Some help on potential purchases

I am looking at these two coins and wanted your opinion on quality and authenticity. Fairly sure the first one is real, and common. I was wondering what people think of the toning:




The second coin I have questions about the authenticity. The shape of the dress around the chest is not the normal style. Normally the lines are vertical, these are semi-circular. Additionally, the snake and face look very cartoonish style wise. Is this a fake? I could not find fake matches for either coin.

 

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They both look fine to me. As for Salus on the Glabrio's obverse, she's wearing a necklace and that bust style can been seen on other examples in CNG's archives and on Vcoins. Style-wise, many Republicans are cartoonish rather than veristic.

Edited: oh, you meant the dress on Valetudo. Meh-- I wouldn't be concerned about the difference. I bet you can find some like it.

Usual disclaimer: I'm not an expert.

 

On the first the toning looks fine, not enough of an expert on ancients to answer about the second one.

 

On the first the toning looks fine, not enough of an expert on ancients to answer about the second one.

 

I'm still learning but if they are both real I'd buy. Love'm both.

 

I dont like the photo of the second one, I think it's a ebay dealer?

I like the first one more.

I have both types, this is my Acilius Glabrio if you wanna compare styles.

 

It's more than the photo though, I don't think I like the style. Yours is much nicer.

 

I seen nothing of concern with the authenticity of either piece. Both are common so you can find high grade examples easily.

The Balbus is pleasing to my eye with a nicely detailed palm branch and I think the toning is very nice. I prefer to buy coins that are toned whenever possible.

The Acilius Glabrio is nice too, especially the reverse, but I would be reluctant to buy it without questioning what it looks like in hand from a surface/toning perspective. That type of photograph doesn't really tell you if it is toned or blast white and over cleaned.

 

Then wait. You can find others easily.

 

Both look good to me. I would buy either if the price were right.

 

They both look fine, don't think they're fakes or anything. The second one however, looks to have been photoshopped. Looks like they turned the contrast way up.

 

I'm with the crowd. I like toned coins with the look of the first much better than shiny ones like the second but I have some like each and will probably buy more as available. I still suggest that you buy from sources you trust if you feel the need to ask us. If you post a coin here for authentication, we are limited to what the photo shows and photos can lie. I see nothing that makes me suspicious of anything worse than substandard photography (on the second one). Yours are better than mine (most people's coins are).

 

Both look fine to me but I would want better pictures of the second coin before spending good money on it.

 

I love coins with nice dark grey toning (the first OP example has a nice classy look about it)

Here are a few examples that come to mind ...






=> yup, nice dark grey toning is one of the good things in life!!

 

Gosh, I love that last one @stevex6 !

 

The Balbus is a lovely coin, wonderfully toned and worthy of any collection. However, the Galabrio is a pressed fake.

 

What gave it away? Is there a die match to a fake somewhere?

 

Q. Antonius Balbus:

 

No matches, its just the appearance that gives it away. Fakes are often made by using a hydraulic press rather than striking them. They can often look genuine as the results are what appear to be flow lines (and I suppose in a way they are), but there are too many of them, too even and deep as a result of the unusual amount of pressure used to make them. One can just google 'Slavei fakes' and compare those to this example. Study a number of them and one can recognize them readily. Oh, one more thing: pressed fakes also often come with very large and deep flan cracks, again a result of too much pressure.