Lokroi Epizephyrioi, Bruttium. Question about authenticity

[Petros]

Is everything OK with this stater? Weight: 8,55g

[Petros]

These are nearly identical variants but I wonder about the positioning of the letters. If the coin is authentic, what could be the reason for the different placement of the letters?

[Jay GT4]

The dies are cut by hand, so unless the coin comes from the same die then the letters will have different spacing. 

[Meepzorp]

Hi PN,

Why are there black spots near the bottom of the horse's rear legs? Could this coin be plated?

Meepzorp

[Petros]

The dies are cut by hand, so unless the coin comes from the same die then the letters will have different spacing.

Thank you. I'm just worried that I can't find a second identical die on acsearch.

[Petros]

Hi PN,

Why are there black spots near the bottom of the horse's rear legs? Could this coin be plated?

Meepzorp

I'm wondering about that too. The coin isn't mine. The auction house describes it as "blaue Auflagen" (blue patina?)

[Joe Sermarini]

The dies are cut by hand, so unless the coin comes from the same die then the letters will have different spacing.

Thank you. I'm just worried that I can't find a second identical die on acsearch.

Why are you worried if you don't own the coin?

[Petros]

Because I want to bid on it. I started this thread to hear your opinion.

[Joe Sermarini]

We do not allow screening of coin purchases here.  You should either know the coin is genuine based on your own expertise or know you can rely on the expertise and guarantee of the seller. It is not wise to buy coins you do not know are genuine from sellers you do not know are reliable based on opinions of photos in an online discussion. We do not allow screening here in part because we want you to be smarter.

Your reasons for doubting this coin were not valid, but that does not mean the coin is genuine. I cannot authenticate this coin from these photos. In fact, I rarely can confidently authenticate a coin from photos alone. 

[Petros]

Thanks for the reply. If I see an obvious counterfeit from a seller, can I report it here?

I am a beginner collector. Besides photos of available specimens, what else do you check for the authenticity of coins?

[Joe Sermarini]

I check all the coins that I sell, in hand, often using a binocular microscope. I do not usually (never really) buy coins based on photos alone from sellers that I do not know are reliable and offer a guarantee of authenticity. I have been a dealer for over 20 years and I still do not buy from people I do not know unless I have had the coin in hand.

[Petros]

Thanks!

Are there any other guides on how to recognize counterfeit coins on FAC besides this one: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=A%20Case%20of%20Counterfeits ?

[Pekka K]

Fake Coin Reports:

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/index.php?cat=5

Pekka K