The Devil made me do it!!

This 'fourree' intrigued me because it seemed artistically 'official' and because this specific type is highly scarce and quite pricey in the higher grades. Of course, the consensus is that fourree's are unofficial ancient replica's just as criminally fraudulent then as they would be by modern forgers today. Some suggest they may have been authorized, from time to time, by overzealous or criminally inclined magistrates and perhaps even with a 'tacit wink' from the ruling Emperor. Perhaps not, but that scenario does seem plausible during the reign of Nero and I can't help but wonder if the regional devastation caused by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD didn't play some similar part, at least for some enterprising official wishing to serve his Emperor, in the production of this 'fake'.

In any case, I have posted a very high grade 'official' example after this fouree to best display the intended devices. The genuine denarius sold for over $4,000.00 hammer. The fouree cost $51.00 shipped.







DIVUS VESPASIAN. Died 79 AD. AR Denarius (3.60 gm, 7h). Rome mint. Struck under Titus, 80-81 AD. DIVVS AVGVSTVS VESPASIANVS, laureate head right / EX S C in exergue, empty quadriga advancing left; dash rail surmounted by statuette of quadriga flanked by Victories holding palms and wreaths; car ornamented with figures of Minerva advancing left and brandishing spear, and garlands. Cf. RIC II 60 (Titus); BMCRE 121 (Titus); BN 95 (Titus); cf. RSC 146.

I realize 'ancient fakes' do not appeal to everybody at any price, but I seem to find them increasingly appealing---at the right price

 

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Very nice subject, just like everything else that's nice that can make a buck, they are counterfeited.

 

I think it a very neat coin, at a nice price.

 

a fouree coin is still on my list, i'd take that one for 51 bucks for sure. good call devil!



I'm not sure I exactly understand what's going on with that reverse? So the quadriga is going left and it carries a statue of a quadriga?

 

Not bad at all! I haven't yet been bit by the fouree bug yet...

 

Well, @chrsmat71 ....

As I get it, the quadriga moving left has two Victories on top placing wreaths on a small quadriga. Other than that @David Atherton will have to explain LOL

 

Great job Mikey!!! I am not a fouree fan, but this one is a good example.

I only have a couple just to "have them".


RI Julia Domna 194-217 Fouree AR Plated Den Isis Horus

Here is her official issue:

RI AR Den Julia Domna 200 CE Felicitas Isis Horus RIC 577

AND:


RI Fouree Denarius Severus Alexander with Annona Avg reverse
(@dougsmit helped identify this one!)

This is NOT the same offical coin, but the Bust style matches well!

RI Severus Alexander 222-235 CE AR Denarius laureate Victory stndg

 

Uhm, guys, I hate to break it to you, but those two OP coins is an ancient forgery.

Why @Mikey Zee , why? Why did you have to go to the darkest of dark corners of this hobby? Now you'll never stop throwing money at ancient forgeries.

 

WOW, @Alegandron. That fourree portrait of Severus Alexander is fantastic---so life-like and 'official' !! Makes you wonder what was really going on and where the dies came from.

 

I have two fourrees and love them. Ancient crime!

This one is a fourree and a mule. Apparently fourrees are somewhat common in the Roman Republican series, and among those fourrees mules are not that unusual.

Roman Republic fourrée mule denarius
L. Antestius Gragulus, 136 BCE, and C. Renius, 138 BCE
ancient forgery, 3.18 gm
Obv: Roma helmeted head right, * below chin, GRAG behind
Rev: Juno Caprotina in a biga of goats, C・RENI below, ROMA in exergue
Ref: Obverse S.115, Cr.238/1, Syd.451, RSC Antestia 9; Reverse S.108, Cr.231/1, Syd.432, RSc Renia 1
Writeup is here.


Roman Republic, Lucius Aurelius Cotta
105 BCE
Fourree AR serrate denarius, 20 mm, 3.8 gm
Obv: draped bust of Vulcan right, wearing laureate pileus; tongs and star behind; all within wreath and dotted border
Rev: eagle standing on thunderbolt, head left; L·COT below, V to right; all within laurel wreath and dotted border
Ref: c.f. Crawford 314/1c; Sydenham 577a; Aurelia 21b
formerly slabbed, NGC ChVF, 5/5 strike, 3/5 surface

 

Do ancient fakes generally cost more or less than the real deal? I still don't understand why they are so popular.

 

Fantastic @TIF

If anyone was even thinking about getting a single fourree, your examples definitely put them over the edge---just fantastic!

Well, they usually sell for a tiny fraction of what any roughly comparable genuine example would bring in the marketplace and they are ancient. I think of them as cool historical curiosities and if the price is right and they exhibit devices that interest me, I'll bite To each his (or her) own

 

Ya gotta watch out for that ole devil @Mikey Zee. Very nice fouree.

 

I agree... I have real deep-seated repulsion of people lying, stealing, cheating, etc. Perhaps why I cannot bring myself to collecting fourees... I feel as if I am participating in the "crime". I only hope the folks that created fourees got their "just-deserves"... KARMA!

 

I imagine more than a few of us have fourees and don't even know it.

 

Before I joined this forum, I never heard of "fourees"! One thing for certain, I don't have any in my collection.....thank God!
Probably way more chance of that when buying thru e-bay sellers.

 

On the OP coin how would you tell unless the silver is broken through. The weight would probably be about right. I guess specific gravity test is the only non destructive test that might tell us.

 

The wagon is a tensa carrying a pediment, or imitation temple, containing the divine emblems of the deified emperor. It is surmounted by statues of various deities, Victory, Minerva, etc. The tensa was a permanent wheeled structure that would be reused again and again for various circus processions when Vespasian's divine emblems were displayed.

 

Valentinian / Warren Esty has several quality fourrees on his site at *very* affordable prices.

http://augustuscoins.com/

I just bought a RR fouree of Q. Minucius Rufus. $15.

Some might scoff at the idea of a "quality fouree." But I like to talk about the minting process itself when I tell people about ancient coins, and they find ancient counterfeiting to be a really interesting dimension of that process.

Coins obviously have a market value. But to me, they also have a teaching / talking points value, and I find fourrees rich in the latter.