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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;gsimonel, post: 2937200, member: 82549&quot;]Corrosion like was probably on the OP coin before it was zapped can do all kinds of bizarre alterations to lettering, but it can&#039;t move it so far off center as it appears in the photo. It is possible that the coin is a contemporary, barbarous imitation. </p><p><br /></p><p>I can think of no reason why a modern forger would make a coin like that, however. Coins of Germanicus are not particularly valuable (as compared to, say, Britannicus) to begin with. In this condition, there would be little profit realized for the effort.</p><p><br /></p><p>As for the &quot;sand-patina&quot; dealers, don&#039;t assume that the coins themselves are fake. Most of the ones I&#039;ve seen are legitimate. Sometimes the fake patinas cover up problems in the surface, but usually it&#039;s just to enhance the coin&#039;s appearance and hence, its value. Personally, I think it&#039;s no more or less ethical than any other artificial patina. I dislike them all. Others don&#039;t mind them.</p><p><br /></p><p>But in the interest of full disclosure, when I photograph a coin I first brush it with a silver-bristled brush. This add a slight sheen to the coin that makes the details stand out a little better in the photos. Technically, that microscopic layer of silver is not part of the original coin. Is this an artificial patina, too?[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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