Here is a coin on ebay that ends today and I wondered if anyone had a view on it. I am not experienced enough to form an opinion. There are no details to size or weight given.
I don't think the full size image has posted so will try again. See https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Marcus-S...845405?hash=item41d82f301d:g:~r8AAOSwZrhaUSkI
In my highly amateur opinion, I would never recommend buying from a seller with so few sales, especially on such a high value item...that and his only detractor says they sent him a fake. That being said, I also have reservations when a coin is that Sand blasted. It makes ya wonder if the seller was trying to cover up imperfections on the fugazi. Just my opinion though. I hope it was helpful.
Some personal observations: 1. I don't think the pictures are sufficiently detailed to evaluate the coin's authenticity. For this reason alone I would not purchase this coin. 2. From the detail that can be seen, it appears that both the obverse and reverse have a large number of scratches. These could be due to overly harsh cleaning, or it could be to disguise a forgery. 3. No weight is given for the coin. Again, this is a huge red flag. I would strongly advise against purchasing this coin.
In general, denarii of Otho are expensive relative to most 12 Caesars' denarii. For example, here's an Otho denarius that sold at auction from a reputable seller in November 2016 for around $195 (including buyer's fee): While this is a decent example -- it has the full OTHO on the obverse and is reasonably well centered -- its surface is very rough, even rougher than the OP EBay example. The likelihood of getting an equal or better coin for under $50 is really, really remote.
Well I would have been really pleased with that coin Ides. I have bid on one in a Heritage auction and if I was successful it would be my first experience of cracking a coin out of a slab. I know this is a huge topic that has been discussed before.
i still need a Otho for my collection as well... the only one i've had turned out to be a modern counterfeit, so i'm leary but still looking... and that was several years ago..
I agree with everyone else about passing on this coin. The auction has ended and it sold for £50.99 (~$70). For this thread's posterity, since eBay images eventually go away, I've downloaded and edited the coin, uploading it to CT's servers.
I believe the final price certainly confirms what everyone here thought. It seems extraordinary the number of fakes on ebay and the number of people being duped every day. Certainly I was very fortunate to find this forum and appreciate it.
