These all appear to have been produced from a genuine
stater, which has provided a host for the creation of a set of transfer dies that have been manipulated to alter the control
symbols. It is possible that only one
obverse die has been used, which has been successively re-engraved. The
obverse lyre may have been re-engraved into the
turtle form. Note that the
turtle is a deeper control mark occupying the same space as the
lyre, and that the same three dots (die flaws) appear on both the late
lyre and
turtle coins.
At least two
reverse dies seem to have been produced, both beginning life without
symbols, one subsequently
engraved with a koppa, the other with a sigma. Note the
ebay coin which is undoubtedly one of these, but which cannot be a successive re-engraving of the sigma,
nor the sigma a reengraving of the koppa, unless the striker found a means to temporarily block an already
engraved control mark. The ethnik controls on the sigma die show a progression of
additions from the earliest appearing example, to the most recent - we see the
appear first, followed by the R
.
It is also likely that several
obverse dies were produced, which if paired with the unmodified koppa die, will be difficult to detect.
The only useful image here present for examination of the metal is Rupert's original post. The metal is dull and lacking in both lustre and flow lines. It has a mildly grainy characteristic. While it is difficult to assess a coin's appearance on the basis of a photo, this looks rather like the
fakes of this
type that emanate from
Sicily. Encrustations and staining are no indicator of authenticity,
nor is corrosion. All of these can be artificially induced.
Note also that the
ebay coin is struck on a splayed
flan. While this characteristic is occasionally found on authentic coins, it is very
rare due to the fact that it indicates an incorrect annealing of the blank which is more often due to lack of understanding on the
part of forgers than honest mistakes in
antiquity.
Pegasi are a staple of forgers, since they are a common
type that often goes overlooked or uninspected by dealers and auctioneers alike. They are not routinely scrutinised like Sicilian tetradrachms are (mostly due to the fact that they are not seen as being Sicilian coins) but they should be. Most large
hoards of
Pegasi originate in
Sicily, and forgers have
plenty of subjects from which to make transfer dies. Before I am accused of saying that the sky is falling, be assured it is not. Careful inspection of these coins at high magnification will always reveal a forgery.
Thus, an examination of one of these coins under a microscope by someone well acquainted with Sicilian
forgeries should reveal whether they are authentic or not.
Fake Coins and Notorious Fake Sellers
