Ancient Coin Unlisted and very rare

Gunner · Jan 10, 2007

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.

Gunner

Gunner · Jan 10, 2007

SWR said:
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.

Gunner

PBK · Jan 10, 2007

Gunner, that is a stunner! I agree: the only thing it needs is plenty of well deserved admiration!

skalleewag · Jan 10, 2007

awesome................

Snee · Jan 12, 2007

That's a great looking coin!

I thought you were planning on selling off your collection and moving on to other things? $:-\$

Gunner · Jan 12, 2007

Snee said:
That's a great looking 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.

Gunner

Darkgold · Jan 31, 2007

Truly a nice relic.

U.K. Brian · Feb 1, 2007

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.

Silver Searcher · Feb 3, 2007

Nice

Night Stalker · Feb 3, 2007

Great buy Gunner! Brian made a good point about ebay and their fakes. I'm sure you made a wise purchase, it's too nice to be fake in my opinion.

WTG ... NS

Gunner · Feb 8, 2007

U.K. Brian said:
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)

http://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=22780

Gunner