Is this Julius Ceasar fake? Please help...

[Jan K2]

Hello to everybody,

I am confused by this denarius, Julius Ceasar, military mint. It has been offered by a reputable auction house, weight is 3,74 g. However, I am confused by the die. It look very different to all what I have seen. I have even checked many photos of fake coins. I was not successful to find such a coin in literature, or coin archives etc.

May I ask the experts here, if this coin is a fake?



Thank you in advance for your help

[Nemonater]

It appears to me that the elephant is trampling an upside down boot?  I would be shocked if this was authentic, more like a poor quality replica.

[paps]

Well I wouldn't consider myself an expert, but I agree with Jan - Looks to be crude fake. BTW - these are faked a lot, so I would really study known genuine examples for comparison.

[Joe Sermarini]

Have you looked for a match in the fake coin reports?

[Jan K2]

Thank you for all your comments.

Yes, I tried to find such a coin in the fake reports here, but I was not successful. Actually, I have not find any similar coin anywhere in the internet. The auctioneer is a big Austrian auction house with very good reputation, thats why I am confused. I would trust them not to offer such a fake coin. THe elephant, the snake, but also the reverse look very different in comparison to the known dies of the coins from the miliary mint. 

[Joe Sermarini]

The blurry pics are distracting. That is a very strange coin.  I suppose it could be an ancient imitative or counterfeit but I think it is much more likely a modern fake.