Evidence of Casting

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Evidence of Casting - Casting Sprues1346 viewsSalonina Cast Antoninianus. This coin clearly shows casting sprues. If you had any doubt what those are, it should be clear now!Joe Sermarini

Evidence of Casting - Center Surface Cracks729 viewsCasting of a bronze core.
Crack in the middle of the core was obtained by rapid cooling.
This is a sure sign of forgery.
Ilya Prokopov

Evidence of Casting - Clear Casting Seam480 viewsTyre, silver tetradrachm, Laureate head of Melqarth, lion's skin knotted at neck / TYPOY IEPAΣ KAI AΣYΛOY, eagle standing left on beak of ship; in left field club and date monogram, monogram right field

Weight:7.71g / Diameter.30.40mm

BMC Phoenicia, pg 240, #114; Sear 5918v

Sold on Ebay as authentic / Bad copy of Biblical shekel with Melqart with obvious casting seam.

Submitted by AradosArados

Evidence of Casting - Comparison with Genuine Struck Original3522 viewsThe top coin is a cast fake. The bottom coin is an original struck coin. The genuine coin is sharp. No amount of wear could make the genuine coin look like the cast coin. The lack of detail on the cast coin is not wear on the high points; it is everywhere. The raised bubbles in the fields (nicknamed "pearls") are another indicator of casting. Joe Sermarini

Evidence of Casting - Crude Two Part Cast Example415 viewsCast obverse.
Rough casting the obverse of a coin, the same is done casting and the reverse, then processed to be joined. Result is a fake coin that is glued from two parts.
Julia Mamaea, Augusta (AD 222-235)

This is poor workmanship and the result will be a fairly obvious fake. Ilya Prokopov

Evidence of Casting - Devices Blend Into Fields761 viewsA struck coin can be worn nearly smooth but the edges of the devices do not disappear the edges remain sharp as long as any detail remains. Ilya Prokopov

Evidence of Casting - Edge Filing3202 viewsFew examples of edge filing will be this obvious. Often there will be just a small area of filing that the forger missed in his later finer smoothing efforts.
6 commentsJoe Sermarini

Evidence of Casting - Edge Sharp Rim735 viewsThis edge looks nothing like that on a genuine denarius. Part of the coin's rim has a raised lip that too sharp for a coin with this much apparent wear and corrosion. The raised bump appears to be a casting pearl.

Evidence of Casting - Examples of Wax Copies Used to Make Molds384 viewsGroup of mold of wax used in the production of replicas/fakes by Lost-wax casting.
Picture facilitated by Remoneda in the Spanish Forum Omni in May/2010

The wax copy was made from a genuine coin in a mold, probably made with material used by dentists to take molds of teeth. The edge of the wax and other details can be modified to remove evidence of casting, remove flaws on the original coin, sharpen detail and to make each fake coin unique. Another advantage of wax is that a mold can be made without a seam. Instead of removing the seed from the mold by opening two halves, the mold is heated and the melted wax is drained from the mold. The mold is broke to remove the fake coin, which will have no seam.
mdelvalle

Evidence of Casting - Excess metal488 viewsHere we see excess of a metal from poor packaging for casting. This is an extreme example that most forgers would just remelt. Similar defects may be found on a genuine coins resulting from a broken die, but a broken die flaw will not have the same soft rounded appearance.

This is a cast of a pressed fake. Many cast fakes are made using pressed fakes as the seed. Ilya Prokopov

Evidence of Casting - Excess Metal547 viewsHere we see excess of a metal from poor packaging for casting. This is an extreme example that most forgers would just remelt. Similar defects may be found on a genuine coins resulting from a broken die, but a broken die flaw will not have the same soft rounded appearance.Ilya Prokopov

Evidence of Casting - Field Dips1638 viewsObv. - AR Denar, Vespasian
SW Studio
Ilya Prokopov

Evidence of Casting - Filled Areas847 viewsThe recesses in the eye and between the lips are filled with metal - this cannot result from wear on a genuine coin. Ilya Prokopov

Evidence of Casting - Filled Cracks613 viewsThe prototype of this cast fake was also fake (pressed & cracked). The cracks on this cast are filled with metal. The same filled cracks indicator of casting exists when genuine coins with cracks are used to make a mold to cast fakes.Ilya Prokopov

Evidence of Casting - Filled Ear1607 viewsLost detail, note the ear is filled. The crack is also not completely through the coin or sharp inside.Joe Sermarini

Evidence of Casting - GENUINE COIN - Study Image of Edge Crease to Compare With Casting Seams3082 viewsSometimes when a coin is struck the metal on the edge folds or forms a crease. This picture shows a normal edge fold or crease, which looks a bit different from a casting seam. The coin is genuine.

