Gordian III - Very dangerous bulgarian cast fakes

[Din X]

And here is an ancient transfer die forgery.
These ancient transfer die fakes are often hybrids.
Maybe the coins were damage due to production process of one transfer die and so with one coin only one obverse or reverse die could be created or they did not care for right die combinations and mixed transfer dies.

This is actually off topic about transfer dies and can be so removed by admins , if they think that mixing topics is not good and can lead to confusion.

[Kevin D]

Din X,
Thanks for the interesting posts. Apologies for going off topic on this thread. I wondered before posting if I should start a new thread, and would have if I knew you were going to make such detailed and interesting replies.

[Joe Sermarini]

Please remember to start a new thread if you have a new topic.

[Tibsi]

Can you say what kind of camera or imaging device you used to make those photos, and what the cost of such a device is?

Geniue VIRTVS anto: Fuji FinePix S5600 (5.1 MPx from 2005!)
Close-up photos: Canon PowerShot A60 (2 MPx from 2003!) and a simple 8x magnifying glass

[glebe]

Only the very bottom coin, the 4th coin, is genuine. The three coins above it are fake.

Actually, on reflection I'm with Joe - nether Virtus Aug is very convincing.

Ross G.

[Din X]

I am always impressed how some can tell from very small and bad pictures like picture 1+2 from first post in this thread if both coins are cast fakes or not.
Picture can be misleading and so coins can look different in hand than on pictures.
And I see how many cast fakes are fooling even experts in hand, if we consider how many cast fakes are in auctions of reputable auction houses or offered buy dealers, then it might be not as easy to detect cast fakes as some might think.
If there are 2 almost identical coins it is of course clear that in best case only one can be the authentic mother and one must be a cast fake and in worst case both are cast fakes.
I honestly would never dare to authenticated based on such bad pcitues to high risk to be wrong and too much speculation.
The only Exception would be that non of them could be the authentic mother because I would know the authentic mother (with better details and higher weight).
And sometimes even I have problems to tell if cast or not in hand, this is the cases if my guts (more reliable) says something different than my brain (Caesar Hybrid) or if both say dunno (Numerian Medaillon).
I do not want to sound arrogant but I am not completely bad if it comes to spotting csat fakes in auctions of reputable auction houses and there can be of course experts better in detecting cast fakes but that to do this reliable based on so small pictures would be impressive.
If I suspect a coin belonging to a respected member to be cast fake I would rather say that the coin does not look good on pictures but this could be due to the very small and bad pitures and that pictures can be sometimes misleading and for a reliable authentication better or much better pictures including edge pictures and weight is required.
I understand that some do not like Tibsi´s coin if they look on the small picture but I think the picture is misleading because on the pictures made under high magnification the surface looks imho convincing and I see nothing indicating it would be a cast fake.
But to be sure of course good pictures of all details of the coin and edge pictures and weight would be helpful to make a more reliable authentication possible.

[Kevin D]

Can you say what kind of camera or imaging device you used to make those photos, and what the cost of such a device is?

Geniue VIRTVS anto: Fuji FinePix S5600 (5.1 MPx from 2005!)
Close-up photos: Canon PowerShot A60 (2 MPx from 2003!) and a simple 8x magnifying glass

Thanks Tibsi. I am amazed that you can make such good and clear close-ups with a camera that is selling for $20-$30 on eBay. I will be trying to buy one in the near future (Canon PowerShot A60).

[glebe]

On the bottom Pax coin there is a bead on the top half of Pax's staff.
Where is that bead on the top Pax coin?

Ross G.

[Din X]

On the bottom Pax coin there is a bead on the top half of Pax's staff.
Where is that bead on the top Pax coin?

Ross G.

I think the pictures are misleading and if you make pictures with a different angle/axis this can make details look different.
You would be of course right if there would be actually a detail missing (from original dies) on bottom coin which can be found on top coin, except this detail had been recut in casting mould.
The PAX coin picture 4 complete bottom coin (from first post in this thread), looks perfectly fine in pictures and was sold by reputable auction house and belongs to a collector who is actually good in autentcation and who is specualized in Gordian coins, I know him because he is active on German board like me.

Tibisi´s coin with Virtus reverse was sold by German auciton house 2016, I add a better huger picture made by auction house

4,25 g 24 mm

[glebe]

Why is the emperor's face rough on coin 4 but smooth on coin 3?
To me it's doubtful that coin 4 is the actual mother of coin 3.

Ross G.

[glebe]

By the way, what happened to the D in Gordianus on the Pax coin?

Ross G.