I saw this denarii on eBay of Nero and fell in love with it. I'm considering purchasing it but before I spend that kind of money, I need a second opinion. First question: is it real. Next question: is it a good buy? Here's the link: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Nero-denarius/113687221143?hash=item1a78495397:g:lZgAAOSwB-1YqLFK
I cannot tell you from the image if it is authentic or not, but I would suggest the weight is light which is not a good sign. Also, you can get an example of this coin on Vcoins, for at least half of what the Ebay seller is wanting. Some even as low as 1/3 of that cost.
you can try an see if it matches any of these fakes.... http://www.forgerynetwork.com/viewa...f2vYy3sF2SpMb5EMxrg==&srco=1&num=20&srchall=0
I would be concerned about the apparent (to me) "recent" chip on the reverse edge (bottom, about six o'clock). Do not be influenced by the sellers name (worthashot101)!
My personal observations about this coin: 1. At 2.8 g. it is 7% - 8% underweight compared to the lowest weight of similar coins that I find on ACSEARCH (about 3.07 g.) and as much as 15% underweight compared to the majority of similar coins (about 3.35 g.). 2. The flatness and texture of the metal, especially on the reverse, don't look like any of the authentic denarii that I own or have seen in person or even in pictures. 3. The relief of the devices seems out of scale relative to the sharpness of the detail, especially on the obverse. In my research, all other examples of this type that exhibit equal detail in Nero's hair appear to have much higher relief in his hair and all the devices. Here's my coin as an example (it's 3.53 g.): Authenticity is not my area of expertise, but at $648 it's not a gamble that I personally would be willing to take without independent verification by an expert.
As mentioned before by PlanoSteve there is a chip on about 6 o clock on reverse and under this chip it looks crystallized and this chip + crystallisation could possibly explain the lower weight.
