow incuse. Goldsborough Type 3 [Goldsborough, Reid, [I]Apollonia Pontika Drachms[/I] (see [URL='https://web.archive.org/web/20141115000124/http:/medusacoins.reidgold.com/apollonia.html']https://web.archive.org/web/20141115000124/http://medusacoins.reidgold.com/apollonia.html[/URL]), Catalogue of Types]; Seaby 1655 [I]var. [/I](crayfish to left, A to right) [Sear, David, [I]Greek Coins and their Values, Vol. 1: Europe[/I] (Seaby 1978)]; Topalov Nos. 41-42 [Topalov, Stavri, [I]Apollonia Pontika: Contribution to the Study of the Coin Minting of the City 6th - 1st c. B.C., Catalogue of Apollonia Coins, 7th-1st c. B.C. [/I](Sofia, 2007) (English Translation, Kindle edition)]; BMC 15 Mysia 2-4, 8 [Wroth, Warwick, [I]A Catalog of the Greek Coins in the British Museum, Vol. 15, Mysia[/I] (London, 1892) at p. 8]; SNG.BM.159 [[I]Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Great Britain, Volume IX, British Museum, Part 1: The Black Sea[/I] (London, 1993)] [online ID [URL='http://www.s391106508.websitehome.co.uk/PHP/SNG_PHP/04_03_Reply.php?Series=SNGuk&AccessionNo=0901_0249'][B]SNGuk_0901_0159[/B][/URL] ]; see also id. Nos. 154-158. 14 mm., 2.96 g., 3 h. [ATTACH=full]1136883[/ATTACH] Here's the image from Goldsborough's [I]Apollina Pontika[/I] article of the type of gorgoneion or Medusa he classifies as "Type 3"; I do believe that it at least somewhat resembles the one on my coin: [ATTACH=full]1136885[/ATTACH] For a contrast, here are Goldsborough's Types 1 and 2, which he describes as follows: "Types 1 and 2 are seen the most frequently, and these are the varieties that the New York Hoard forgeries are patterned after. These are the only varieties in which Medusa has a small head and dramatically puffed-out cheeks. With Types 6 to 16, Medusa's face is rounder and proportioned more like a human face. Types 3 to 5 depict Medusa with slightly puffed-out cheeks." [ATTACH=full]1136889[/ATTACH] As careful as I was, of course one can never be sure. So I thought I'd ask if any of you has any specific reason, based on the photos I'm posting here, to doubt the authenticity of my coin -- apart from whatever generalized suspicions you may have of all examples of this kind of coin![/QUOTE]
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Any specific reason to doubt the authenticity of this Apollonia Pontika Anchor/Gorgoneion Drachm?
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