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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Al Kowsky, post: 7661157, member: 97383&quot;]Since Doug Smith brought up the name &quot;Becker&quot;, I&#039;d like to post again a tetradrachm made by the master forger Carl Wilhelm Becker (1772-1830) that I won from a <b>CNG</b> auction 3 years ago. Becker&#039;s forgeries are not only collectable, but many of them have sold for more than the originals <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie57" alt=":jawdrop:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />! Becker made not only forgeries, but he invented phantasies of coins that never existed <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie85" alt=":smuggrin:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />, especially coins of the Medieval Era. He made a game out of peddling these fakes to so-called &quot;experts&quot; &amp; museum curators in the 19th century. Becker remains the consummate forger of the 19th century. He engraved his dies by hand, made his own planchets from worn-out ancient coins, struck the coins by hand, &amp; would artificially age them before selling them. One of his tricks was to take newly minted fakes &amp; put them in a bag of tiny steel chips, attach the bag to a wagon wheel, &amp; ride about town until the fakes would wear-down by abrasion <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie8" alt=":D" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />. The fake pictured below is good enough to fool experienced collectors &amp; dealers today <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie7" alt=":p" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1316873[/ATTACH] </p><p><b>ORIENTAL GREEK, Baktria. <i>Greco-Baktrian Kingdom. </i>Heliokles Dikaios. Circa 145-130 BC. AR Tetradrachm: 16.82 gm, 30 mm, 6 h. Dies by Carl Wilhelm Becker, 1772-1830. Obverse: Diademed &amp; draped bust facing right. Reverse: Zeus holding thunderbolt &amp; scepter, monogram in left field. Hill, <i>Becker </i>128. <i>Ex Jonathan Kern Collection.</i></b></p><p><b><i><br /></i></b></p><p>Pictured below is a genuine example of this coin type for comparison. </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1316881[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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