Thasos stater - real?

[maxthrax]

Hi all,

I have some doubts about this coin, mainly because of its low price - 200$, which is more than a bargain for this rare variety;
another reason is the surface dirt seem to come off pretty easily, and weight is 8.20, which seems normal, but a bit on the low end.
Otherwise it looks and feels ok in hand, but there are many and different fakes of this thasos stater type, so I decided to ask for some expert help.
Thanks in advance!

[djmacdo]

I see a number of what look like "casting pearls."  I doubt the coin is ancient.

[maxthrax]

Thanks! So, as I supposed - "too good to be true". I have to admit I didn't suspect it to be cast,
but rather a pressed or struck fake, there are some tiny edge cracks. Probably a 'high quality" cast then, but are there any other indications for a cast fake?  Not quite sure about the casting pearls you mentioned, but if this turns out to be a fake
with a sure, I'd better stick to my provincials

[djmacdo]

Sadly, these days bargains often prove to be too good to be true!  Mentioning provincials, which I used to collect but do no longer--just for the fun of it I maintain a catalogue of imperials of Apollonia in Illlyria.  That is easy to do because of the rarity of the imperial period coins of that city.  I know that RPC will eventually cover the entire period for the town, bit it is fun in the meantime.

[Joe Sermarini]

See this page for the issues of this type and their style.

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/NumisWiki/view.asp?key=Satyrs%20and%20Nymphs

This coin does not seem to match any of the issues/styles known to me. I don't think it is cast.

[maxthrax]

Here is , if not a die match, but same style dies, I think. A rare type, better example than the present
https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=997079

[Joe Sermarini]

Interesting. Attached is a larger image of the Nomos coin. It looks more the normal style than the coin that started this thread. I think that may be because the coin that started this thread may be tooled.

[maxthrax]

I won't be surprised, the fields looked kinda too even and somehow doesn't fit to the whole depiction. Of course, this is just a probability, it may just be a worn coin, but not a fake in any case.
Tooling would explain the low price it was offered for, probably derived from much worse, poor condition, even for a very rare type. Thank you for your help!