Why? For me it makes little difference if it's a genuine coin or an ancient fake if the coin is nice.
Sure, badly struck and worn barbs aren't very exciting but a well-preserved barb with an attractive style
or a well-done foureé with most of the silver-plating intact can be just as nice as the real thing.
Andreas
I don't know! lol They just do. Take that
Caracalla fouree for instance. When I recieved it, it was in a rock of crust. I spent a month or so getting it to where it is now before the copper started showing through. At that point my internal excitement meters went to zero and it has
sat like that for at least a year. The thought of getting duped by
crook that has been dead for 1700+ years just bugs me to no end.
I agree they can be pretty. But they are
still fakes. It would be like (to me anyway) a collector a thousand years from now finding one of the "fantasy coins" that are being produced by so many companies these days (like one of those
fake $20 "gold american eagles" that are being advertised so often here), really thinking you
had somthing and taking it to a
pro just to find out it is a
fake...albeit an ancient one. Sure, it was made a thousand years ago, but it has no real value, monetarily or historically (again, to me anyway), other than the fact that it is old. (or for that matter, finding a Babe Ruth baseball card that looks like an original just to find out that it was a reproduction made in the 50's to stick in a cracker jack box or wonder bread bag!)
I guess it is just a matter of personal preference.
ChrisÂ
Edit: OK...I take back a little of what I said...I do like the
celtic imitations...areich has a beauty in
his forvm auctions right now that I would snatch up if my funds were right...Celtic imitation of an
Alexander III drachm...
C.