Fake Ancient Greek Coins: Archaic and Classical
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Sicily, Segesta AE58 viewsSicily, Segesta
AE
Head of nymph right / Hound standing right
Modern forgeries.
A:
4,76g
Accepted as genuine bronze hexas on 2 June 2013 by a reputable German auction house.
Referenced by the seller as Calciati I, S. 295 Nr. 12/1 (Rs. var.).
Style and Weight are both wrong.
The coins listed by Calciati I, 295, 12 (hexas) should weight 8-9 g. on average, this one is only 4,76g
This coin is struck with the same modern dies of specimen B, tooling the upper pellet on rev.
The weight, and the single pellet on rev., would make it possible to consider this coin as onkia, listed by Calciati I, 296, 14, but the obverse should be different, with the nymph's hair in korymbos, and not bound with a large hair-band.
Ultimately, this coin is a modern fantasy fake.
B:
Modern forgery sold as genuine on 2009 on the bay. (http://www.forgerynetwork.com/asset.aspx?id=2rF31LdTiHQ=)
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Sicily, Stiela av fake litra36 viewsSICILY, Stiela. Circa 405 BC. AV 10 Litrae or didrachm (0.90 gm).
Head of young river-god left, with short hair bound by wreath; to left, long reed / STI above forepart of man-headed bull walking left.
This AV litra was sold as genuine "Unique and unpublished" for 20.000 dollars on january 2003 by a reputable auction house.
Some Italian scholars have recently condemned it as modern forgery, struck with fake dies.
They compared the coin with some authentic silver specimens, and noticed a paradox: same reverse die for the man headed bull and legend, but different rev die for the linear border (only on the av specimen). So the silver and the gold specimens were struck with two different identical reverse dies, only difference the linear border.
We all know that it never existed an ancient die identical to another.
It is not clear how they added a linear edge to an already existing die.
Evidently, after getting a good cast from a (authentic) silver litra, the forger "surrounded" the matrix of the new fake die with a new linear border, getting a punch fitted with such modern circle.
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Syracuse, Sicily, Dionysos I, 395 - 367 B.C., Bronze Drachm108 viewsSyracuse, Sicily, Dionysos I, 395 - 367 B.C., Bronze Drachm
33.021g, 30.6mm, 315 axis
IBSCC Bulletin on Counterfeits BOCS Vol 24 No.1 1999 Page 4 Fig 6a
Refs: for genuine cf. Calciati vol. II, p. 111, 62; SNG ANS 455; SGCV I 1189, SNG Cop 720; BMC 287
Obv: SURA, head of Athena left wearing olive wreathed Corinthian helmet
Rev: sea star between two dolphinsJoe Sermarini
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Sicily, Syracuse. Struck under Dionysius I AE Drachm 29,51g37 viewsSicily, Syracuse. Struck under Dionysius I
AE Drachm 29,51g
SYPA; Head of Athena l., wearing olive-wreathed corinthian helmet / Sea-star between two dolphins.
Calciati II, 111, 62
Sold as modern replica InAsta auction 48, lot 7210
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Sicily, Syracuse. Struck under Dionysius I AE Drachm 32g45 viewsSicily, Syracuse. Struck under Dionysius I
AE Drachm 32g
SYPA; Head of Athena l., wearing olive-wreathed corinthian helmet / Sea-star between two dolphins.
Calciati II, 111, 62
Modern forgery, accepted as genuine by a reputable auction house on June 2007
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Syracuse, Sicily55 viewsSicily, Syracuse. Struck under Dionysius I
AE Drachm, unknown weight
SYPA; Head of Athena l., wearing olive-wreathed corinthian helmet / Sea-star between two dolphins.
Calciati II, 111, 62
http://www.forgerynetwork.com/asset.aspx?id=mHaVP9ivsHU=
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Sicily, Syracuse. Struck under Dionysius I AE Drachm 31,28g45 viewsSicily, Syracuse. Struck under Dionysius I
AE Drachm 31,28g
SYPA; Head of Athena l., wearing olive-wreathed corinthian helmet / Sea-star between two dolphins.
Calciati II, 111, 62
Modern forgery, accepted as genuine by a reputable auction house.
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Syracuse, Sicily41 viewsSicily, Syracuse. Struck under Dionysius I
AE Drachm 29,30g
SYPA; Head of Athena l., wearing olive-wreathed corinthian helmet / Sea-star between two dolphins.
Calciati II, 111, 62
Modern forgery, sold as genuine by notorius ebay fake seller aitnacoins
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Syracuse, Sicily65 viewsSicily, Syracuse. Struck under Dionysius I
AE Drachm 33g
SYPA; Head of Athena l., wearing olive-wreathed corinthian helmet / Sea-star between two dolphins.
Calciati II, 111, 62
Modern forgery, accepted as genuine by a reputable online numismatic dealer
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Sicily, Syracuse. Struck under Dionysius I AE Drachm49 viewsSicily, Syracuse. Struck under Dionysius I
AE Drachm
SYPA; Head of Athena l., wearing olive-wreathed corinthian helmet / Sea-star between two dolphins.
Calciati II, 111, 62
Modern forgery, accepted as genuine by a reputable auction house on March 2012
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Sicily, Syracuse. Struck under Dionysius I AE Drachm 30,97g42 viewsSicily, Syracuse. Struck under Dionysius I
AE Drachm 30,97g
SYPA; Head of Athena l., wearing olive-wreathed corinthian helmet / Sea-star between two dolphins.
