Kentucky Posted June 16, 2022 · Member Share Posted June 16, 2022 OK, I posted some time ago about a coin I was thinking of buying that was listed on e-bay as being in Austria, but the purchase page showed Bulgaria! People here agreed the coin looked legit, so I did it and ordered another of his to ease the shipping. Well, they're in and I took some pics. Mine are never really good, but better than his (I think). Alexander III 325 BC Obv. Macedonian Shield Rev. Helmet 4.20 g 16 mmSigeion Troas Athens Colony Obv. Athena 3/4 facing front Triple crested helmet Rev. Owl ΣIΓE before crescent behind Sear 4144 var 6.13 g 18 mm Authentic? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Topcat7 Posted June 16, 2022 · Member Share Posted June 16, 2022 (edited) Sorry, can't help. Can't tell from those photos. (Might help if you didn't get so close with the camera, and then 'cropped' the photos after taking them. Just a suggestion.) Here is my 'Shield/Helmet' from Macedon (albeit Philip III rather than Alexander III) 323-317 B.C. MACEDON Philip III Price 3158 Edited June 16, 2022 by Topcat7 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benefactor rNumis Posted June 16, 2022 · Benefactor Benefactor Share Posted June 16, 2022 Right. Everything seems to be in focus (background, brush bristles..very nice bristles by the way)...but not the coins 😄 So...very hard to say. Taking pictures one coin at a time could help so the camera doesn't get any background to focus on. Try again!! Does take practice. Cheers, Steve 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kentucky Posted June 16, 2022 · Member Author Share Posted June 16, 2022 Lemme try... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ominus1 Posted June 16, 2022 · Supporter Share Posted June 16, 2022 ...i don't buy too much from Bulgaria and have ran into many fakes..but these lQQk totally legit to me kentucky..:) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Knell Posted June 16, 2022 · Member Share Posted June 16, 2022 If you take photos of coins against a busy background, the camera automatically focuses on the background. If you take photos of coins against a plain background, the camera automatically focuses on the coins. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kentucky Posted June 17, 2022 · Member Author Share Posted June 17, 2022 Let's try solo photos... Anyone have any information to share about these...please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benefactor rNumis Posted June 18, 2022 · Benefactor Benefactor Share Posted June 18, 2022 Hi - I'm unable to see any images - those look like links to some hotmail service. Can you upload them to this site directly? Cheers, Steve 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prieure de Sion Posted June 18, 2022 · Member Share Posted June 18, 2022 Hello… have you take a look to this list of fake eBay sellers: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=18502.0 or here at the fake coin database: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/fakes/ Of course, it does not always have to be a fake. But there are too many factors. There are now too many fakes on eBay in general. And especially with some sellers from some countries, especially Bulgaria, you can find almost only fakes. I don't know any Bulgarian EBay seller who doesn't offer one, two or more fakes. Or let's put it this way. The probability that you buy a fake is higher than that you get real goods. I don't know if I would take the risk. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewStyleKing Posted June 18, 2022 · Member Share Posted June 18, 2022 Bulgaria is also the land of the Thracian mercenaries used by the Romans I guess there is lots of genuine stuff there but lots to copy from! I'm not great on AE's. But the home of Aesillas, Makedonon !st Meris, Athens NewStyle Thasos and Mariona Histia, Dyrrachium and Apollonia! So why not AE's or did the mercenaries only like silver and some gold? NewStyleKing, aka John 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambr0zie Posted June 18, 2022 · Member Share Posted June 18, 2022 (edited) Regarding the photos - I am also a beginner in this, but I was given some helpful hints by experienced colleagues. 1. Your photos are focused more on the background rather than the coin itself. @David Knell gave a very good advice - try using a background as plain as possible. Also what I found very helpful - raise the coin on a very small object and take the pic. I use an old e-cigarette mouthpiece and the results are satisfying 2. The brightness seems too high in your pics. Either you raised it from the phone/camera settings or you are using a light over the coins. I was tempted to do the same, but I was rarely able to direct an artificial light source on the coin itself without messing the photo brightness/color. I recommend a natural light. 3. If you are using the zoom feature, try not to. Probably the good cameras and phones have the capability to use the zoom feature correctly on macro mode. I was never able with my tools. Just make sure the coin is correctly focused, adjust the distance between the camera and the coin, take the pic and then crop if necessary. Regarding Bulgaria - I live in a country next to them. And I hate judging a country in general. Yep, all the collectors know that there are lots of Bulgarian workshops producing deceptive forgeries. And the Fake reports on Forum Ancient Coins are filled with Bulgarian examples. This is correct but let's not forget that geographically/historically speaking, Bulgarian territory is very important and there are LOTS of genuine ancient coins coming from that territory. So in my opinion, the assumption "it's from Bulgaria so it must be fake" is wrong. Indeed you need to be cautious, but generalizing is incorrect. What would make me very cautious is On 6/17/2022 at 12:31 AM, Kentucky said: was listed on e-bay as being in Austria, but the purchase page showed Bulgaria! This means the seller has something to hide. For me this is the actual red flag and it would be the same if e-bay listed Austria but the purchase page showed Norway for example. I am not an expert in detecting forgeries - your coins look genuine for me but a general advice is "know the coin or know the seller". I wouldn't buy a coin I am not familiar with from any other sources than reputable auction houses. And of course, reputable private sellers (but personally I only buy from houses). Edited June 18, 2022 by ambr0zie 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kentucky Posted June 19, 2022 · Member Author Share Posted June 19, 2022 Thanks for all the replies! The seller memory93_antiques appears to be based in Austria but accepts coins from other countries. These were cheap so I decided to take the risk, knowing that I might end up with nothing. The seller has 100% feedback and does list actual feedback rather than "Private Transaction". Sorry about the photos not showing up...let me try again. Anything anyone can tell me about either would be appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewStyleKing Posted June 19, 2022 · Member Share Posted June 19, 2022 Prokopov is the expert on Bulgarian coins and hoards and Thasos, and so is his friend Francois de Callatay. Look up both people on academia.edu NSK=John 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
singig Posted June 19, 2022 · Member Share Posted June 19, 2022 I also noticed the same problem in the past , the seller location is declared Austria or Greece on eBay , but finally the postal tracking is showing a starting point in Serbia or Bulgaria. I never had any problems with them, they generally sell cheap coins recently found by metal detection. My opinion 😊, I wouldn't worry , both coins are perfectly ancients. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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