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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.helveticaApr 01, 2024
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Gordian III, fake RIC 84. Antoninianus12 views
IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, radiate, draped bust right.
IOVI STATORI, Jupiter standing front, looking right holding sceptre and thunderbolt.
Modern fake of RIC 84; Sear 8615; RSC 109.
Sold on an Eastern European auction site, January 2023. After receiving the coin, the purchaser was suspicious of the odd "feel" of the coin and had its metal content electronically examined at a local university. The metal comprised of nearly 70% zinc (normal is up to 25%) and was identical to a number of similar coins which the professor had already come across.helveticaFeb 21, 2023
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Antoninus Pius CONSECRATIO eagle denarius8 viewsModern Fakes
Divus Antoninus Pius Denarius.
DIVVS ANTONINVS, bare head right.
CONSECRATIO, Eagle standing right, head left.
modern fakes of RIC 429; RSC 154 and BMC 41, struck under Marcus Aurelius.
Two examples from identical dies, including the deliberate damage in the same places, offered on an Eastern European auction site, January 2023.helveticaFeb 21, 2023
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Marcus Aurelius altered RIC 2227 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 above3 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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Valerian recut into Macrianus12 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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Otacilia Severa Pudicitia Denarius RIC 1232 viewsOtacilia Severa, Denarius, RIC 123b.
MARCIA OTACIL SEVERA AVG, diademed and draped bust right.
PVDICITIA AVG, Pudicitia, veiled, seated left on throne, holding transverse sceptre and drawing veil from her face with right hand.
Fake of RIC 123b
From the same fake dies as
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/albums/userpics/11547/otac10.JPGhelveticaDec 13, 2022
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Modern fake, AE of AR tetradrachm, Ptolemy I as Satrap, in name of Alexander III18 viewsModern copper or bronze copy of:
Ptolemy I Soter as satrap. AR tetradrachm, Alexandria, 323-305 BC, struck ca 310-306 BC. 15.66 g.
Head of Alexander right, wearing elephant’s skin headdress. ALEXANDROY, Athena Promachos walking right, brandishing
spear and holding a shield on left arm, FH monogram to left,
EK monogram to right, eagle standing right on a thunderbolt
at foot right.
Svoronos 139; SNG Cop 23.
Sent to wildwinds for identification, Aug. 2021. No weight or size given, only that the owner believed it to be 2000 years old.
Very likely a souvenir from Egypt.helveticaAug 05, 2021
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Caracalla - Plated antoninianus purporting to be aureus30 viewsPlated Caracalla antoninianus, passed off as an aureus.
ANTONINVS PIVS AVG GERM, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
P M TR P XVIII COS IIII P P, Jupiter, naked, standing right, holding thunderbolt and sceptre.
Plated version of RIC 258a; Cohen 279.
The "gold" plating has peeled off at numerous places on the obverse and reverse, revealing the bronze or billon core.
Sent to wildwinds for identification, March 2020.
No genuine gold coin was struck for Caracalla with this reverse image for this bust type.
This bronze or billon antoninianus, has been plated by someone, in order to deceive an inexperienced buyer.helveticaMar 16, 2021
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Aenas with wife/Sow and seven piglets30 viewsFantasy piece, cast, Balkans or Northern Greece, 18th-19th century. The weight can be up to 125 g. Mentioned in Svoronos' article.
Obv: Sow with seven piglets, N dot dot M above.
Rev: Nonsensical legend OTΡTΔKbω and ligate TE. Svoronos suggested that the confronted heads were those of Aeneas, helmeted, right and Lavinia, the wife of Aeneas, left.
See Numismatics International Bulletin, Vol. 33, No.3 for a discussion of this type
(https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/522752?page=11) and following pages.helveticaJan 18, 2021
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Smyrna AE fake of tetradrachm33 viewsSmyrna. MODERN CAST FAKE.
Turreted head of Tyche-Kybele right.
ZMYΡ-NAIΩN in two lines, monogram below; all within oak wreath.
Cast AE fake copying the tetradrachm BMC 3; Milne 1.
This type was officially struck only in silver.
From the same fake dies as
www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/albums/userpics/12489/WOOL057.jpg
www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/albums/userpics/40729/normal_Smyrna.jpg
Sent to wildwinds, requesting the value, in the belief that it was genuine, July 2020.helveticaJul 02, 2020
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Kroton Croton Bruttium29 viewsObv: Head of Hera facing front. Rev KROTWNIATAN, Herakles sitting left (on rock covered with lionskin), should be holding a one-handled cup, bow below.
