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| Fake Coin ReportsUSE THE FAKE COIN REPORTS SEARCH TOOL to find a specific type. Start with only one or two terms and add more if you get too many results. Using the search will be much faster than clicking through pages of reports. FORVM recommends buying ancient coins only from reputable dealers. ALL COINS PURCHASED FROM FORVM ANCIENT COINS ARE GUARANTEED FOR ETERNITY. If you must purchase from an unknown seller, we recommend looking for the type here first. Please join FORVM's Classical Numismatic Discussion and then report fake, replica, and modern counterfeit ancient coins here. FORVM will screen these reports and correct any errors we detect, however, any discussion board member may submit a report. It is possible that a genuine coin could be listed here in error. Except for known fraudulent regular sellers of fakes, do not include the names of sellers in reports. DO NOT POST COINS HERE TO ASK IF THEY ARE FAKE - USE THE DISCUSSION. |
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| Fake Coin Study Images - Learn to Identify Fake CoinsExamine these images and read the descriptions to learn how to identify modern forgeries of ancient coins. Discussion board members please add images of study value and describe the characteristics that indicate the coin is a fake. |
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Evidence of Casting
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Pitting, filled cracks, field dips, edge seams, filing, soft features, lack of detail, casting sprues, ghost images...
91 files, last one added on Nov 16, 2019
Album viewed 1371 times
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| 19,078 files in 37 albums and 3 categories with 678 comments viewed 2,559,378 times |
| Last additions |
Mithradates II (Parthia)1 viewsTetradrachm
Sellwood type 24
Crude fake cast in the wrong metal, listed as an “unresearched very rare ancient Roman Greek coin” by eBay seller owl.antiques, January 2023Robert L3Jan 30, 2023
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Mithradates II (Parthia)1 viewsTetradrachm
Sellwood type 24
Crude fake cast in the wrong metal, listed as an “unresearched rare ancient Roman Greek coin” by eBay seller m-antiquities, January 2023Robert L3Jan 30, 2023
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Mithradates II (Parthia)1 viewsTetradrachm
Sellwood type 24
Crude fake cast in the wrong metal, sold (and misattributed as Tigranes II) by eBay seller hasbe-1270, January 2023
Robert L3Jan 30, 2023
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Marcus Aurelius altered RIC 2221 viewsM ANTONINVS AVG TR P XXIII (sic), laureate head right.
SALVTI AVG COS III, Salus standing left by serpent-entwined altar, holding patera and sceptre.
An altered RIC 222 - the date IIII of the date changed to III by the use of a rectangular punch which has left visible, rectangular depressions around the letters.
No silver coins were struck during Aurelius' tribunal year 23 (XXIII). According to several sources this was a mark
of respect and mourning after the death of Lucius Verus shortly after the start of Aurelius' tribunal year 23. This coin listed in
RIC, BMCRE, Cohen, Sear etc. only with ..XXIIII.
Sent to wildwinds for identification.helveticaJan 27, 2023
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Fake crab with TY above0 views"CARIA - Uncertain (B.C. 410-380)"
Head of Helios (?) facing, turned slightly to the left.
TY above crab.
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This was offered to a coin dealer friend together with a number of other extremely convincing (but known) fakes.
The letters TY on their own were used on coins of
- Himera, Sicily (SNG Lewis 309 and Kraay, Himera p. 13 Rooster left/Hen right)
- Stymphalos, Arcadia (SNG Delepierre 2321, Head of Herakles/head of bird right)
There is also a coin with TYMNO from Termera, Caria, but all the known coins from there were quite poorly made and always had Herakles kneeling right on the obverse.
Motya (Sicily) struck coins with the head of Arethusa facing/Crab but all have the city name, usually in Punic beneath the crab. This type is apparently the closest "pattern" possible.
It is a well-made fake, and it is a puzzle why the faker added TY, thus making it so obviously different. Perhaps they were his own initials ... helveticaJan 27, 2023
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Trajan, Cast Sestertius11 viewsObv. IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS VI P P; Bust of Trajan, laureate, draped.
Rev. IMPERATOR VIII; Trajan, seated on platform, addressing soldiers.
Cast fake, 34 mm, 21,40 g. Auctioned as genuine, Germany 2023.Leon S2Jan 22, 2023
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Trajan, Cast Sestertius8 viewsObv. IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS VI P P; Bust of Trajan, laureate, draped.
Rev. IMPERATOR VIII; Trajan, seated on platform, addressing soldiers.
Cast fake, 33 mm, 20,19 g. Auctioned as genuine, Germany 2019.Leon S2Jan 22, 2023
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Valerian recut into Macrianus4 viewsLikely a modern re-cut Valerian/Macrianus Antoninianus.
IMP C FVL MACRIANVS P F AVG recut over radiate, cuirassed bust of Valerian I right.
ROMAE AETERNAE, Roma seated left on shield, holding Victory and spear.
Macrianus: RIC 11; RSC 11; Sear 10807.
A coin of Valerian I with the head of Valerian on the obverse but with the re-cut legend IMP C FVL MACRIANVS P F AVG to make it appear as RIC 11 of Macrianus.
The heads are utterly different, Valerian is older and has different features than the much younger Macrianus. RIC does not list the .. PF AVG legend for this reverse type for Valerian.
The use of dies from a coin of Valerian in ancient times and re-using it for Macrianus is unlikely because of the time between AD 256 when Valerian's ROMA AETERNAE coins were struck, and AD 260-261 when the same reverses were struck for Macrianus. In the interim Gallienus also had coins with this reverse struck, so they would have more likely used one of his dies.
I believe that the re-cutting is modern, in view of the fact that Macrianus coins are rarer than those of Valerian.
helveticaJan 16, 2023
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