Interesting Lots, New Dealer at the V Mall

Got an email announcing a new dealer at the V mall. Checked out the inventory, including these three below. I don't collect Romans and, so, would curious to hear opinions from those of you who specialize in them.

The flatness of the fields (as if pressed), the bright silver (with apparent high silver content for provincial tets), the similarity of lettering (and placement of the epsilon-AVT-dot-KAI on the Caracalla from Antioch and the Septimius from Laodicea ad Mare), and the overall lack of wear, all gave me some pause - and had me eyeing the Code of Ethics seal on the pages.

Kosher but overcleaned? Or just wrong? Two are listed as sold already. The new dealer's pics and descriptions, below.


Septimius Severus
AR – Tetradrachm
Mint: Laodicia ad Mare
Ref: Prieur 1163
Weight: 11.59 gm.
Condition: Obv: XF / Rev: XF


Lot RO52
Caracalla
AR - Tetradrachm
Date: AD 208-212
Mint: Antioch
Weight 12.95
Ref: Mcalee 670
Condition: Obv:XF - Rev: XF
Rare Portrait of Caracalla.


Macrinus
AR Tetradrachm
Mint: Carrhae
Ref: Prieur 824
Weight: 13.98 gm.
condition:
Rev: XF
Obv: XF

 

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I looked at them and thought they looked too "good" almost strange.

 

They look wrong to me, but it may be a result of my not collecting high end. If they are real, they are some of the best detailed AR coins I've seen.

 

If the appearance of the coins is immediately raising these questions, why bother? Plenty more dealers in the sea.
They look like high quality replicas to me.

 

They all look completely wrong to me, style-wise. Granted, I'm not a collector of these particular tets. I do however spend an embarrassing amount of time browsing coins

As mentioned, they also look pressed rather than struck.

 

Well, these are just dumb fakes. Flat out. What exactly is V Mall? Never heard of it.

 

Oh wow-- Bob meant Vcoins. These items are offered by a Vcoins dealer

Edited to add:

I browsed CNG's archives and the style of the OP coins seem in line with those I found. Still though... they don't look right to me

 

Here's a link to the one of them...https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/nu...adrachm__laodicea_ad_mare/856407/Default.aspx

 

I just checked. These dont show on Vcoins (unless someone already told them to take them down). I cant truly believe they could possibly show up on VCoins. I mean, say it isnt so?!

 

Only one is still there, the Septimius:

https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/nu...adrachm__laodicea_ad_mare/856407/Default.aspx

I guess the other two have sold (per Bob's initial post) and this seller doesn't show the sold coins.

The fabric of these coins just doesn't look right. Have you ever seen such bright and shiny tets from these areas? The images look like scans so that might account for some of the contrast-y glare, but...

 

If if you look in the 34 new items you can see the sold ones as well as that one.

 

Thanks for that tip, AA .

 

Caracalla



Macrinus

 

For comparison, from the Caracalla (Antioch) and Septimius Severus (Laodicea ad Mare):

 

The styles which seems so wrong to me are not wrong after all (examples from CNG's archives shown below the Vcoins tets)









I still have questions though.

 

Crap! I really dont look at other dealers listings on VCoins, but this should not have slipped through. I have no idea who that dealer is, just that they are in Belgium. To be honest, there was just a change of management on Vcoins. Zach Beasly, which I am sure many know, left to pursue a job with another company. So, I guess there is a vacuum. I will contact them right away. This cant be tolerated.

 

Sorry...was just trying to be coy and respectful with the "V mall"

 

Tif, what about the silver content, though? The examples you posted sure look like there is some debasement...

 

Yeah... the more I look at the similar CNG coins the more problems I see with the Vcoins coins, even allowing for a misleading image due to scan/photo technique.

 

Their store does not list anyones name or address, just an email address.

I never even think of buying from someone who does not list their name, and there are multiple vcoins stores like that. I complained to vcoins about it and was totally ignored.

The price of these awful fakes is another giveaway. $300 for the sharpest and freshest looking Roman tet ever seen? Right...