Got this in the mail today. A rare ancient coin in excellent shape is tough to come by. Thought I'd share it here as it is one of my best finds. This is Constantius I (Father of Constantine the Great) as Caesar. It was struck in Trier (Treveri Germany) long ago. The coin is about the size of a US Half-Dollar.
That is a beautiful coin. Are you going to attempt any sort of restoration (cleaning)
No, I do not believe I will touch this one. I am a fan of "Desert Patina" and I believe that any cleaning in this particular case would detract from the beauty of the coin.
I thought you were planning on selling off your collection and moving on to other things?
hahaha =) I am actively selling; however, I am also actively looking for bargains. This coin appeared for $55.00 US Buy-it-now....I'll never pass up an opportunity to own such a rarity for such a cheap price . I'll probably keep a few select pieces but the majority of them are going. I'll always be a fan of ancient coins...I just have far too many right now.
Hope its not a E-Bay special. Production of fakes is now running at record levels and its getting almost impossible to tell the real from the fake unless they are placed alongside each other.
Fake Medieval rings were being sold in their hundreds last year but now there are Roman arrow/spear tips, medieval locks, keys, almost anything you can think of. Some are Middle East, some India, but China is taking over.
Its really buyer beware and a very good way to lose money.
Hope its not a E-Bay special. Production of fakes is now running at record levels and its getting almost impossible to tell the real from the fake unless they are placed alongside each other.
Fake Medieval rings were being sold in their hundreds last year but now there are Roman arrow/spear tips, medieval locks, keys, almost anything you can think of. Some are Middle East, some India, but China is taking over.
Its really buyer beware and a very good way to lose money.
I am quite certain this coin is authentic. Have handled them in the thousands now. You are however correct, ebay is NOT a good place for the beginner. There are a great deal of fakes right now. Two ways to avoid them: Know the seller & pass as many of the "real mc-coy's" through your hands as possible. I believe that 80-90% of the fake "ancient" coins out there are easily detected by the veteran. There are a few scary ones imo (very deceptive); however, not nearly as many as people seem to think. The forgers just can't quite perfect the style on ancients for the most part. That is the hardest thing for them to reproduce (unless they cast the coin from an authentic specimen..then they must deal with casting seams and pits from trapped air). Another good way to detect fakes is to handle fakes. I have several in my "black cabinet".
A Similar Example from CNG (Classical Numismatics Group)
I've not seen a nicer desert patina in a long time. Very cool buy.
Shame, we miss the days of 'Gunner'
TOO BUSY TO DETECT, YOU'RE TOO BUSY!!!
'No good comes from thinking about how much time we waste detecting, as wasted time is good soul time' - me 25/06/08
How do you find Gold coins? Reply: 'By finding lots of Silver ones..'
A real man thinks about detecting every 6 seconds
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Originally Posted by SWR
. I'll probably keep a few select pieces but the majority of them are going. I'll always be a fan of ancient coins...I just have far too many right now.
