The owner of my local bowling establishment was wondering about this a coin that his father gave him in a bezel. The bezel appears to be a clip-in type and it does not appear to have ruined the coin, but no matter, he says he'd never sell it anyway. Could you maybe identify this gold coin for me? Is it even real?
It is meant to be the emperor Honorius. Not sure that it is a real coin, I thought this type was only gold, but someone may know better.
Well it's an "emperor standing, holds victory, captive at feet" type solidus. The style of the reverse looks about right. Something not quite right about the obverse - but it could be just a distorted flan? From the photos - not obviously fake, but not authentic beyond doubt either.
Honorius Solidus I've seen some with comparable flan issues, my guess is mint quality was starting to go down a bit in the 390's, so I think it's okay as far as authenticity. Mediolanum (Milan) mint circ 395-402 CE Value- I've seen a few in the $600-800 range that are not damanged (in a bezel) so my guess is around $450ish.
It doesn't appear "right" to me, but I am not an expert in these later Roman coins. The obverse, especially, seems soft as compared to the reverse.
That type bezel provides little protection to the obverse when worn and none from the ravages of a jeweler with polish in his brain. I suspect is is genuine but suggest it never be removed from the mount. As a bauble, it is worth more than as a damaged coin. The mount does not look that old. Long ago a collector I respected greatly pointed out that coins that are genuine on one side are genuine on the other and the converse. They may be tooled and abused. They may be turned into something the mint never intended but they are still coins. If this were my piece, I would have preferred it mounted the other side up.
The style looks perfectly authentic to me, the wonkiness being an effect of polishing, as Doug suggests. That's about all I can say - determinations of authenticity are impossible without an in-hand examination.
