Is this Roman coin "too new to be true"?

Is this Constantius II? coin "too new to be true"? It's hard to believe that a coin that is almost 1700 years old could be in such great shape.

Any thoughts? Have you ever seen any coins like this one in this shape?

 

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Nothing wrong here. These coins are regularly seen in good shape.

 

Yes Constantine II (....IVN CAES stands for Junior Caesar)
Looks perfectly legit to me

Q

 

It looks good to me as well. These coins were produced in huge, huge numbers and are routinely found in hoards in as close to mint state as an ancient coin can be.

 

Perfectly authentic. Well-struck, well-preserved ancient coins are not at all uncommon. As Martin indicates, this series in particular exhibits many EF examples. Here are a few of my ancients that may appear "too new to be true"...

 

Minted in Rome around A.D. 321. Reference RIC VII Rome 236 rated as a common coin.

Here is another example for comparison.

 

I agree. Heck, I bought a few London mint examples a few months ago looking just like your coin OP. BTW, the reverse is upside down.

 

Real, attractive and the son of Constantine the Great...

Here's an example of how terrific they can look ...I missed this type at auction---Constantine I (The Great):

 

That's great to hear! Thanks guys!

 

These are regularly found in good shape. Congrats. Isn't it a marvel that a coin so old can be had at reasonable prices and in good shape?

 

Yes, indeed!

 

A couple nice late Roman bronzes (LRB) to share:

 

I can understand the OP's point. Many people on this forum have drop-dead gorgeous coins and when I look on fee-bay, I see some dreck.

 

I've never bought an ancient off eBay. Almost all were here.

 

A wise person (wiser than me).

 

+1

 

I actually just purchased these two recently to see if I could clean them up ($1 each)

 

"Some" is an understatement. I've gotta wonder why sellers even bother posting much of what I see as coins that could safely be thrown in the trash, with no loss whatsoever.

 

"Hope springs eternal"

 

What people new to the hobby generally fail to realize is that these things (ancient coins) exist in a million variations with anywhere from one unique specimen to a few million examples of each surviving. Perfect specimens of rare types can cost a lot while ratty examples of the most common are next to worthless. Some of us will only own coins perfect in every way while others of us are happy with nice examples. The real junkers of the common types are generally sold to people who believe anything that old has to look bad. In most cases, only a fraction of a percent will be as good looking as yours but when you start with millions, there will probably be a mix. When dealing with a type that exists only in a few coins, all can be nice or all can be awful. There are types where the best example is less than Fine. We suggest new collectors buy from people they trust not to tell them they are buying a perfect rarity when they actually have an average condition common item (or, worse, a fake). You have a nice coin but the surfaces are not perfect. If it were a Lincoln cent and you sent it to a TPG what would they say? Few of us own a coin that would be graded without a 'details' or other modifier. They do exist. The expectations for ancients are different but they cover the same range from perfect to poor. Being poor does not make a coin genuine. There are people who make a living 'aging' new fakes and selling them to the unwary. Hang around here and look at a few thousand coins shown by members. I suspect you will be amazed at the variety.