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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;dougsmit, post: 1972298, member: 19463&quot;]Ancient coins are probably more like handwriting than they are like modern coins.&nbsp; They are all different but there is a style or pattern of similarities more than exact matches.&nbsp; After dealing with a series for a while we tend to recognize &#039;the look&#039;.&nbsp; Of course, there is the second problem of fakes being made by casting from molds made from original coins.&nbsp; That requires becoming familiar with tell-tale signs of casts.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>All this is why we always suggest buying coins from trusted dealers who are not only honest but able to look at coins and weed out at least most of the bad ones.&nbsp; After a while, we all start to think we can do it ourselves and start risking purchases from less certain sources (eBay, flea markets, other collectors, coin stores run by people who don&#039;t know ancients etc.) but we still recommend you use the trusted expert when buying something outside your comfort zone in terms of price or type of coin.&nbsp; For example, I have collected denarii of Septimius Severus for a long time and have handled thousands of them.&nbsp; These, I buy pretty much independently.&nbsp;&nbsp; However, if I were to decide I needed a gold coin of the Byzantine period, I would buy it from someone known to me as a good source.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>After all that:&nbsp; Ancients are not a good hobby for those who are completely unwilling to accept a little doubt or a little risk.&nbsp; There are a few coins that are in a bit of doubt with experts divided on their status.&nbsp; Experts have been know to be shown to be wrong enough times that people with no stomach for the situation might be better to collect something else (What? - I have no idea!).[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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