This is a very interesting one and shows the lengths to which some fraudsters will go....
CNG's comment on withdrawing the coin from
auction ....
WITHDRAWN. This is a genuine
billon coin that has been mostly re-engraved. The fields have been lowered, especially toward the center of the coin, to produce the new or improved design. All the central detail is heavily
tooled, although the legends are mostly original. The color is silvery because this is a
billon coin with some silver content. Note how the coin is more silvery in the centers where the surface has been most reduced--the outer
part of the coin has genuine oxidation, whereas the centers have been reduced/tooled down to the interior of the
flan. Unlike the
obverse, though, some of the
tooled areas on the
reverse have
had a new silver "wash"
applied. This is clearly visible, under high magnification, along the contours of the relief. Overall, the outlines formed by the tooling on both sides are sharper than they would be from original striking.