Copying SNG ANS 374. Sent to wildwinds for identification.
Link to the genuine version on the wildwinds Kroton page:
https://www.wildwinds.com/coins/greece/bruttium/kroton/t.html
On this modern fake:
1. The details of Hera's hair on the obverse are nothing like they should be.
2. The necklace is just a line.
3. The mouth is very poorly made.
4. On the reverse, Herakles should be holding a one-handled cup, on this fake, his hand is empty with just two dots to left.
5. There is no sign of the rock on which he is sitting - he appears to be sitting in the air.
6. There is no sign or details of the lionskin on the rock on which he is supposed to be sitting.
7. The club has no details.
8. You can see the joint of the two cast halves on the sideways view that the owner sent me.
9. The obverse has a raised rim, something that is never seen on genuine coins.
10. The obverse also has file marks on the right where the fakers had removed what was probably an even higher part of the rim.
helveticaJun 23, 2020
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Augustus72 viewsAVGVSTVS DIVI F, laureate head right.
AVGVS F beneath Caius Caesar on horseback galloping right, legionary eagle between two standards to left.
Modern fake copy of Augustus, RIC 199.
1) the surface on both sides is very pitted and shows air bubbles - especially on Augustus' cheek and neck, as well as above the third letter at the bottom of the reverse.
2) On the reverse, the lower parts of the masts of the two standards: one is bent, the other does not line up.
3) The legionary eagle between those two standards has no lower mast at all and is just floating in the air.
4) Augustus' neck is too narrow.
5) At top right of the obverse, the beaded border turns into small crescents, usually caused by using a small tube to make the "beads" in a fake die.
6) Augustus' forehead is missing and simply bulges inwards, so the faker very likely took a cast of a worn coin.
7) On the reverse - the letters at the bottom should be larger, clearer and better spaced. They should read AVGVS F. Here they appear to be AVGVT.. On this coin, if you complete the A, the right hand \\ of the A would also form the \\ of the V. Such a ligation was not used on these coins.
Purchased from roman.land (already on the Forum Fake Sellers list) by an wildwinds user in the US at the end in May 2020. Refund has been requested.
helveticaJun 12, 2020
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Q. Cornuficius40 viewsModern copper copy of Cornuficia 1 (aureus) or Cornuficia 2 (denarius.
Republican coinage. Q. Cornuficius. AV aureus, mint in north Africa, 42 BC. 19.9 mm, 7.89 g.
Bearded and horned head of Jupiter Ammon left.
Q. CORNVFICI AVGVR IMP, Q. Cornuficius, veiled, standing front and holding lituus, being crowned by Juno Sospita with goatskin headdress, standing left, holding shield and spear with crow on her shoulder.
Babelon Cornuficia 1; BMCRR II, 25b; Cr 509/1. = Aureus
Babelon Cornuficia 2; Syd 1353; Sear Imp. 228; Cr 509/2. = denarius.
Sent to wildwinds for identification.helveticaMar 23, 2020
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Antoninus Pius - temple sestertius35 viewsAntoninus Pius fake Sestertius
ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P (TR P XX II)
TEMPLVM DIV AVG REST, S C, COS IIII in ex. temple of Augustus and Livia.
30.60 x 30.00 mm. 26.63 g
The huge giveaway signs are the letters on the reverse.
They all have an indentation around the letters. These indentation are caused by blocks of metal with letters on them which were used to stamp the letters into the metal.
On genuine coins the letters were hand-engraved into the die, and struck together with the rest of the image in one work job, not stamped separately.
Another giveaway are the figures on the reverse. There should only be Augustus and Livia, and not have a child between them.helveticaFeb 18, 2020
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Julia Domna - Caracalla and Geta65 viewsJulia Domna/Caracalla and Geta
IVLIA AVGVSTA, draped bust of Julia Domna right.
AETERNIT IMPERI, laureate head of Caracalla right, facing bare head of Geta left.
Same dies as
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/displayimage.php?album=search&cat=0&pos=3
Genuine coins have draped busts, not just heads.
Offered to a reputable coin dealer together with other fakes with the same colouring and "patina".helveticaFeb 13, 2020
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Septimius Severus - Julia Domna27 viewsSEVERVS AVG PART MAX, laureate head right.
IVLIA AVGVSTA, draped bust of Julia Domna right.
The obverse is from known fake dies from the Lipanoff studio. Same reverse die as
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/displayimage.php?album=search&cat=0&pos=29
Offered to a reputable coin dealer together with other fakes with the same colouring and "patina".helveticaFeb 13, 2020
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Vitellius - Tripod with dolphin and raven39 viewsA VITELLIVS GERM IMP AVG TRP, laureate head right.
