I recently came across a fourree listing on eBay: MYSIA, PARION, 4th.century BC. AR Fouree Hemidrachm (13mm, 1.6g.). / OBV; Gorgoneion. REV; Blank SNG Ashmolean –; SNG BN –; SNG von Aulock –; BM –; CNG Inventory 974364. VF, ancient forgery fouree coin. Looks much, much better on hand!!! Authenticity Guaranteed 100% +++ Sure it looked really bad in the pictures, the gorgon side was not VF, and the other side was completely obliterated by corrosion. But hey, it ‘looks much, much better on hand!!!’ Three exclamation marks! Besides, the authenticity was guaranteed more than 100%! The price was too good to be true, so naturally I bid on it. Imagine my luck, I was the only bidder! Yes! The next day I received an email from the seller. It was written by someone for whom English was a second language, not unlike the instructions you get with Alibaba purchases. Darn it, but wouldn’t you know that my particular item was not with the seller in Norway! Fortunately, it was safe and sound in Bulgaria. Whew! The seller explained: “Because of the new heavy prices in Norway for registered mail and tracking number mostly of my items are waiting on stock in Bulgaria, where I'm buying them from. In that reason your item will be shipped from Bulgaria with registered mail and tracking number in secure reasons.” With that reassurance, the seller wanted to know if it would be all right if my item shipped from Bulgaria. Of course, I said, what could possibly be wrong with an ancient coin from Bulgaria? My anticipation built as the weeks passed. Then one day a package arrived. The return address was Bulgaria! My coin was here! Eagerly I tore it open and inside was a little red box covered in Chinese characters. I opened it to find my coin. Photography is an art — you hire professionals to photograph a wedding after all — so I understand why my coin might look completely different than the listing photos. Also, we all would agree that much, much better in hand!!! could mean much, much worse in hand!!! Right? Oh yea, does anyone know why silver would turn to base metal? Does alchemy happen often with ancient coins? In the end my $20 bought me a Chinese fake of an ancient fake, sold by a fake seller in a fake location using a fake listing with fake photos. But that’s OK, the price was a bargain.
I have two Parion hemidrachms but neither is fourree. Both came with no drama but one has a bull. Considering your story, I am not sure which is closer to your coin, bull or no bull. Education can be very expensive but yours came at a bargain. Lucky are those here who learn at your expense. I might add that the type without a bull is currently available from a dealer who posts here but I don't know what you would call a bargain. I doubt he has any fourree ones, though.
When you get to the point that you're buying a fake of a fake, it's time to seek professional help. You've come to the right place. The first step towards fixing a problem is recognizing there is one. I'm glad you reached that point before you started buying a fake of a fake of a fake. Ancient coins is a fun and rewarding hobby, but it is also one that demands a lot of patience and education. We are here to help you in any way we can, and I look forward to seeing you progress along your journey through ancient coin collecting.
I’ve been collecting for a long time and lurking on this site for several years, but I had to create an account to share this story. I agree, Sallent, I may need professional help, but once I started down the rabbit hole I had to see where it led me. Exactly where everyone on here would have predicted, I imagine.
My “coin” has no reverse, but as you say plenty of bull nonetheless. Sorry for the poor quality photos.
I know who it is . . . I refused his trickery and told him I wanted no part of any coin coming from Bulgaria. Thankfully, I'm now on his blocked bidder list. -d
Welcome to CoinTalk Ancients, @Silverlock! Funny story-- you told it well . I'm not convinced it is a modern creation. I guess it's not impossible to purposefully fake a fourree though and I've almost given up asking "why" in such matters .
there are some entertaining sellers on ebay.. i've bought snake oil a time or two just because the story was worth it..
