Real of fake? ancient-Roman Christian coin Constantine Jupiter eagle wreath SIS

Hey guys! I bought a new coin today, this one I had just got in and I noticed it was rather thin, I am not a experience coin collector but I would like to know if this piece is authentic as I bought it from an auction house.

 

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Fabric and style look fine to me. Were you wanting the specifics of the attribution, or do you already know that?

 

Im just wanting to know it its authenticity as well as any information about it that can be provided.

 

You said it's thin. What is the weight? Like TIF said, however, it looks right.
I believe the attribution should be:
Siscia, RIC VI 232b, E Constantine AE follis. IMP CONSTANTINVS P F AVG, laureate head right / IOVI CONSERVATORI AVGG NN, Jupiter standing facing with head left, chlamys hanging from left shoulder, holding Victory on globe and sceptre, eagle at foot left, officina letter Epsilon in right field. Mintmark SIS. RIC VI Siscia 232b.

 

welcome, als



where did you score your sweet new ancient additions? (congrats)

 

The OP looks genuine. It is a common type.

 

Well Ironic enough it was an ebay auction purchase, despite the raw amount of fake retailers, their is an auction house that seems to deliver authentic pieces. Their is a certificate of authentication that can be bought, but I want to make sure from other resources, luckily the previous coin I bought from them is genuine.

 

I have purchased quite a few coins on the bay. It's a matter of being careful and doing some pre-purchase research. Also very important is to know the seller. If you've purchased from this particular seller before and been happy, then you can continue to have a relationship. I'm not a big fan of CoAs unless they come from certain well known authenticators (read that as David Sear, CNG, Harlan Berk).

 

Welcome!!

Like everyone else, I believe it's a very nice, genuine coin.

 

your coin is-

Constantine I
A.D. 313
IMP CONSTANTINVS P F AVG; laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
IOVI CONS-ERVATORI AVGG NN; Jupiter standing l., chlamys across l. shoulder, leaning on sceptre and holding Victory on globe in r. hand; eagle with wreath to l. on ground; in right field E.
in ex. SIS
RIC VI Siscia 234c

 

Thanks for all the feedback guys, I really appreciate it

 

The style looked okay at first glance, but as soon as I watched on the reverse side I think I could catch something that may be casting bubbles (look at the red circles I have made).

But if the others have approved it, then it is most likely me who is wrong.

Can anyone tell me what the white things are? Dust?

I have made a similiar error with one of Doug's coin before.

 

I looked closely at the coin, I certainly dont see the bubbles you are showing in the picture. The picture shown is the one by the retailer, although its the exact same coin, looking at the coin itself with a magnifie glass I certainly dont see any of the bubbling.

 

It looks perfectly OK to me as well. It is a very common type, overall, and not one which lends itself well to faking since the symbolism on the reverse is pretty much lost on modern eyes. Not to say that common coins are never faked, but in general, the payoff for doing a really seriously believable job is far greater with other, more famous types or coins which obviously can be related to some well-known historical person, event or recorded moment offer the forger a far better rate of return.
For whatever help it may be, this is another follis from the same mint at just about the same time (the same officina or workshop, even) for Constantine's "collegial antagonist", Licinius I. I don't seem to have a prepared photo of a Constantine I from Siscia of this exact era:
As you can probably see, there are both similarities and differences. For huge, inflationary issues like this, dozens at least - perhaps hundreds - of engravers were preparing dies to the same pattern so there can be relatively major stylistic differences in authentic coins of the same type from the same mint. You can see a selection of IOVI CONSERVATORI types on this page - and a few on the previous page - http://www.stoa.org/gallery/album162?page=4
Hopefully, this will allay your fears a bit in terms of your coin's authenticity.