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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;IdesOfMarch01, post: 1697882, member: 39084&quot;]To my eye, the obverse legend on this coin is a dead giveaway to the extensive tooling.&nbsp; Note the rut that runs the entire circumference underneath each letter on the obverse legend.&nbsp; This was engraved lower in order to make the lettering sharper.&nbsp; The emperor&#039;s name (Hadrian) is so aggressively re-engraved that it almost looks re-struck with a modern tool.&nbsp; Also, it&#039;s easy to see that the underlying field on which the obverse legend sits is much lower than the overall field on the obverse of the coin, which indicates that each individual letter likely had tooling.</p><p><br /></p><p>The level of detail in Hadrian&#039;s hair seems much too sharp relative to the overall low relief of the image.&nbsp; The same is true of the fine details on the reverse -- in addition to the fairly clear tooling of the legend in exergue on the reverse, the individuals on the reverse seem much sharper than a low relief, circulated coin would permit.</p><p><br /></p><p>Also on the reverse, note the clearly etched line above the legend &quot;PONT MAX&quot; that was engraved to make the edge of the coin stand out.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sorry for the apparent harshness of my analysis.&nbsp; This is, at first glance, a VERY attractive coin but the amount of tooling just seems obvious and excessive.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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