Fake Ancient Greek Coins: Hellenistic Period

Home > Resources > Fake Ancient Coin Report

Home > Fake Coin Reports > Fake Ancient Greek Coins: Hellenistic Period

Seleukos I AE - Stele between piloi (caps of the Dioskuri)1 viewsFake of Seleukos I, AE, no size or weight given.
Obv: Young male head with flowing hair
Rev:BASILEWS SELEYKOY, stele between piloi (caps of the Dioskuri), IDI monogram in left field, H monogram in right field.
Same reverse die as https://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/albums/userpics/10618/BOC_1990_FEMFAGP_1.jpg
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/albums/userpics/10618/BOC_1990_FEMFAGP_2.jpg

Sent to wildwinds with request for identification.helvetica

Seleukos I Nikator Tetradrachm5 views Seleukos I Nikator (312-281 BC). Tetradrachm.
Ekbatana. Obv: Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin. Rev: ΣΕΛΕΥΚΟΥ / ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ. Zeus seated left on throne, holding eagle and sceptre. Controls: In left field, BA above sideways anchor; monogram below throne.

Sold and declared as counterfeit by the seller
Wrong moldZheng J

PARTHIA Tetradrachm1 viewsPARTHIA Tetradrachm
Seleukeia . Diademed bust left

Sold and declared as counterfeit by the seller on xianyu
Poor quality molds, worn outZheng J

ALEXANDER III3 viewsAR Tetradrachm
Obv.: Head of Herakles right in lionskin.
Rev.: Zeus enthroned left, holding eagle on extended arm, legs uncrossed

Completely false, does not require careful observation
Selling under the guise of counterfeit currency on xianyuZheng J

Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt AE26 Tourist Replica2 viewsPtolemaic Kingdom of Egypt AE26 Tourist Replica
5.949g, 25.8mm, die axis 12:00
head of Isis right
ΠTOΛEMAIOY BAΣIΛEΩΣ, eagle standing left on thunderbolt, head right, wings closed, cornucopia across shoulder, uncertain symbol left

Consigned to FORVM but marked replica. FORVM does not sell replicas. The style is clearly wrong. An obvious replica to a dealer or experienced collector of Vespasian coinage. Joe Sermarini

Antiochos VI Tetradrachm 7 viewsCommon pressed forgery produced in LebanonBrad B

Antiochos IV Tetradrachm 2 viewsCommon pressed forgery produced in Lebanon.Brad B

Seleucid Kingdom, Kleopatra Thea & Antiochos VIII Pressed Beirut forgery4 viewsSeleucid Kingdom Cleopatra, and Antiochus VII Silver Tetradrachm"
"SELEUKID KINGS of SYRIA. Kleopatra Thea & Antiochos VIII. 125-121 BC. AR Tetradrachm (30mm, 15.63 g,). Damascus mint. Dated SE 192 (121/0 BC). Jugate busts right of Cleopatra Thea, diademed, veiled, and wearing stephane, and Antiochus VIII diademed / Zeus Nikephoros seated left; monogram to outer left, monogram below throne, date in exergue. You can look at the edge it will be equally thick everywhere (because pressed) and most have a very smooth edge with no or only small edge cracks.
Joe Sermarini

Seleukid Kingdom, Demetrius II Nikator, 146 - 138 and 129 - 125 B.C., Tetradrachm, Beirut Forgery, Pressed with Modern Dies1 viewsSeleukid Kingdom, Demetrius II Nikator, 146 - 138 and 129 - 125 B.C., Tetradrachm, Beirut Forgery, Pressed with Modern Dies, 16.096g, 30.4mm, 0o
Joe Sermarini

Macedonian Kingdom, Philip V Tetradrachm Petar Petrov Fake0 viewsMacedonian Kingdom, Philip V Tetradrachm Petar Petrov Fake
Petar Petrov 3_Catalogue_Greek_Tetradrachm number 6790 A , 15.281g, 28.0mm, 0
Joe Sermarini

Alexander The Great Tetradrachm Beirut forgery2 views Alexander The Great Tetradrachm Beirut forgery, 16.250g, 27.4mm, 0Joe Sermarini

Macedonian Kingdom, Philip II, Silver Tetradrachm, Published Fake3 viewsMacedonian Kingdom, Philip II, Silver Tetradrachm, Published Fake, 14.092g, 23.1mm, 180, The Philip tetradrachm is condemned in IBSCC Bulletin on Counterfeits BOCS Vol 16 No.1 1991 Page 18 Fig 4.Joe Sermarini

Myrina, Aeolis. AR Tetradrachm13 viewsMyrina, Aeolis. AR Tetradrachm. MODERN FORGERY.
Copying an issue from ca 155–145 BC.

Obv: Laureate head of Apollo right, hair in three braids,

Rev: MYRINAIWN downwards to left of Apollo of Gryneium,
laureate and with long, draped loins, standing right,
holding patera and filleted branch, omphalos and amphora at
foot right, DYoI monogram in left field, all within laurel
wreath.

Copying Sacks 24; Paris H2096; De Luynes 2532

IBSCC Bulletin on Counterfeits BOCS Vol 5 No.1/2 1980 Page 8 Fig 2

--

more of these fakes:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=131298.0Neko B

Menander AE modern fantasy4 viewsObv: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΟΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ ΜΕΝΑΝΔΡΟΥ, diademed bust right.
note: legend setup as for round flan.
Rev: look a like Kharosti legend, maybe Athena standing left.

