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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Marsyas Mike, post: 4162628, member: 85693&quot;]This is an interesting situation.&nbsp; There are a ton of denarii on sale from the Ukraine on eBay, and there has been for the two or three years I&#039;ve been watching them.&nbsp; The question is, are they really ancients?</p><p><br /></p><p>I believe they are ancient.&nbsp; I have several <i>inexpert </i>reasons for believing so...so please take these opinions for what they&#039;re worth:</p><p><br /></p><p>1.&nbsp; I did some half-baked Internet research on Roman coins in the eastern Europe hinterlands - and I&#039;m sorry I cannot link a source - I think it was from Google Books.&nbsp; There are a lot of Roman coins found out there in what used to be the hinterlands of the Roman Empire (or just beyond).&nbsp; What I found was that apparently around the turn of the 2nd-3rd centuries, a lot of subsidies were being paid to the barbarians and they would accept only good coin.&nbsp; No silver washed antoninii were accepted - and so the good coin (pre-Severan debasement) drifted outward.&nbsp; A similar process was happening to the East - think a cruddy AE antoninus of Gallienus vs. a big, good silver Sassanid drachm.&nbsp; In short, historically speaking, a lot of silver in Ukraine seems plausible.&nbsp;&nbsp; That this silver is pre-debasement denarii from the Antonines (with a lot of Trajan/Hadrian too) makes sense.&nbsp; It would also explain why very few denarii of the Severans are in these auctions - occasionally so, but not nearly as many as the Antonines.&nbsp;&nbsp; And no cruddy ants. of the Valerian+ era.</p><p><br /></p><p>2.&nbsp; The coins are almost always very very worn.&nbsp; Here is an example (again, I have no connection to these auctions, or the Ukraine) - a Commodus in what looks to be good silver:</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.ebay.com/itm/Authentic-Ancient-ROMAN-SILVER-COIN-denarius-Commodus-Commod-138-161-AD-264/174198445299?hash=item288f0954f3:g:prYAAOSwZs1cEVW0" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.ebay.com/itm/Authentic-Ancient-ROMAN-SILVER-COIN-denarius-Commodus-Commod-138-161-AD-264/174198445299?hash=item288f0954f3:g:prYAAOSwZs1cEVW0" rel="nofollow">https://www.ebay.com/itm/Authentic-Ancient-ROMAN-SILVER-COIN-denarius-Commodus-Commod-138-161-AD-264/174198445299?hash=item288f0954f3:g:prYAAOSwZs1cEVW0</a></p><p><br /></p><p>3.&nbsp; A lot of limes denarii are included in these auctions - the sellers generally note them as such.&nbsp; Here is a limes Commodus:</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.ebay.com/itm/Commodus-AR-Denarius-Roman-Empire-Limes-2-3-CAD-Roma-RIC-43/113961540409?hash=item1a88a31b39:g:iv8AAOSwBi5dyFmK" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.ebay.com/itm/Commodus-AR-Denarius-Roman-Empire-Limes-2-3-CAD-Roma-RIC-43/113961540409?hash=item1a88a31b39:g:iv8AAOSwBi5dyFmK" rel="nofollow">https://www.ebay.com/itm/Commodus-AR-Denarius-Roman-Empire-Limes-2-3-CAD-Roma-RIC-43/113961540409?hash=item1a88a31b39:g:iv8AAOSwBi5dyFmK</a></p><p><br /></p><p>In regards to 2 and 3, both of these auctions appear to be selling genuine ancient coins.&nbsp; In both the auctions above, I just cannot see how these could be counterfeited nowadays, or why somebody would go to the effort for such mid-to-low grade coins for so little money.&nbsp; Furthermore, I do not see duplicates - the same coin over and over with different applied &quot;toning&quot; and crud - like you see in some sestertius auctions from Serbia.</p><p><br /></p><p>4.&nbsp; This being said, there are lots of counterfeits coming out of eastern Europe, mostly Bulgaria/Serbia.&nbsp; These are obvious fakes, even to me, in high grade, and of rare types (Caligula, etc.).&nbsp; They are also usually big bronzes, although some silver is there too.&nbsp; Is there a connection with the worn Serbian silver?&nbsp; I just don&#039;t think so, but again, I am quite ignorant of the Eastern European counterfeit business.</p><p><br /></p><p>5.&nbsp; Do I buy these Ukrainian coins?&nbsp; Not yet, but I have been tempted.&nbsp; Sometimes unusual reverse types or very nice portraits come up.&nbsp; But for the most part, these are in pretty poor shape, even by my low standards.&nbsp; Also, the shipping tends to be a bit high (understandably so).&nbsp; I find domestic bargains in a similar price range, so I haven&#039;t &quot;gone Ukraine&quot;.&nbsp; But I probably will at some point.</p><p><br /></p><p>I understand the argument &quot;only buy from a dealer you know&quot; and I understand a lot of collectors are happy to pay a premium for such assurances (and loathe eBay).&nbsp; But these coins come from somewhere and it&#039;s not California or New Jersey or Florida.</p><p><br /></p><p>As for Serbia, there are a lot of fakes from that location on eBay.&nbsp; But I took a gamble on a lot of three sestertii early this year from Serbia - and I am quite happy with them.&nbsp; They are rough, but I have no doubt they are ancient (other opinions always welcome!):</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1073469[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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