Max Thrax sestertius

[madhatter]

Hi All,

Recently, this sestrertius of Maximinus Thrax, was offered at ebay auction. 

I have to say that big bronzes/ brass are not my best area, so i can not confidently say, only by photos, whether coin is genuine, or not.

Аlthough it is quite worn, it has its beauty, but also areas that look strange. 

But the red flag, for me, was, when 30 min before auctions end, I noticed tiny "R", scratched at obverse, at 5 o clock. This is exactly what I would do, if a forgery/replica coin apear in my collection.

Would like to know your thoughts about this coin.

[Harry G]

It looks fine to me. I've bought from that seller several times before and they've always been great.

I see the R you're talking about, and I'm not sure what it means. Maybe some modern graffiti (although I don't know why anyone would do that)

[Al Kowsky]

1 hour ago, madhatter said:

Hi All,

Recently, this sestrertius of Maximinus Thrax, was offered at ebay auction. 

I have to say that big bronzes/ brass are not my best area, so i can not confidently say, only by photos, whether coin is genuine, or not.

Аlthough it is quite worn, it has its beauty, but also areas that look strange. 

But the red flag, for me, was, when 30 min before auctions end, I noticed tiny "R", scratched at obverse, at 5 o clock. This is exactly what I would do, if a forgery/replica coin apear in my collection.

Would like to know your thoughts about this coin.

It's hard to say if the eBay coins is real or fake from the poor photos. Size, weight, & photos of the edge would be helpful. The coin does have bubbly surfaces & appears to be smoothed in areas. The micro engraved R is certainly peculiar too. Pictured below for comparison is a coin of the same type from my collection that I'm confident is genuine.

Maximinus I (Thrax), AD 235-238 (struck late 236/7). AE Sestertius: 19.12 gm, 30.5 mm, 12 h. RIC IV 81. Ex  Richard McAlee Collection; Ex CNG Group 87, 1048, May 18, 2011. 

 

[John Conduitt]

A little R like that would normally signify that it's a replica, but usually the R would be in the field, not on the edge. If it is a replica, it would've been mass produced, not as a forgery, and so it should be possible to find another.

[Steppenfool]

Fascinating. I have bought from that seller numerous times and have had nothing but positive experiences and could not recommend them highly enough. Very knowledgeable and offers a wide variety of genuine coins.

I'm definitely for giving him the benefit of the doubt on this one. Looks like modern scrapes to me.

 

I'm also not concerned about the surfaces on the reverse, looks more like heavy duty cleaning to me.

Happy to be proven wrong though.

 

Weight is 20.14 and diameter 30mm. I have it on my favourites so can check despite listing ended.

Edited September 25, 2023 by Steppenfool

[Steppenfool]

I think I've cracked it. Here's the sellers second photo: the R is a coiled up fibre that is no longer coiled, or has been removed, on the second set of photos.

 

Edited September 25, 2023 by Steppenfool

[madhatter]

@Steppenfool yes, I bought from this seller too, and have nothing but good experience. The discusion is not about the seller - FYI i wrote him short message, to inform what i noticed. The seller guarantee that coin is genuine.

[Steppenfool]

1 minute ago, madhatter said:

@Steppenfool yes, I bought from this seller too, and have nothing but good experience. The discusion is not about the seller - FYI i wrote him short message, to inform what i noticed. The seller guarantee that coin is genuine.

In case you missed it I made a second reply with my theory. What do you think? @madhatter

Edited September 25, 2023 by Steppenfool

[madhatter]

@Steppenfool Well...honestly dunno what to think. But the result is - if I questioned it - Ill pass

Edited September 25, 2023 by madhatter

[ambr0zie]

Oh, the good old fibers/coiled fibers/small pieces of something on a coin's surface. A few times I took photos of my coins (especially small coins) and then viewing the pics on my 24" screen I noticed scratches/lumps/whatever. Then I checked the original photos from the auction houses - not there!

Finally the answer was a tiny piece of fiber, removed in 0.2 seconds. 

I checked the topic when you posted it, @madhatterI am not a master in detecting forgeries but I checked a few examples of known Maximinus I forgeries, this type was not listed. I know this is not a proof of authenticity, but the coin looked fine for me too. 

The decision is yours. 

Edited September 25, 2023 by ambr0zie

[John Conduitt]

31 minutes ago, Steppenfool said:

I think I've cracked it. Here's the sellers second photo: the R is a coiled up fibre that is no longer coiled, or has been removed, on the second set of photos.

 

It really did look like (R).

[Marsyas Mike]

Very interesting.  It looks good to me, fibrous R or not!

Here's mine, which is pretty cruddy - however, I think it might be a die match to the OP?  Or similar, anyway: 

[ominus1]

oh, i'd bet its legit...lQQk fine to me and nice one too!

[Octavius]

 Optical illusion.

coin looks fine to me.

[NathanB]

You mis-named the thread. "Max Thrax Pax." There. Fixed it for you! 😉

Sorry, I just couldn't resist!

As for the issue itself, I hope your "R" is just a fibre in a randomly weird position.

[Ancient Coin Hunter]

Most likely genuine. The weird "R" might have been a show stopper but it turned out to be dust or a small fiber. It doesn't look cast to me and I don't really see any evidence of smoothing on the obverse or reverse.

[hotwheelsearl]

Here's my disgusting, BD'd, $4 example.