Hi gang! I came across this coin in a lot of coins I bought. I think it's a drachm... 3.8g and 15.3mm... but as most of you guys know I'm pretty new to these ancients. The question I have is do we think it's a genuine piece? I want to have some experienced eyes take a look at it before I sell it. Thanks! Matt
I don't think it's good. All the Itanos pieces (staters, drachms, even hemidrachms) have the reverse struck in a very shallow incuse. Yours does not. There was, however, one example on Coinarchives like yours: Kunker 136, lot 152 (= Hirsch 249, 1393), but it went unsold in its second appearance. To conclude, I strongly feel it is a fake, but a very good one that would certainly slip past me, where I not looking closely.
I have suggested this before and I'm sure no one wants to hear it but this is the sort of coin that should be sold through a specialist in ancients (Berk, CNG) if it is genuine simply because that it should bring enough more through them to offset their cut. If you have walk in customers in Indianapolis willing to spend the cost of this coin ($300+???) it would be worth getting a Sear certificate. It would fool me but I would not pay anything approaching its worth in a coin shop that also sells state quarters. What do they charge if you consign a coin that they reject for authenticity?