XV VIR SACR FAC, tripod altar with raven below, dolphin above.
Same reverse die as the fake from the Lipanoff studio missing the crossbar of the F on the reverse. Same reverse die as this one:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/displayimage.php?album=search&cat=0&pos=56
Offered to a reputable coin dealer together with other fakes with the same colouring and "patina".helveticaFeb 13, 2020
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Clodius Macer - Galley34 viewsClodius Macer fake Denarius,
L CLODI-VS MACER, bare head right, SC below.
PRO PRAE AFRICAE, galley right with oarsmen and thirteen oars.
Modern fake of RIC 37.
Same fake dies as this one:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/displayimage.php?album=search&cat=0&pos=3
Offered to a reputable coin dealer together with other fakes with the same colouring and "patina".
helveticaFeb 13, 2020
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Trajan - Sol86 viewsTrajan fake AR Denarius.
IMP CAES NER TRAIAN OPTIM AVG GERM DAC, laureate, draped bust of Trajan right.
PARTHICO P M TR P COS VI P P S P Q R, Radiate, draped bust of Sol right.
Modern fake of RIC 329; Cohen 188; BMCRE 624.
Offered to a reputable coin dealer together with other fakes with the same colouring and "patina".
Feb. 2020.
Sol's neck should be vertical and his head then looking horizontally. On this one, the neck is angled. Also the rays of his radiate crown are incorrect, resembling spiky leaves.helveticaFeb 13, 2020
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Trajan fantasy coin26 viewsTrajan, fantasy coin, Middle East
IMP TRANO AVG C CER DAC PM TRP, laureate, draped bust left.
No legend or fieldmarks, Syracuse-like image of a charioteer driving biga left, Nike (Victory) flying left above.
"Picked up" in the Middle East several years ago by a wildwinds visitor.
A fantasy piece with a very un-Trajan-like head, errors in the obverse legend and a reverse type not used by Trajan.
helveticaSep 30, 2019
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Rhodes Caria26 viewsCast tetradrachm, cast in copper.
Obv: Head of Helios facing slightly right.
Rev: POΔION above, rose without bud (unless it is the blob below). Φ over Θ (Phi over Theta) or patera in left field.
No genuine coin known with these letters in left field. Hill in NC 1930 (p. 296, no. 27 and plate XXI, describes a coin with a bud at lower left, with a Phi in the lower left field and a theta or patera in lower right field.
Sent to wildwinds for identification.
Copper core showing through in numerous places, casting signs (air holes) particularly on the reverse.
Same obverse die and same basic die (no Phi) as
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/albums/userpics/23798/Picture_36.pnghelveticaJul 21, 2019
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Valerian Valens Follis of Alexandria97 viewsModern fake of RIC Alexandria 19.
Valerian Valens. AE follis. AD 316-317. Alexandria mint.
IMP C AVR VAL VALENS PF AVG, laureate head right.
IOVI CONSER-VATORI AVGG, Jupiter standing left, chlamys across left shoulder, holding Victory on globe and sceptre, eagle with wreath at foot left.
K in left field, wreath over X over A in right field.
Mintmark ALE.
RIC VII Alexandria 19.
What to watch for:
1. The wreath ties on the genuine coin are hanging vertically.
2. The eagle on the reverse of the genuine type has a smaller wreath.
3. On the fake, the eagle looks like a swan with its head and neck left.
4. On the fake, the laurel leaves on the obverse are larger than on the genuine item.
See a genuine coin here:
http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/ric/valerius_valens/_alexandria_RIC_019_A.jpg
and unlisted officina B:
http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/ric/valerius_valens/_alexandria_RIC_019_B.jpghelveticaApr 10, 2019
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Lysimachos - Lysimachus35 viewsFake drachm of Lysimachos, copying an Ephesos issue.
Head of deified Alexander right, with horn of Ammon.
BASILEWS LYSIL, Athena seated left on throne, holding
Nike and resting left arm on shield. Lyre (kithara) in left field, A on base of throne.
A modern, cast, flat and poorly made fake of Thompson 174.3.
On the obverse, the horn of Ammon on Alexander's head is very poorly made. On the reverse, the end of Lysimachos' name is partially missing, Athena has no real face, her breasts and hands are farcical.
There are four nice examples of Thompson 174.3 on the Lysimachos page of wildwinds.
Sent to wildwinds for "fake confirmation".helveticaMar 16, 2019
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