The problem is that it is not always that easy to prove coins from modern hand cut dies to be actually
fakes.
The main aspect is
fakes are different from authentic coins.
Generally they have more than one problem.
And at the end we can collect arguments for and against authenticity and see which
side has more arguments and better agruments and then choose this
side.
Sometimes it is not so easy to find words for what is wrong or sometimes we do not even know exactly what is wrong with a coin we only know that it is fake becasue it reminds us on
fakes and seems to look different than authentic coins.
But if we lay such a fake next to an authentic coin from this emission we see that it must be wrong.
I suspect the metal to be modern, I doubt that they melted
ancient coins for them, so this can not be verified.
Interesting would be for example
die axis of these
fakes.
Many forgers use
die axis 12 or 6 o´clock or some do not use a specific
die axis.
So it would be interesting to compare, the
die axis with the
die axis needed for authentic coins form this emissions.
Sadly it is not so easy and sometimes impossible to correct determine
die axis of coins from pictures alone:(
If you have something to orientate it can
work like a huge edge
crack going through
rim and visible on both sides, 1 or 2 casting sprues (they are normal for some Greek emissions), or a very specific
flan shape.
It seems like the coins from
Roman Republic (
Rome mint), did not have any specivic
die axis but they started to to become fixed dies at the end of the republic (
die axis 6 or 10 o´clock).
And
Roman coins from the later
Roman Empire "Imperial" coins from
Rome mint generally seem to have a
die axis 6 or 12 o´clock.
And it seems like even if there where lose dies in
Roman Republic, coins from the same dies
still had very often same
die axis.
But at
Roman Republic coins from other mints could have fixed dies at 6 or 12 o´clock.
See at the end of my post the 2 articles I am referring to and the quotes form them.
It seems like some coins of
Julius Caesar, of which he has some
fakes too, were not struck at a specific
die axis.
Then it would be a problem and condemning if
his fakes of these coins are all struck with a
die axis 6 or 12 o´clock and if lose dies it would be a problem if coins from the same dies would have different
die axis.
I only have a legionar fake from him with
die axis 6 o´clock and ordered a
Julius Caesar Denar for 400
Euro, which should be struck at lose dies but I just ordered so I do not have it now and do not know
die axis.
And even if the
die axis would be 6 or 12 o´clock it would not be representative becasue we do not know of the others but it would be a bad sign, if someone can determine the
die axis from
his pictures of
Julius Caesar coins it would be great and more representative.
I looked for fun at my fake
Roman and Greek from modern hand cut dies about 1500 and as we could and would expect most have
die axis 6 or 12 o´clock = 180 or 360 degrees.
Almost all
Roman Republic fakes I own have a
die axis 6 or 12 o´clock = 180-360 degrees although authentic coins were not struck at any specific
die axis.
There are some exceptions authentic
Brutus denarii and
aurei were not struck at
Rome mint and only with
die axis 12 o´clock = 360 degrees.
And so some
Brutus fakes in my
collection have correct
die axis 12 o´clock = 360 degrees and some wrong
die axis 6 o´clock =
180 degrees.
One
Brutus Eid Mar fake in my
collection has
die axis 190 degrees it an old fake of a silver denar which is a die match to the old fake
Eid Mar aureus in BM, I assume, the
die axis of the fake BM
Brutus aureus is wrong, too,
die axis must be 360 degrees!
Most authentic
Greek coins were struck with lose dies without any specific
die axis.
But really many Greek
fakes are struck at
die axis 6 or 12 o´clock = 180 or 360 degrees.
For
die axis Greek coins see "François de Callataÿ, Les
monnaies grecques et l'orientation "
Page 487+488
The most precise account of that subject has long been
Hill´s statement that at
Rome irregular prevails during Replublic except towards the end when there is a tendency to regularize, and under the Empire the dies were fixed wither (arrow up) or (arrow down)"
W.
HOLLSTEIN, Die Stempelstellung - ein ungenutztes interpretationskriterium für die Münzen der Römischen Republik
https://www.skd.museum/fileadmin/userfiles/Forschung/Dokumente/Dokumente_Forschungskanal/XII.Int.Kongress_Berlin_2000_Beitrag_WH.pdfPage 91+92 "the view that
Crawford expressed, and which remains widely accepted, was that
Roman denarii were produced carelessly and in hast".
Page 91 "and it was mainly to highlight, that coins from the same pair of dies often have the same
die axis"
Patterns in
Die Axes on
Roman Republican Silver Coinage by CHARLES PARISOT-SILLON, ARNAUD SUSPÈNE and
GUILLAUME SARAH
https://www.jstor.org/stable/44710185There are so many
fakes I even stopped to download pictures of all of them a long times ago, I only download pictures form imho interesting ones and later get in trouble if
fakes will appear at
auctions, of which I did not save picture because they were not interesting enough. To add
fakes can be very time consuming (and it does not seem to be really that appreciated and honorated).
Of course a fake databe can be very helpful (if
quality and quantitiy is
good).
But to understand how to detect
fakes can be even more important.
The
fakes I got fooled recently have identical or similar problems as these
fakes.
The
fakes Chersonesos,
Istros and even some of these
Apollonia Pontica Drachms looked convincing at first sight and my main problem was that I underestimated forgers.
As excuse for
Apollonia Drachms, I already
had 2
fakes from
New York Hoard and they were pressed (thickness of
planchet is everywhere the same), they
had artificial
toning (or paint) and strange planchets.
Then I got another one which
had been withdrawn as fake but looked convincing in hand, struck,
planchet had different thickness at ends, the edge and
planchet looks
fine and much superior than the 2 fake I already has that I could not believe that they can be from same workshop. And I bought another one from a reputable dealer, struck and convincing edge and
planchet but not as convincing like the one I
had already and later I saw that this dealer has listed another one which was very obvious fake and which I bought too.
So I have know 5
Apollonia Drachms, all fake and die linked to each other, some more obvious fake than others, from fresh dies and if from same dies from same die state.
And 3
Istros fakes from one artist, 2 bought as authentic 1 as
fakes, if you see them together and the die links, it is clear that they are fake.
Chersonesos 5
fakes from one artist, die linked, from fresh dies and if from same dies from same die state.
But if you do not look at one coin alone but on the whole die linked dies, then it becomes more obvious that they must be fake.