Another forum has a very disturbing post by a member who attended NYINC and saw a Caesar Elephant which had two palm trees in place of the snake. This is a known fake but the dealer there insisted that the poster was wrong and needed to look up this rare variation. We all know there are uneducated and crooked dealers in every venue but this is just a reminder that paying over $1000 for a table at a big show does not mean you are a good source for coins.
That sucks ... man, I hate hearing about fakes (that is probably the weakest part of our great hobby) ... ... oh well, I guess that's why it is so important to have info-groups like ours, eh? ... plus, it is vital to know enough about ancient coins and/or to only buy coins from trustworthy sellers (ummm, who hopefully know their trade)
Thats pretty bad, only goes to show that you really need to know what you're buying even at a large venue.
I really have mixed feelings about this. The coin here in question is not a terribly deceptive fake and is listed in the easily accessible fake lists. People who knowingly sell such garbage as real are crooks. People who buy coins for $1000 or $100 (or $10?) need to assume a little responsibility for protecting themselves. One way of doing this would be to study up on coins before you start spending big money on them. Another way is to be careful who you buy from. We do not know if that coin left the show with the same person who brought it or if it went home with a victim of the seller and his own foolishness. Have I made similar mistakes. Yes (but not that big since I don't own a coin as expensive as that fake). Perhaps we should thank the seller for teaching us a lesson in safe coin buying??? I'll not go that far.
