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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Marsyas Mike, post: 4163120, member: 85693&quot;]Interesting information - thanks for sharing. </p><p><br /></p><p>As for counterfeiting a worn denarius - would this (paradoxically) be more difficult than faking a mint-state denarius?&nbsp; Striking from a worn die (to replicate wear) would not be very convincing - or am I wrong about this? </p><p><br /></p><p>Here is a Julia Domna denarius that fooled me - it is a well-known fake (and weighs too much - the first thing that tipped me off).&nbsp; It looks pretty good, I think it is die struck.&nbsp; The more I look at it, the more I think I see mistakes - the hair is wrong, the drapery not quire right, etc.&nbsp; But this kind of fake could fool me again, I&#039;m sad to say. </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1073541[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Here is one I posted a couple years ago and everybody who responded were positive it is a fake - mostly because it weighs 2.95 grams.&nbsp; These folks are more experienced than I am - but I did buy my first Republican denarius over 30 years ago, so I do have some long-term exposure.&nbsp; Which is why I&#039;m not completely convinced it is a fake, or at least a modern fake.&nbsp; It came from a seller in Spain.&nbsp; Over the past couple of years, I keep an eye out for lightweight examples, and they do turn up from time to time (around 3 grams). </p><p><br /></p><p>Back in the original post, I was told that making a low-grade fake would be profitable...and so the headless Marsyas, which reduces the value of this by - half?&nbsp; The temptation to make a well-centered one would be tough for any counterfeiter, I&#039;d imagine.&nbsp; Maybe they are that diabolical, making uglies to fool a budget collector like me.&nbsp; But even Apollo only had Marsyas skinned - he got to keep his head!</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1073543[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>One of the things I like about lower-grade coins is the wear patterns, accumulations of crud, and interesting colors that come from a circulated coin.&nbsp; I felt this way when I focused on world crowns too.&nbsp; Some of the Bulgarian fake sestertii that attempt to look &quot;aged&quot; are glaringly obvious. </p><p><br /></p><p>Mint state coins never appealed to me much - which is a good thing because I can&#039;t afford them!&nbsp; Although mint ancients with great art are indeed treasures - being able to see the details is important.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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