Calciati II, 111, 62
Modern forgery, accepted as genuine by a reputable auction house
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Sicily, Syracuse. Struck under Dionysius I AE Drachm 31,72g62 viewsSicily, Syracuse. Struck under Dionysius I
AE Drachm 31,72g
SYPA; Head of Athena l., wearing olive-wreathed corinthian helmet / Sea-star between two dolphins.
Calciati II, 111, 62
Modern forgery, accepted as genuine by a reputable auction house on May 2013, withdrawn after reporting.
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Syracuse, Sicily71 viewsSicily, Syracuse. Struck under Dionysius I
AE Drachm 29,91g; 32mm
SYPA; Head of Athena l., wearing olive-wreathed corinthian helmet / Sea-star between two dolphins.
Calciati II, 111, 62
Modern forgery, sold as genuine by a reputable ebay seller
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Naxos, Sicily42 viewsSicily, Naxos. 430-420 b.C.
Ar tetradrachm; 24mm; 16,95g
Head of Dionysos r., bearded, wearing stephane decorated with ivy / Nude Silenos sitting with kantharos and thyrsos staff, ivy in field l.; NAXION in field r.
Cahn 99-103
Modern forgery - Cast of a Becker Forgery.
Sold as genuine on 7 Feb 2013 by eBay seller from Spain
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Naxos, Sicily50 viewsSicily, Naxos.
AR tetradrachm, c. 460 BC, attributed to the Aitna Master.
13,26g; 25mm
Bearded head of Dionysus right, crowned with ivy, hair tied in krobylos at back of neck / N-AXI-ON, nude ithyphallic Silenus seated facing, with head turned to left, raising cantharus to his lips
Cahn 54, 26; SNG ANS 515; SNG Lloyd 1150
Sold ebay as replica on april 2013
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Naxos, Sicily 36 viewsSicily, Naxos. Circa 530-510 BC.
AR Litra 10,82mm; 0,7g
Bearded head of Dionysos l. / NAXION. Bunch of grapes.
Cahn 12-32; SNG ANS 513
Modern forgery. Struck by modern fake dies, see report 15258 for a match.
Sold ebay as genuine on feb 2013
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Bruttium, Rhegion23 viewsBruttium, Rhegion; c. 320-280 b.C.
AE, unknown weight
REGINON. Lion’s head facing / Laureate head of Apollo to right; behind, wreath bound by fillet.
HN III 2537. SNG ANS 686. SNG Mun 1633.
Forgery, struck with modern dies.
Sold as genuine on 1978 by a reputable auction house. Condemned as fake by a famous Italian scholar.
In the last 30 years were sold as genuine at least other five specimens struck by similar modern dies.
At this link another one, and a sample of fake modern dies (match for lion obverse of this coin):
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/displayimage.php?pos=-13929
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Bruttium, Rhegion42 viewsBruttium, Rhegion. Circa 356-351 BC.
AR Tetradrachm 17,09g
Head of Apollo left, with long hair, wearing laurel wreath / Facing lion’s head
HN Italy 2501; SNG ANS 676; SNG Lloyd 700; BMC 36-7; Basel 229; Jameson 460A
Sold as repilca InAsta 45, lot 8067
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Bruttium, Rhegion25 viewsBruttium, Rhegion. Circa 415-387 BC.
AR Tetradrachm 16,8g
Lion’s head facing. / ΡΗΓΙΝΟΝ Laureate head of Apollo to r.; behind, olive sprig.
Herzfelder 81; SNG ANS 657
Sold as replica InAsta 10 lot 3682
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Bruttium, Rhegion15 viewsBruttium, Rhegion. Circa 351-280 b.C.;
AE Hemiobol; 9,2g; 22,3mm;
ΡΗΓΙΝΟΝ, Laureate head of Apollo l., dolphin in r. field / Facing lion's scalp.
HN It 2534b, SNG ANS 685-8
Cast fake.
Sold as genuine for 79 Eur by notorius ebay fake seller aitnacoins on 16 feb 2013
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Sicily, Siculo-Punic Tetradrachm21 viewsSicily, Siculo-Punic
Ar Tetradrachm 12,77g
Head of Persephone-Tanit r., surrounded by three dolphins / Horse standing r., date palm tree.
SNG Cop 972
Sold as replica InAsta 45, lot 8056
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Sicily, Syracuse. Struck under Dionysius I AE Drachm53 viewsSicily, Syracuse. Struck under Dionysius I
AE Drachm
SYPA; Head of Athena l., wearing olive-wreathed corinthian helmet / Sea-star between two dolphins.
Calciati II, 111, 62
Modern forgery, struck by modern dies, accepted as genuine by a reputable dealer.
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Sicily, Syracuse62 viewsSicily, Syracuse. ca. 344-355
AR Corinthian stater 8.54g
SYPAKOSIWN Helmeted head of Athena r. / Pegasus flying l.
SNG ANS 494-507
Sold as replica InAsta 38 lot 6787
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Sicily, Syracuse. Dionysios I57 viewsSicily, Syracuse. Dionysios I. 405-367 BC.
AV 20 Litrai; 1,16g
Struck circa 405-400 BC.
Head of Herakles l., wearing lion skin; [ΣY]-PA before / Quadripartite incuse square, Σ-Y-P-A in quarters; in deeper incuse circle in center, small female head (Arethusa?) left, wearing necklace.
SNG ANS 350-3; Dewing 865; Pozzi 1263.
Sold as replica InAsta 38, lot 6782
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