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Author Topic: I.D. Please help  (Read 773 times)

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Eric S2

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I.D. Please help
« on: April 18, 2015, 02:57:19 pm »
I have a coin from my son that went to Afghanistan and he got me this coin but don't know anything about it. Can some one help me on what it is and about and what it's worth he bought it 6 years ago for 350.00 but not sure if it's even worth that ?

Eric S2

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Re: I.D. Please help
« Reply #1 on: April 18, 2015, 02:59:44 pm »
Here is the back of it

Eric S2

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Re: I.D. Please help
« Reply #2 on: April 18, 2015, 03:06:13 pm »
Here is the other side of coin if this helps

Offline areich

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Re: I.D. Please help
« Reply #3 on: April 18, 2015, 03:23:27 pm »
From the pictures, I have no idea what it is. Please take it out of the cardboard holder. It it extremely unlikely that it is worth anywhere near $350 though, assuming it was dollars. What you can buy in Afghanistan (this is a simplification) are large and impressive fakes, made of silver or at least white metal and small, unimpressive but genuine ancient bronze coins that aren't worth anything. Yours is most likely one of the latter. With better pictures, it can be identified at least.
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Re: I.D. Please help
« Reply #4 on: April 19, 2015, 04:50:31 pm »
From what I see, it is a coin of one the rulers of Kashmir which are only different by their legends unreadable on you image.  I'll show a few so perhaps you can compare the 'squiggles' and find a match.   There are several others but we are limited to five attachments and these are common ones.  There is relatively little difference in the sales price of these in the US partly because the number of dealers that can read the legends is not large.  The most common are Didda Rani (a queen with a very interesting history) and her nephew Sangama Deva (most common and less interesting as a story compared to Didda).

We don't comment on prices but $350 is at least 10 to 20 times what I would call fair unless there is something hiding here but a medieval Indian coin mislabeled as shown on the holder is unlikely to be other than a common one.  Post a better photo and we will try to ID.  We send our troops to that part of the world where some will try to kill them.  Others just cheat them out of their money.  I encourage anyone sending a son overseas to have a talk first about the facts of the marketplace.  In many places in the world, cheating tourists and soldiers is a national sport.


Offline dougsmit

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Re: I.D. Please help
« Reply #5 on: April 19, 2015, 05:09:35 pm »
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Didda

The above tells the story of Didda and her family.  I'll warn that many sellers through ignorance or malice will ID coins of any ruler as one of Didda capitalizing on the interest of those who want coins of strong women.  Fortunately, her coins are easily distinguished by the 'parentheses shaped' characters flanking the obverse goddess figure.  Some others will have a bracket looking squiggle on one side but Didda has both facing in opposite directions.  Looking just now I see as many misidentified as not. 

Offline Meepzorp

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Re: I.D. Please help
« Reply #6 on: April 20, 2015, 05:20:36 am »
Hi folks,

Please note that Eric's cardboard coin holder is labelled "Alex[ander] the Great".

How does that play into the whole "fool a tourist/soldier" scheme? That would only make sense if small AE coins of Alexander the Great were much more valuable than what the coin really is (which isn't the case). Or maybe the seller is just counting on the buyer not being aware of that?

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Re: I.D. Please help
« Reply #7 on: April 20, 2015, 07:01:16 am »
They're counting on the buyer to have absolutely no idea about ancient coins and only a very vague idea of ancient history. This is a reasonable assumption to make, most people (including those with a good education) know very little ancient history and nothing about ancient coins. Most of us were extremely surprised to learn that you could even buy ancient coins and that they could be so cheap.
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Offline Meepzorp

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Re: I.D. Please help
« Reply #8 on: April 20, 2015, 10:24:58 pm »
They're counting on the buyer to have absolutely no idea about ancient coins and only a very vague idea of ancient history. This is a reasonable assumption to make, most people (including those with a good education) know very little ancient history and nothing about ancient coins. Most of us were extremely surprised to learn that you could even buy ancient coins and that they could be so cheap.

Hi folks,

True.

Did you also notice that the cardboard holder is labelled "2,100 years old"? That's more than 200 years after Alexander's reign.

This coin has "red flags" literally written all over it.

Meepzorp

 

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