Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Blake Davis, post: 8113171, member: 91820&quot;][ATTACH=full]1411690[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1411691[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1411692[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1411693[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Caracalla Sestertius RIC 509 LIBERALITAS AVGG VI ET V - RARITY: R3</p><p>Caracalla and Geta on platform with citizen being handed coins by another figure, who holds abacus and cornucopia&nbsp; - ca. 210 AD</p><p>Weight: 26.63 grams Size: 32.5 mm</p><p><br /></p><p>Having handled by now thousands of ancient coins, I think I have a decent grasp on the difference between fake and genuine, at least with respect to imperial bronzes, which are difficult to phony.&nbsp; And yet for some prospective purchases, I still check out the excellent Forum database of fake coins, and it has helped me avoid a couple of purchases where there was doubt.&nbsp; I have found thatif there are doubts such that a coin has to be checked out on the Forum site, it usually although means its a phony.</p><p><br /></p><p>And yet, I <b>have</b> been fooled and lost hundreds of dollars as a result - in one instance the coin was on Forum (a Severus Alexander sestertius),&nbsp; but in my overconfidence it wasn&#039;t checked out until it was too late, in another it was not on the site, but the late discovery of the remains of a sprue hole, among other things, clearly showed the coin to be an (excellent) cast fake.&nbsp; I was unable to return the coins in both instances and lost hundreds of dollars.&nbsp; Still, two losses is not so bad in 22 years.</p><p><br /></p><p>In two other instances, each involving a sestertius, I ended up with coins for consignment that were returned because of doubts. The coins looked authentic - one an Antoninus Pius/Marcus Aurelius sestertius with an extra large portrait of Marcus, the other an Antoninus Pius sestertius with a forgotten reverse.&nbsp; Both coins appeared genuine but something about them was suspicious, and both were returned - <i>something</i> about each coin did not seem correct - and I could not justify putting up the coin.</p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; What does the above have to do with the coin pictured at the top of this article?&nbsp; Not much.&nbsp; This coin was sold by a reputable dealer, Jesus Vico, SA, in 2018, and I purchased it from a reputable VCOINS dealer, after six long months of payments.&nbsp; When I first held the coin something about it gave me pause but after closely examining certain details - for example the &quot;T&quot; on the reverse, which is perfectly consistent with similar lettering on Caracalla&#039;s sestertius, the way the lines are in the moustache, lack of a sprue hole or evidence of casting bubbles, and much more, it is clearly genuine.&nbsp; Plus who would go to the enormous trouble of making an excellent copy of a coin like this where only one sale is possible when other types could be made with much less effort and much more profit?&nbsp; The excellence of the flan could be because it was struck as a Severan presentation piece - this is pure speculation but I have noticed that such pieces appear to be more carefully made than &quot;regular&quot; issue sestertiii during this period.</p><p><br /></p><p>And most important, it was sold by two reputable dealers which really is the best guarantee of authenticity.</p><p><br /></p><p>It would be great if there was a die match to this but I have found only one other example, from different dies.&nbsp; If anyone finds another example please let me know.</p><p><br /></p><p>As for the coin itself, and its historical context, that will be addressed in another article where it will be paired with a different type.</p><p><br /></p><p>Comments - especially experiences with fakes&nbsp; - would be appreciated.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in