Septimius Severus denarius: My first fake

You've all probably seen me praise this coin a dozen different times. After all, it was one of the first imperial denarii I bought, and one of the first ancients I bought in the relative short period I've been collecting ancient coins.

Well, its a cast fake.



Now this is not the fault of anyone except the original forger. JA didn't realize it, and neither did I nor the dozens of people who have stared at it every time I've posted the image, and given me likes on it. I guess these things happen.

I am honestly devastated by this, because this was my second most favorite coin in my collection due to the jet black toning, and it really sucks that it is a fake. I am grateful to JA for giving me a full refund on it, and to Barry Murphy for spotting it.

I might still keep it, but label it as a forgery and set it aside as a teaching aid to myself and others in the future about how to spot cast fakes. I guess I should probably clean the toning off to make the cast features prominent, that way it can serve as an effective teaching tool for me and others.

Anyway, study it and learn from my misfortune. Sorry for being such a downer in this post, but I'm sure you can understand how I feel right about now.

 

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Damn, sorry to hear that! JA is a cool guy for giving you a refund. Look at the silver lining though, now you have an excuse to go get an even better genuine Septimius Severus denarius!

 

Dude... Don't beat yourself up. I have posted a fake here too, and it was devastating for me. However, as you suggest, learn and grow from it. I have now resorted to checking out the Fake sites regularly, and scour the past threads for comments, resources, and advice. I have had a few PM conversations that have helped me out. I imagine it has happened to more folks than me, and now you.

 

@Sallent, it is the first coin in your "Black Collection". Most of us have one. It probably won't be the last coin that you add (given that you have many years collecting in front of you).

It is too late tonight, but tomorrow I will start a thread for fakes, I have a Domna with casting bubbles like you wouldn't believe. Need to take a photo first.

Wipe your tears and move on

 

At least you have got this great place where others have realized that this was a fake and just take it as a lesson learned as I have learned from this.

 

We've all gotten a fake at one time or another and many of us still do. Part of collecting these things.

 

@Sallent, leave the coin as it is. Don't clean it. If it had been cleaned it would have probably been spotted as a fake earlier. At least sleep on it.

 

Sallent,
Don't feel bad. I also have a silver cob that turned out to be a fake, the realization was not pleasant. I've kept it as a reminder to be more careful in the future and hopefully learned from the experience.

 

That's a super common coin to have a cast of. Is it silver, or base metal? If the later, it could conceivably be a temporary cast.

 

You and JA both should be thrown in the stocks for selling and owning fake Imperial coins.

 

I'll submit to the comfy chair.

 

I confess my crimes. Off to the gallows with me then.

I want my tombstone to read: "Here lies Sallent, he didn't notice a Severan cast, so off the gallows he was cast."

 

As everyone has noted, we ALL have come across a fake or two...I bought one from Agora and another on eBay but was able to get a refund or exchange. I try to use the fake sites as often as I can but mostly 'trust' the experts to make the final determination. Unfortunately, it's likely we ALL will run across another in the years to come---some are just replicated so well that anyone can be fooled.

Obviously, I never would've guessed it was a cast fake from the OP photos...Kudos to Brian Murphy for spotting what we all seemed to miss..

 

Let's look at the bright side, there will be one less deceptive Septimius Severus fake in the marketplace. After I'm done studying this sample carefully, I'll either device a way to permanently mark it with the words COPY or destroy it. I don't want to just leave it like that in my collection and risk someone in the future, long after I've passed away, buying this thinking it was real and ending up getting fooled.

 

If it's any consolation, that's a very deceptive fake. Treat it as a learning experience.

Time to get back on that horse!

 

It looks like it was cast with quick-crete.

 

Surprisingly it is some sort of metal that tones, either that or the toning itself is a very convincing forgery. What kind of metal is another thing. After studying it today, I'm not convinced it's silver. I still have a few more tests to run on it before I destroy it. Maybe I'll have an answer by then.

 

What was the tell tail signs of this coin being a fake?

 

I made a few quick notes for you. There is more, but these are some of the things that jump out. Ultimately take a look at a genuine one and you'll notice it all better.

 

I'm no expert, but looks like it would be very easy to overlook these details. I agree with Pishpash, leave it as is, grind a small spot to engrave it as a fake, and post it as a learning tool for all to see.