More fun with fourees: can anyone identify this?

Picked this up in a group lot this weekend. It seems to have a portrait on both sides. I want to say it is Caesar or Augustus on the obverse but that is probably wishful thinking.

I am afraid to try to clean it to make it more legible.



What do you all think it could be?

Thanks...John

 

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Looks like Mark Antony.

Dont clean it, may incur bronze disease on the exposed parts.

 

I think it's Marc Antony and Octavian 517/2

 

I think you are right Carthago, nice work!

I will leave it uncleaned to be sure not to damage it.

Would a fouree of this type be fairly common?

 

It's certainly far less common than the authentic issue. Yes, I'd leave it alone as the silver plating looks fragile.

 

Nice find! But definitely leave it be - it looks too fragile for cleaning. And be sure to keep it in a dry environment. Fourees are always in danger of BD because of the exposed core.

 

That's so INTERESTING!!! A Mark Anthony fourree Cool!!!

And, it sounds like a bargain if it was part of a mixed lot... Congrats!!!

 

I think it cost me a net $20 in the group it was in...

I love Fourees because I feel there must be an interesting story behind them.

 

Try this @Theodosius :

http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/fourree.html

This link ought to help you understand and appreciate them a bit more.....and who better to discuss it than our own Doug Smith!!!

 

It is a very common fourree. Experts will tell you that all fourrees were counterfeits but there are certain types that are common enough that I wonder if the official issue might not have been 'diluted' a bit OR there is always the possibility that political opponents might have issued them to make Antony look like a crook. There are several other common Antony fourrees and the entire Imperatorial period is such that buyers of big money coins should always be on guard for the possibility even though they are not as obvious as ours are.

 

I like how fourees are just as collectible as the real thing.

 

Before I joined this forum, I had never heard of fourees! You can always learn!

 

There is currently a fad allowing them to be collected. When I bought most of mine they were considered untouchable to the point that there was a story of a major UK dealer who had three EID MAR fourrees in a drawer but would not sell them in fear of his reputation. Who knows whether the ones we see being bought today will be considered special in a few years or we will go back to considering them awful trash. Fads work that way. I am neither buying nor selling them today but I enjoy the ones I have.

 

Cool addition, Theo ... I love the two fourrees that I've purchased recently, but I doubt I'll buy too many more (Doug is usually correct, so I don't think I'll start collecting fourrees with a passion, but it sure is cool to have a couple in my collection just to show people an "ancient counterfeit" ... know what I mean?)

=> again, that's a super cool OP example (congrats)

 

A very neat Marc Antony fourrée! It would seem that some counterfeiters were just more efficient and skilful than others, which might perhaps explain why some of these are more plentiful than not.

Congrats on a neat find!

 

Nice find.

 

I see some fourees offered for sale for $500+ (for nice ones with most of the silver intact) which I would be afraid to pay.

Most of the ones I have were $10-30.

They were made in ancient times by shady characters (bonus) which makes them collectible to me. I think they are less common than the types they imitate for the most part.

 

Fourrees of Claudian denarii sell for hundreds of dollars. I would guess that one reason is that real denarii of Claudius are so scarce.

 

Received some new fourrees today. This lot of 6 cost $67.

Trying to figure out what types the republican ones are imitating.

A holed and mauled RR denarius fourree. I wonder if this was holed to determine if it was good or not?



Another RR denarius fourree. This has active bronze disease I need to kill. It has little if any silvering left.



A Domitian fourree. This one has large boils pushing the silver up in round lumps. Maybe the bronze underneath is corroding and expanding?



Marcus Aurelius?



Septimus Severus fourree.



Severus Alexander fourree.



Post your fourrees or the real denarius versions of these!

John

 

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