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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;dougsmit, post: 2317545, member: 19463&quot;]In my opinion the Probus is the lesser of the two because it is the kind of coin that you could have found nicer for very little more.&nbsp; The Balban is a nice looking coin with good looking metal.&nbsp; Compare it to my brassy billon below.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]467893[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Mine has a little better centering on one side but patchy surfaces.&nbsp; Tye (<b>Jitals</b> - the reference for these) says these are 9% silver suggesting to me that they must have been silver washed explaining your great surfaces and my peeling patches.&nbsp; I paid $9 for mine; yours is worth the extra at the very least.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Martin&#039;s matching Probus would have been a (very, very) lot more than $10!&nbsp; What you did wrong here was to buy from a dealer who knew no more about the coins than you did.&nbsp; Both were incorrectly identified.&nbsp; A dealer not being able to identify the Probus would not be in a position to be able to say if it were genuine.&nbsp; The Balban would be harder for most people because fewer collect that time and place.&nbsp; I no longer feel good saying a coin is genuine or not just from a photo.&nbsp; That is why we suggest beginners (at least) buy from a trusted and knowledgeable seller.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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