Fake or Real Alexander Tetradrachm

[kennethi]

I bought this coin recently and suspect that it may be a fake. Can someone please have a look and give me the benefit of their experience.

It is 29mm and 20.83g.

rgds,

Ken.

(kennethi)

[Philoromaos]

Cast fake, no doubt about it.

[cicerokid]

I don't doubt you but why is it a fake ..is it that obvious?

I am trying to learn this stuff...and since I am  a novice I only buy from reputable reccomended dealers.

I do think that the original coin would have been minted in Asia minor probably Aspendos due to the spear? in the exergue. Maybe it has a  somewhere..the mint marks for Aspendos  (I believe).
My Alex 111 tet (posthumous) also has a countermark on the obverse of a Seleucid anchor stamped about 172BC according to my researches.

[Philoromaos]

You will never find a genuine struck coin that looks like this. The detail is soft and blurry the edges of the devices where they meet the fields should be crisp with plenty of definition on this they just melt into the fields and not to mention the numerous casting pits on the coin. This is a very poor quality cast.

[mihali84]

To add to Adrian S's post, if you take a look at the edge of the coin you will most likely find a casting seem, a line that runs along the edge of the coin, created by the two sides of the cast used to make the coin.  Forgers will often try to mask the seem by filing the edges of a coin.

[El Reye]

A tetradrachm of Alexander should weigh about 17.00 grams, plus or minus a gram, any larger deviation in this weight deserves additional scrutiny.

Cameron

[Reid Goldsborough]

As others have said, this is without question a modern cast forgery and for the reasons they said. But what's interesting about this piece is that it's heavy, not light, as the vast majority of cast fakes are. I'm guessing it's made with a lead alloy.

[kennethi]

Many thanks for all your help.

I was able to get a full refund from the seller, so that was good news.

I will post a fake coin report for this in due course.

K

[kennethi]

** BEWARE  **

This coins is back on sale on eBay by danny1970000!

See item 260529914415, ending 02 Jan, 201021:18:58 GMT.

Can I report this to eBay?

Ken

(kennethi)

[areich]

You can but they won't do anything.

[mihali84]

Ken, i agree with Areich.  Out of the hundreds of known fakes i have reported on eBay in the past, only a handful were ever actually taken down.  It's almost a lost cause to report a fake coin being sold as authentic on eBay, but it can't hurt to still file the report.  It takes less than a minute and wether or not its taken down at least you tried. 

Regards
Mike

[SRukke]

I notified Ebay and the seller and the coin is now pulled. Probably the seller took it down.

[kennethi]

The seller did indeed take it off.

A Result! Many thanks for all your help.

Ken.