Fake Ancient Greek Coins: Hellenistic Period
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Alexander III the Great, Av stater, Abydos, 336-323 BC121 viewsObv:- Helmeted head of Athena right.
Rev:- AΛEΞANΔPOY, Nike standing right, holding wreath and stylis; in field serpent, pentagram and monogram.
Fig 2 is the false coin - 8.65g
The reverse copies the issues of Abydos, see SNG Berry 154-156. The style of the head however is more reminiscent of Babylon, see SNG Berry 182-183
Produced in Beirut in the late 1970s. Modern dies, the gold is reddish rather than yellow. The style is close but doesn't quite come off.
Published in the IAPN BOC Vol 12, No. 1 in 1987 - example 2
Image used with permission of IAPNmaridvnvm
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Alexander III the Great, Av stater, Lampsakos, 336-323 BC122 viewsObv:- Helmeted head of Athena right.
Rev:- AΛEΞANΔPOY, Nike standing right, holding wreath and stylis; in field serpent, pentagram and monogram.
Fig 3 is the false coin - 8.58g
Copies an issues of Lampsakos, see SNG Berry 148
Produced in Beirut in the late 1970s. Modern dies, the gold is reddish rather than yellow. The style is close but doesn't quite come off.
Published in the IAPN BOC Vol 12, No. 1 in 1987 - example 3
Image used with permission of IAPNmaridvnvm
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Alexander III The Great, drachm, Kolophon399 viewsObv:- Alexander as Herakles
Rev:- Zeus seated. lyre in left field.
Sold on ebay March 2008 by bulshop555.
Submitted by Maridvnvmmaridvnvm
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Alexander III The Great, drachm, Kolophon200 viewsObv:- Head of Alexander as Herakles wearing lions skin
Rev:- Zeus Aetophoros on throne;ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ at right;lyre in left field
Cast fake. Exactly matches another example in the reports.
Modern reproduction
Sold without warranty on ebay May 2009maridvnvm
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Alexander III The Great, Macedonian Kingdom, 336 - 323 B.C.145 viewsSilver tetradrachm, Price 2949, Müller 550, Pamphylia, Side mint, weight 16.991g, maximum diameter 28.7mm, die axis 45o, c. 325 - 320 B.C.; obverse Herakles' head right, clad in Nemean lion scalp headdress tied at neck; reverse BASILEWS ALEXANDROU, Zeus enthroned left, eagle in right, scepter in left, wreath left, DI under throne
Struck or pressed with modern dies.Joe Sermarini
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Alexander III the Great, Silver Decadrachm of the Poros type338 viewsObv:- Alexander, on horseback to right, attacking elephant moving right bearing two riders
Rev:- Alexander standing left holding spear and thunderbolt; to left Nike flying right to crown him
Fig 7a is the false coin - 41.06g
Fig 7b is genuine from Bank Leu 45, 1988, Lot 132 - 38.96g
This coin is part of what IAPN/BOC coined as the British Museum Forgers (BMF) production. These are coins based on electrotypes of coins from the British Museum (BM) that have been used to create new dies that have been enhanced in various ways. These coins are considered dangerous counterfeits and caused a lot of embarrassment amongst dealers in the mid-late 1980s when they made it through onto the market.
Whilst being dangerous they all share certain characteristics:-
a) the relief on the coin type is much more rounded and fuller than on the original coin and is often higher
b) many of the coins show no sign of any real wear but lack sharpness giving the impression of being weakly struck
c) the coin is known in an example from the same dies in the BM collection
d) the coin differs in very small ways and these changes are areas of either wear or damage on the BM coin
e) the area of join between the coin type and the flan is never really sharp
f) on gold coins the fields tend to be perfectly flat with some wavyness or convexity on the reverse. The surfaces are so perfect they look like melted chocolate
g) the pattern of wear makes no sense with very clear details on areas which are higher in relief than more flat or worn ones
New dies were made from the Leu coin and are highly unsuccessful. Giveaway signs are the smooth fields without the banks and marks these coins invariably have. Some details recut. The patina is unlike that seen on any genuine example and appears to have been painted on.
Published in the IAPN BOC Vol 17, No. 1 in 1992 - Example 7
Image used with permission of IAPNmaridvnvm
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Alexander III the Great, Silver Decadrachm of the Poros type136 viewsObv:- Alexander, on horseback to right, attacking elephant moving right bearing two riders
Rev:- Alexander standing left holding spear and thunderbolt; to left Nike flying right to crown him
Fig 12 is the false coin - 40.07g.
A much counterfeited coin, probably copied from the BM specimen.
