Would it be useful to qualify the word 'cast'? Since
Republican aes and other early
aes, not to mention the dolphins and arrows, were regularly
cast, not clandestinely at all, simply saying that a coin is
cast can be (has been) puzzling.
Since, besides, a
cast made from a pre-existing coin may be ancient, either
counterfeit or
money of necessity, or modern, either from molds taken from
ancient coins or from post-Roman, whether
Paduan or much more modern, pre-existing coins, and one may not be sure which is the case, it would be
good to use a qualifying adjective that covers both: the best word I could think of for that purpose is
derivative.
The seams and sprues on ancient normal bronze coins do look different from those on modern coins, but the words are the same.
Would it
help to say, "One concludes that this coin is a
derivative cast, because of its seam/sprues...", adding other considerations such as faux-desert
patina that looks like pancake make-up** or that general softness? In that context, it would be plain that one referred to the sort of seams and sprues that are particularly suspect as evidence of modern fakery.
** Perhaps 'pancake make-up' no longer exists; my mother used it in WWII when she 'went out'. There was a cake of the stuff in a case, and it was
applied with a damp sponge or chamois rubbed on the cake to dissolve enough of it.
Pat L.
Fake Coins and Notorious Fake Sellers
