I have been buying and selling ancient coins for 20 years now, my selling has been a means to afford my buying since for some reason there seems to be an objection to using living expenses to buy coins. Unfortunately, with prices going up for better coins, and the number of coins available seeming to be coming down, really good deals, upon which I depend, are fewer and fewer. In any event, I ended up buying something I don't think I should have, from a new Bulgarian ebay dealer with not much feedback, (bad sign) who doesn't allow his buyers to be revealed (bad sign) . But weight was ok 22.31 grams, size was ok 30mm, plus I recall that reading that if there is a flan crack, it is indicative of the coin not being cast. But this one just isn't right - there are too many details in the hair that do not match the wear down the bust, the lettering is too mushy on the reverse, and it just doesn't have the right look to way the details and the wear are together, Plus I think the first image of the edge hides a sprue hole. I can usually figure this out myself, but I have never been good at recognizing cast coins, and I suspect that this dealer is good at it since the other coins on his site look really good - are there any experts out there who have an opinion. .
hmm....idk...not that everything is reproduction from Bulgaria...this one screams fake to me..send it to a 3rd party for your own peace of mind..if it turns out to be phony, ebay will reimburse you upon submitted proof. wouldn't that be worth 50 bucks? (i'm assuming you paid much more for it than that)
For many years I got all of my coins from Bulgarian dealers, one of whom became a close friend. These were the most honest people I have ever met. But, there have been some bad ebay dealers coming out of eastern Europe - and Spain for that matter. You used to be able to warn potential buyers, but now there is nothing you can do.
they did request it on one i bought from that neck of the woods to be.. i had NGC do it.. and they requested i ask the seller for my money back, but when he refused, they sent me my money and i gave the phony Otho away to a non collector..... plus, it might be authentic, but like you, i have my doubts..
thats purdy cheap, yeah...either you got a super bargain or...i'd send it off if i was you..it would be an investment
Is this the same coin you mentioned yesterday in the "eBay, Risk of a fake" thread? If not, then it is definitely fake because the flan, cracks, and everything matches. If it is the same coin, as Victor Clark pointed out, the seller is a notorious fakes seller. If you have doubts (and I do), perhaps investigating the crack would be a good place to start. Clean out the patina (or whatever that stuff is) and see if it is really a crack or if it is filled in with metal, which would condemn the coin as cast. The rendering of the hair and beard looks odd and there are hair details which seem to be in excess of what the general wear would suggest.
