As the title says - I'm trying to discern the nature, origin, and authenticity of this coin I was given. I've been directed here from the Introductions thread. I've done a fair amount of research and it obviously resembles something of old Mediterranean origin, but I am leaning towards it being some kind of knockoff or hobo/ hobby coin. Thanks in advance!
It is definitely very ugly. I could only find a closeness to what looks like a "bull" on the reverse; Turns out what I thought looked "close" (read: not even close) to it was the Kymes Cup on the reverse of other coins from that era. It does not resemble the jug/ cup, though; it resembles some kind of funky livestock. The poor obverse looks like an alien being with a crown on its head... strange, indeed. I think for now I'm going to continue in my assumption that it's some kind of fake or as you said homemade/ handmade something or other... I'll throw it on my buddy's Sigma to see if it reads silver or what. It's an odd weight in hand. Thanks for the input!
The letters that are stamped into it appear to be from a metal hand punch. That means that this is most likely modern.
Creator of the OP ....whatever it may be called, was close to a bucranium TROAS, ASSOS AE10 OBVERSE: Helmeted head of Athena left REVERSE: AΣ-ΣI, Bucranium Struck at Assos 400-300 BC 1.18 g, 10.2 mm SNG Cop 241; BMC 8 PHILIP II AE17 OBVERSE: Apollo facing right with tania binding hair REVERSE: Youth naked on horseback - Filippos (in Greek) above, symbol -bucranium (skull of an ox) - underneath. Struck at Macedonia 359-336 BC 6g, 17mm SNG ANS #850-851; Le Rider #24; Sear 6698v; Bellinger 20
That looks like the closest actual coin to what they were attempting to imitate, or recreate... certainly not a good copy but interesting nonetheless. Thanks to you and all for the feedback! Another interesting one for the top drawer!
I thought this as well, so I got a bit closer, and realized the letters are actually raised/ extruded (relieved?)... they still appear odd on this particular piece, but I'm uploading some better photos here since my curiosity is piqued...
Huh. That means that it would have had to have been struck with dies. Drop the coin on a hard surface, do you hear a high ping or more of a low thud?
No ping whatsoever. Thud, and bounces pretty high off my desk from a dead drop. Doesn't show silver as low as I can get it on the Sigma.
My best guess is that the coin is just a novelty that someone made in their garage. A determined person can fairly easily take two cylinders of steel and crudely carve a design into it. Then those dies were used to strike the coin.
That certainly seems to be a possibility. It's such an awful looking character and the horned creature is very crude. What a horrendous thing!
