These popped up at an auction house I frequent, and I am wondering if they are authentic. They both look good to me, but I do not trust myself with authenticating these coins. Thanks!
Dubious. The larger tetradrachm looks very dubious to me. The devices look softly defined, like a cast piece. But I suppose it could just be heavily worn. Still, it just looks "off" to me, and I'm afraid I can't say anything more definitive than that. The Corinthian stater I'm also not sure about. Also a bit dubious about it, though like the bigger tet, I can't outright condemn it, either. Looks a bit "off" as well, though that could just be surface issues? I shall defer to those with more knowledge. I have a Corinthian stater for comparison.
The softness of the devices on the tet made me wonder as well. But it is also very worn, so I was unsure.
There appears to be some letters at the bottom of the Corinthian stater that I’ve never seen before. I think that just about qualifies it as a fake.
OP, especially the tet is a classic cast fake. Not trying to be mean, but I suggest spending time to educate yourself a little more. Most of us here would spend half a second to know that is a cast fake. They are very numerous in the hobby. An ancient collector can waste a lot of time wondering if all such things might be real. I probably have 80 in a black box I have received in group lots, (I knew they were fake when I bought the lot). Counterfeit detection unfortunately is a crucial part of this hobby. I was not very good at it when I started either. I suggest reading all you can here or other places online like Forum.
So are there any good books that would help in identifying ancient fakes? I especially would be interested in seeing a comparison between a real and a cast coin.
Save yourself the money and search around and enlighten yourself here. http://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/index.php?cat=5 It's helped me numerous times. I just edited it so the link takes you straight to: how to spot fakes
You're very welcome! It is always being updated, unlike purchasing a book, so as new fakes hit the market, BOOM, you know what to look out for. Whenever I make an expensive (relative term I know) purchase I check the fake list.
I know you were not trying to be mean, and indeed you were perhaps tying to be helpful, but your post came off sounding rather patronizing. Consider that asking a question like the one in the OP is in fact part of that learning process. Not everyone knows what books to buy or where to go for information. I'm not trying to be mean, but I have found that many collectors of ancient coins come off sounding like stuffed shirts sometimes, even though they're usually trying to be helpful. I think it has something to do with the academic, scholarly mindset. Which certainly isn't a bad thing- but it can make one seen unapproachable, or as though one is pontificating.
I was trying to reiterate the need for education. If an ancient collector has to consider the authenticity of that tet, I can guarantee they will buy many better fakes. I gave forum as a resource for him to learn more. I didn't think I was being better than thou, and wish others had given me that advice when I started. Sorry if it came across differently.
I didn’t get a negative vibe from @medoraman ’s post. It just reaffirmed my need to trust my gut when it comes to these coins (the color does not look like silver and the details are all mushy) and to not try to convince myself that they could be genuine (thinking the negative signs I see could be the result of wear/bad pictures). All of us have moments where we just simply think/say that a fake is so obvious and how could the person even possibly consider it to be genuine, even though it may not be obvious to that person. I know I have done it with ancient Chinese coins (namely the “missionary fakes”) and modern Chinese fakes of US coins. But in the end, I got an answer to my questin and I will no longer be pursuing this lot.
