Antoninus Pius denarius possible fake

[traveler]

Hello all,

I have a couple of denarii of Antoninus Pius which I suspect could be fake, would like your opinions. They are both from Ebay but are from a seller not on the NFSL.

The first one I think is a RIC 143. Weight is 2.75g, diameter 18mm. Die axis 12 o'clock.

The text is obscured but if it's RIC 143 the obverse should read ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P and the reverse TEMPLVM DIV AVG REST, COS IIII below.

THere is damage to the reverse which obscures the octastyle temple. The bust on the obverse protrudes so much that the coin can't stay flat on the table. Think it may be fake because after a while the style of the bust seems a little strange.

[Henrik Möller]

I can’t see anything wrong with the style of the bust. The coin is in a rather
bad condition but there aren’t any obvious signs of it being a fake.

[Joe Sermarini]

Agree, nothing suspicious.

[Valecrucis]

I have an atypical question for this forum Joe. Instead of asking what it is that raises suspicion about a coin, I hope you might help me understand why the areas I have circled on this denarius are not suspicious. Although the coin as a whole looks fine to my eyes too, in my inexperience and with my high level of caution, these areas would look like bubbling. The picture is not particularly crisp, so it would be hard for me to say...but if that were all I had to go on, I would avoid it. I avoid all but one or two Ebay dealers anyway, so that isn't an issue, but nonetheless...

Please don't think this is me questioning anyone's judgment or expressing an opinion. I do understand the rule about less experienced members not providing opinions subsequent to the professionals here. I have no opinion, just the question...why is that area not worrying?

Derek.

[Joe Sermarini]

The photo is not in sharp enough focus to really see what you have circled.

[Valecrucis]

Well there is some bumpiness there and as the photo is in such poor focus, with my very limited experience I would be unable to exclude the possibility that those were casting bubbles and this denarius was a fake. So I just wondered what it was that gave confidence, to an expert eye, that the coin was OK...on the basis of out of focus pictures. You both said you could see nothing suspicious. With a lack of information, would you equate this to the coin being sound?

[traveler]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your advice on both of the coins. Sorry about the out-of-focus photos, I'm finding it difficult to get clear focus on them. I'll try to take clearer pictures and post them here.

[traveler]

Hi all,

Hope these pictures are clearer:

[Joe Sermarini]

I see nothing suspicious.

[Valecrucis]

Thanks for the new photographs, Traveler. They show that the areas I worried about were quite innocent. I guess I just need more experience decoding out of focus pictures!

[Ryan C]

It may have been damaged in a fire, or struck with old dies. There is no way to know what could have caused the damage to the coin. There certainly has been enough time over the years. Not every coin is going to be easy to authenticate, thanks to the ever larger market for coins of antiquity, and the darn forgers who are trying to fill the void. Thanks Joe and all the other members, and if anyone wants a coin they don't have to worry about at all, buy it here, FORVM's coins are the best!

[Adrian W]

I have found if you blow up pictures big enough on coins you will start to find all kinds of things you can worry about and even make a decent coin with large enough magnification look like it has issue when it does not