See: https://www.zeno.ru/showphoto.php?photo=88114

topic: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=130997.msg783010#msg783010Pekka K

Parthian Empire Mithradates II c. 121 - 91 B.C. Cast Drachms6 viewsParthian Empire Mithradates II c. 121 - 91 B.C.
Silver drachm, Sellwood 27, Ecbatana (Hamedan, Iran) mint, obverse bare-headed bust left with long pointed beard wearing diadem; reverse BAΣIΛEΩΣ BAΣIΛEΩN MEΓAΛOY APΣAKOY EΠIΦANOYΣ, beardless archer seated right, bow in right, square lined legend

Cast fakesJoe Sermarini

Tourist fake Terina stater2 views Head of the nymph Terina right, wearing ornate tainia /
Nike seated right on overturned hydria, holding kerykeion, bird perched on finger.

Cast copy of BM electrotype: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/displayimage.php?pid=19590
Pekka K

Fake Demetrius Greek Drachma and Oboli 4 viewsHi, this is my first post. I wanted to share a recent bad experience. Seller has a ridiculous amount of positive feedback. I will not be adding to that, I can assure you.
I have a few Roman casts sold by this same vendor, as ancient coins, with like 15k positive feedback comments, so it might be good to post some more, highly deceptive casts of denarii here. About to send back for refund. No one seems to know that this stuff is fake. The desire that something false should be real, coupled with ignorance and greed seems to be what allows this sort of fraud to flourish.
Let me know if I should upload more, please. Please let me know if I'm allowed to say where these came from. Ron C3

Cleopatra VII Tripolis AE -- two more types of cast fake12 viewsSee also the previous, related report, illustrating 6 examples of casts fakes of the same type from major auctions. They are similar enough that I can't tell if these may have been remodeled / re-engraved from the same set of casts, but qualitatively they appear to me to fall into three groups, which I call "Type 1," "Type 2," and "Type 3." On Type 1 the date is clear (RY 2 of Cleopatra in Phoenicia).
All of them have die axis of 12h, diameters 20-21mm, but the weights can vary from c. 7.5g to more than 10g. They've been sold or offered at major auctions between 2005 and 2022. One gave undated prior provenance ("Private UK Collection"); one of the Type 1's only provenanced to a prior auction and its intervening collection.

For "Type 1" see my other report: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/displayimage.php?pid=22444Curtis JJ

Cleopatra VII Thea Notera, struck in Tripolis, dated RY 2 (of Cleopatra in Phoenicia, 36/5 BC). RPC I 451017 viewsSix examples below (some sold multiple times, two cited in RPC):
Dates of sales: 2005, 2010 (x2), 2012, 2022 (x3);
Sources: NAC (x2), CNG (x3), Naville, Oslo Myntgalleri, RPC (x2);
Reported weights: 9.26g, 9.66g, 9.78g, 9.82g, 9.99g, 10.10g;
Reported diameters: 20mm.

29 Aug 2022: RPC has been informed (via website) and one auctioneer, who I believe is in process of withdrawing before auction.

All appear to be from the same set of casts but with different false patinas applied.
There appear to be others of this same type (RPC 5410 var.) but from slightly different or modified casts.

I'm calling this "Type 1." For "Type 2" and "Type 3" (there may be others), see: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/displayimage.php?pid=22445 Curtis JJ

Gotarzes I/Sinatruces (Parthia)6 viewsSellwood type 33

Sold on Ebay by NFSL seller vintage.intaglioKamnaskires

Mithradates I (Parthia)5 viewstetradrachm
Sellwood type 13

Two examples of identical casts sold by NFSL seller vintage.intaglio - the first (above) listed in 2020, the second (below) in 2022.Kamnaskires

Elymais10 viewsKamnaskires III and Anzaze
Tetradrachm

Van’t Haaff type 7.1

Another one of these sold by NFSL seller vintage.intaglio. Previous listing was here: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/displayimage.php?pid=19840
Kamnaskires

Parthian Empire, Mithradates II, c. 121 - 91 B.C., Drachm, Cast8 viewsParthian Empire, Mithradates II, c. 121 - 91 B.C., Drachm, Cast Fake
Sellwood 24.30; Sunrise 288; Shore 76; SNG Cop 32 var. (monogram on reverse); BMC Parthia p. 27, 26
Obv: bare-headed bust left with long beard, wearing diadem, monogram behind head, neck torque ends in a single pellet
Rev: beardless archer (Arsakes I) seated right on omphalos, wearing bashlyk and cloak, bow in right hand, right leg forward, left leg drawn back

From an old collection. Joe Sermarini

Philip II, tetradrachm, Pella 30 viewsTerrible cast fake currently for sale by huge US auciton house.
The auction house even noted "scrapes along edge."

Round casting pearls green, there may be more have marked only the most obvious.
Round casting holes red, there may be more have marked only the most obvious.
At the eye I don't know what it is , a giant peral or casting defects (marked blue).
The details are also all soapy/washed out and details are lost.

See in fake reports the many casting twins with same flan shape, die axis, centering, wear, flan defect, scratch etc.

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/displayimage.php?pid=22391Din X

1929 files on 81 page(s)