Published in the IAPN BOC Vol 14, No. 2 in 1989 - example 12
Image used with permission of IAPNmaridvnvm
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Alexander III the Great, Silver Decadrachm of the Poros type33 viewsObv:- Alexander, on horseback to right, attacking elephant moving right bearing two riders
Rev:- Alexander standing left holding spear and thunderbolt; to left Nike flying right to crown him
Sold as a replica on ebay January 2015maridvnvm
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ALEXANDER III THE GREAT, Tetradrachm, Odessos, Price 1193169 viewsAR Tetradrachm, Odessos Mint, 125 - 75 BC
Obv.Head of young Herakles in lion's skin right, with facial features of Mithradates VI of Pontus.
Rev. BAΣIΛEΩΣ AΛEΞANΔPOY, Zeus enthroned left, holding eagle and sceptre. Below monogram OΔH
MODERN CAST FAKE
BEING SOLD ON EBAY AS ORIGINAL BY MEDITAT2009mihali84
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Alexander III The Great; Kingdom of Macedon68 viewsKingdom of Macedon. Alexander III ‘The Great’
AV Stater
unknown size and weight
Helmeted head of Athena right / AΛEΞANΔPOY; Nike standing left, holding wreath and stylis; thunderbolt in l. field
Modern forgery, sold as replica on 2013.
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Alexander III type84 viewsAR Tetradtrachm
Obv: Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin
Rev.: Zeus Aëtophoros seated left
Cast, artificial patina.
Ilya Prokopov
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Alexander III type74 viewsAR Tetradtrachm
Obv: Head of Herakles left, wearing lion skin
Rev.: Zeus Aëtophoros seated left
Cast.
Ilya Prokopov
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Alexander III type81 viewsAR Dtrachm
Obv: Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin
Rev.: Zeus Aëtophoros seated left
Cast, artificial patina.
Ilya Prokopov
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Alexander III, 336 – 323 273 viewsGold plated Stater
Obv. Head of Athena r., wearing Corinthian helmet.
Rev. ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ Nike standing l., holding wreath and stylus; in outer field l., V, and in lower field l., monogram.
Cast, made in Levant
Ilya Prokopov
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Alexander III, 336-323 293 viewsAR Tetradrachm, Side (Pamphylia), posthumous c. 325-320 BC.
Obv. Head of Herakles with lion's skin r.
Rev. Zeus Aetophoros with sceptre std. l. on throne, wreath in l. field., SA below throne.
Cast from Slavey.
Ilya Prokopov
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Alexander III, 336-323 BC140 viewsStater
Obv. Head of Athena with Corinthian helmet r.
Rev. ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ, Nike with wreath and stylis l., helmet in l.
Cast.
Ilya Prokopov
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Alexander III, 336-323 BC72 viewsAV Stater (in silver)
O: helmeted head of Athena right
R: Nike standing left, wreath in right, stylis in left, N in left field
Castjon
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Alexander III, 336-323 BC. 200 viewsAV Stater
Obv. Hd. of Athena in Attic helmet to r.
Rev. BASILEWS - ALEXANDROY Nike with wreath and stylis advancing to l., symbol on l.
Cast, “Dimitrovgrad Studio”
Ilya Prokopov
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Alexander III, 336-323 BC. 312 viewsAV Stater
Obv. Head right of Athena wearing triple-crested helmet.
Rev. Nike standing left, holding wreath and stylis.
Visible cast, white alloy, unequal surface, great number of bubbles. Ilya Prokopov
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Alexander III, Dionysopolis. 148 viewsAR Tetradrachm, circa 225 - 190.
Obv.: Head of Herakles right in lionskin.
Rev.: Zeus enthroned left, holding eagle and scepter. In the left lield bunch and monogram B. Another monogram below the thron.
Cast.
Ilya Prokopov
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Alexander III, Drachm97 viewsCast Fake submitted to the Spanish Forum Imperio-Numismatico for verification.
Jan_2012
AR Drachm, 19 mm 4.77 gr.
Obv. Hd. of Herakles r., wearing lion's skin headdress
Rev. Zeus seated l., holding eagle and sceptre.
Die Match:
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/displayimage.php?pos=-6347mdelvalle
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Alexander III, Lampsakos90 viewsAlexander III the Great, 336-323 BC
Silver Drachm of Lampsakos, circa 323-317 BC. Struck under Philip III Arrhidaios
Obverse: Head of Hercules right, Wearing lion-skin headdress.
Reverse: Zeus Aëtophoros seated left holding eagle and scepter, buckle and delta in left field,
AΛEΞANΔΡOΥ on right and AI below throne.
3.02 Grams / 17 mm
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ALEXANDER III, MACEDONIA 287 viewsAV Stater, 19/19 mm; 8.450 g; 12h
Obv. Head of Athena with Corinthian helmet r.
Rev. ALEXANDRO.. Nike stg. l., holding wreath and ship’s mast.
Struck, "Lipanoff Studio"
Published: Sofia 2005, no.36
Ilya Prokopov
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