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Author Topic: Caracalla. Apollo ? Fake? Low weight  (Read 898 times)

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Offline aruabus

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Caracalla. Apollo ? Fake? Low weight
« on: August 18, 2021, 05:01:46 pm »
Hi everyone. I am not sure about this coin. Maybe stucked in 114-115. Help please. Weight is only 2.3gr, diameter 1,9cm. Do you think It could be genuine? Obverse has a branch and sceptre. Thanks.

Offline djmacdo

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Re: Caracalla. Hércules ? Fake? Low weight
« Reply #1 on: August 18, 2021, 05:33:59 pm »
To me it looks legitimate, but corroded which may account for the low weight.  I hasten to add that this is not my special field, so you would be well advised to listen to other opinions.

Offline Joe Sermarini

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Re: Caracalla. Apollo ? Fake? Low weight
« Reply #2 on: September 09, 2021, 04:39:51 pm »
Probably genuine.
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Offline Ron C2

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Re: Caracalla. Apollo ? Fake? Low weight
« Reply #3 on: September 09, 2021, 05:32:54 pm »
2.3g is NOT underweight for a caracalla denarius.

While 3g was the "standard", you more often see them lower weight than that, and occasionally much heavier - up to 4g or so. 

My lightest Caracalla denarius right now is 2.21g, but I've had them as light as 2.09g. 

Usually the lighter they are, the more porous they are.  Caracalla's later denarii are as low as around 50% silver content.  The rest is mostly copper, which tends to corrode out near the coin's surface if the coin came from overly acidic soil.  This is often why late Severan-era denarii (and all third century Roman silvers) sometimes have that "frosted" look.  Technically it's called "selective phase corrosion".  It's common when you have noble metals alloyed with copper in corrosive environments.

(yes, I have experience of this stuff in my day job).
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