Evidence of Casting - GENUINE COIN - Study Image of Genuine Corrosion and Flaking1931 viewsCompare this with cast examples to gain a clearer understanding of the differences between casting bubbles and defects and corrosion. Also, Curtis Clay noted of this coin, "It's very hard to reproduce that corrosion and flaking." This coin demonstrates how genuine corrosion, flaking and aging can be used to determine that a coin is genuine.

Evidence of Casting - GENUNE COIN - Study Image of Seam-Like Lines or Cracks on Authentic Coins1688 viewsThis denarius of Maximinus I has a deep edge running around much of the coin. It might look like a seam, however it was caused during the striking of the coin, not a casting process. Fold lines are common on struck coins, however sometimes cracks appear instead. It probably depends on the quality of the metal. (Credit goes to Numerianus, Vercingetorix and Robert Brenchley for pointing this out in forum thread).

Note: The line appears closer to one edge of the coin. In a cast coin, one would expect the seam to be in the middle. (Credit goes to Curtis Clay for pointing this out in forum thread).

Evidence of Casting - Identical Coins1683 viewsThese three "coins" were offered by different eBay sellers all within weeks of each other. They are not all the same coin (on of our members bought one of them). The only possible explanation is cast copies. Joe Sermarini

Evidence of Casting - Identical Examples1053 viewsVarious methods have been used to disguise these cast denarii, including chopping notches into the edge simulating flan cracks, dinging the surface with an awl or ice pick, and artificial toning. Differences in lighting and the camera angle also make identical features appear to be slightly different. Learn to ignore the differences and see the similarities to identify cast fakes. Genuine coins struck with the same dies will have many identical features. Features and flaws transferred from the dies may be the same on genuine coins. But only cast twins will have identical flan shapes, identical centering, identical uneven strike, identical flat or weak strike areas, and identical post strike wear, scratches, dings, corrosion, etc. Joe Sermarini

Evidence of Casting - Identical Flan Shape (Edges)2131 viewsEvidence of Casting - Identical Coins. For all but the most expensive fakes a forger will want to sell more than one copy. Completely identical edges are impossible in two different genuine struck ancient coins. These two coins must therefore be cast modern fakes. (They also have other characteristics of cast coins.)Joe Sermarini

Evidence of Casting - Lost Wax Method Example417 viewsComposition of pictures of the mold of wax used in the micro-fusion (Lost-wax casting) and the replica submitted by Remoneda to the Spanish Forum OMNI in May and April 2010.
Valerian I, Antoninianus
AR Antoninianus, Antiochia mint, struck 253-254 AD.

Obv: IMP C P LIC VAELRIANVS AVG Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust r.
Rev: VOTA ORBIS Two Victories affixing shield, inscribed S C, on palm tree.
RIC #294; Cohen #280

The wax copy was made from a genuine coin in a mold, probably made with material used by dentists to take molds of teeth. The edge of the wax and other details can be modified to remove evidence of casting, remove flaws on the original coin, sharpen detail and to make each fake coin unique. The advantage of wax is that a mold can be made without a seam. Instead of removing the seed from the mold by opening two halves, the mold is heated and the melted wax is drained from the mold. The mold is broke to remove the fake coin, which will have no seam. mdelvalle

Evidence of Casting - Lost Wax Method Example Dangerous Cast with Fake Patina593 viewsComposition of pictures of the mold of wax used in the micro-fusion (Lost-wax casting) and the replica submitted by Remoneda to the Spanish Forum OMNI in May and April 2010.
Augustus (Octavian), Dupondius
Æ Dupondius, Lugdunum mint, struck circa 9-14 AD.

Obv: CAESAR AVGVSTVS DIVI F PATER PATRIAE, laureate head right.
Rev: ROM ET AVG, altar of Lugdunum.
RIC I #232; BMCRE #566; Cohen #237.mdelvalle

Evidence of Casting - Lost Wax Method Example with Fake Patina353 viewsComposition of pictures of the mold of wax used in the micro-fusion (Lost-wax casting) and the replica submitted by Remoneda to the Spanish Forum OMNI in May 2010.
Gallienus, Antoninianus
AE Antoninianus, struck 260 - 268 AD., Antioch Mint (Asian mint ?).

Obv: GALLIENVS P F AVG, Radiate and cuirassed bust right.
Rev: VIRTVS AVG, Soldier standing left, holding shield and spear.
RIC #667F (Asian mint); Gobl #1617b (Antioch)mdelvalle

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