Unofficial Nero Brass As or Modern Fake?

[Joe Sermarini]

Ancient counterfeit brass as, cf. RIC I 214, BMCRE I 252 (reduced module orichalcum as, official, Rome mint, 64 A.D., c. 7g - 8g), aF, weight 3.418 g, maximum diameter 22.8 mm, die axis 180o, Unofficial mint, c. 64 A.D.; obverse NERO CLAVD CAESAR AVG GER P M TR P IMP P, laureate head right; reverse GENIO AVGVSTI, Genius standing left, nude to the waist, sacrificing from patera in right over altar at feet on left, cornucopia in right, T(?) in exergue

It is brass, very thin and clearly cast with broken off flat wide sprues on the top and bottom.  

Does anyone know of unofficial issues of this type?  Or is this simply a modern fake?  Opinions?  Comments?

[Genio popvli romani]

Hi,

There as such unofficial issues, mine is below. Note that it has a concave shape but no evidence of sprue, they probably have been well cut unlike yours. The other different point is that mine is made of "red copper alloy" and yours seems to have been made with a kind of brass which seems to be unusual for an as.

[Joe Sermarini]

Thanks.  I am aware other cast unofficial issues exist. I do believe my coin is ancient. I was more specifically enquiring if there were known unofficial issues of this type of orichalcum small module as. 

[Genio popvli romani]

Oops, I didn't pay attention to the module  , I 've never seen imitation for these.

[WindchildPunico]

Funny timing...

I was just about to post this coin that I was given while at the ANA Summer Seminar which is similar.

It also looks like it is Brass.



22 mm


I have no idea if this is official or not, which is why I posted it here.

[dougsmit]

I believe this last is official and matches this one from Forum
http://www.acsearch.info/record.html?id=225965
unless you want to consider it has a bit more wear.  

When a coin gets very worn, some signs of casting get hidden but, even at this poor state, I think I see edges on some detail not seen in the casts shown earlier.  

[Pscipio]

From the pictures, Joe's coin does look ancient to me. The bulk of such thin cast imitations is from later emperors.

Lars

[Adrian W]

This is one of the coins that was part of the Seaver Collection here is the lot it was part of you can see it at the bottom