Fake (?) Geta Medallion from Pergamon, several (unnamed) Auction Houses

[Curtis JJ]

Not only are the centering (and centering dimples) the same, but the same edge marks on the reverse at 2 o'clock and 3 o'clock reverse. (Among other details/defects, such as the doubling.)

I figure all three are different fakes from the same cast. The timing is such that the "nice" one could've theoretically been smoothed & cleaned up from the "middling" one, but it's reportedly about 14g heavier. Or conceivably genuine bust cast several years before making its appearances at two major auction firms. (Seems improbable.)

But the ugly one is for sale now, so at a minimum it must be a cast. I think there are some other ones, too, but I just grabbed these photos to illustrate. If you're used to searching for ancient coin images/records, it won't be hard to find these. This type isn't in RPC yet.

The "Nice" One (2020 & 2022):



The "Middling" One (2015):



The "Ugly" One (NOW):

[maxthrax]

Here is another one, from 2015.. Same shape and marks

[maridvnvm]

And another from 2019?

[maxthrax]

Dangerous and deceptive fakes, different types of convincing patination.. 
But at the other hand, somehow quite easy to spot in their die equalities?..
I wouldn't pay that much attention on that fact, if those were sold on ebay, but..

[Joe Sermarini]

Fake coin report(s) please.

[Curtis JJ]

Fake coin report(s) please.

Uploaded, including 1 or 2 more shared on this thread: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/displayimage.php?pid=22467

Before uploading, I checked and found that Prokopov posted an example in 2009! (It's really unfortunate that none of those sellers searched first.)
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/displayimage.php?pid=7578



When I was searching again, I noticed what I suspect is a second set of "dies" for this type following a very similar pattern (similar varieties of surfaces, weathering), but I still need to make sure they're not just repeated sales of the same 1 or 2 coins after smoothing, tooling, and re-patinating.

I've been noticing this a LOT lately with Provincial Medallion size bronzes. (Maybe it was always like that & I just hadn't looked closely before.)

[Joe Sermarini]

These cast fakes have been around a while. The makers produced a variety of larger bronze fakes. At one time I was receiving them for consignment regularly (and rejecting them, of course). At first I detected them only when comparing with recent auctions for pricing and finding clones. They are very deceptive at first, but after you see a dozen in hand, not so much. There is something I cannot describe that becomes familiar and recognizable about them in hand.

[Fulvio V]

Why do you think this is also false? Couldn't it be the authentic host?

And another from 2019?

[Curtis JJ]

The important point is that any of these coins must be viewed with extreme skepticism and considered fake until proven otherwise. To ID an example as the authentic host, it would require overcoming a heavy presumption of guilt & meeting a high burden of evidence. To keep the legal metaphor going, one would need to give a very strong "affirmative defense" for the coin.

To your specific question, though: I think it may be imaginable -- improbable, but imaginable -- that one of them is the "original" host. But if so, it should be the one with the most detail (i.e., the very top coin shown, the 2020 & 2022 example). You expect the cast copies to all have slightly less detail than the original, rather than the cast copies having details that were worn away from the host coin. (Of course, you could also imagine some of the cast copies also having been tooled.)

Why do you think this is also false? Couldn't it be the authentic host?

And another from 2019?