So, Is this Constantine a 'fake', too?

[Topcat7]

This Constantine is the last coin from the 'eBay seller of fake coins' that I dealt with, and I am curious to know if it is 'fake', too.

It measures AE17.8mm., and weighs 2.42gm.

Edited December 22, 2023 by Topcat7

[Kali]

It's fine.

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

It's hard to tell from the photographs - verdigris sometimes shows up as bright green, but the spot at 11 o'clock on the reverse could be bronze disease.

[ambr0zie]

This is a Constantine II coin, not Constantine I (just to clarify). It's minted in Thessalonica (if I'm seeing the mintmark correctly as SMTSA)

https://numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.7.thes.199

Constantine II Gloria Exercitus coins are very common - especially in a modest condition. I don't see the point of faking this coin - it's more expensive to produce it than sell it. I really don't think somebody would do this.

*** but I've seen reproductions of modern coins where the original costs 1 or 2 euros. So I wouldn't be surprised if the smart guys start producing this kind of forgeries. 

My personal advice is not to buy this coin - not because it might be fake, but because you can easily find a decent example, without any kind of effort. 

Here is a Constantine II from Siscia, in a much better shape, even if imperfect. 

I paid 7 euros for it. 

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

I think he already did.  I remember him mentioning a group lot.

[expat]

As @ambr0zie says above. It looks to be a common coin not worth faking. Constantine II coins are easily obtained. This is a mint SMANS and cost 15 Euros

[AETHER]

Inflation got people people forging LRBs???

Edited December 22, 2023 by AETHER

[John Conduitt]

This is the sort of coin you put in a group lot with fake coins so the lot looks genuine.

[Topcat7]

Thank-you guys. I bought a coin from this seller; which you identified as 'fake'. Ebay refunded me and I left 'negative' feedback. The seller attempted to get me to revise the feedback by sending me four more coins, and a request.

Clearly the four coins he sent to me, hoping that they would encourage me to do his bidding, didn't work, as I did not revise the negative feedback.

Thank you anyway. Much appreciated. (Welcome to the 21st Century where all is not as it seems.)

Edited December 23, 2023 by Topcat7

[Topcat7]

So, is this coin RIC.VII. 199 Thessalonica Mintmark A (r.5)?? Minted 335/6A.D.

Edited December 23, 2023 by Topcat7

[John Conduitt]

7 hours ago, Topcat7 said:

So, is this coin RIC.VII. 199 Thessalonica Mintmark A (r.5)?? Minted 335/6A.D.

The only possibilities for the officina mark are A or B. It isn’t clear. I think it looks more like B.

[ambr0zie]

A or B indeed. Don't rely on the rarity index. The coin is not interesting - and this is from a collector who accepts without issues coins that are well circulated. Condition is not the only weak point here. 

[Topcat7]

I will settle for CONSTANTINE II, RIC.VII. Thessalonica, 199, 335/6A.D.

Thank you, Much appreciated.

[Postvmvs]

This coin is also fake a cast copy. There are several sellers (shipping from the UK?) selling cast copies of even very low value coins. Since it is a cast copy of an original coin, and has good "makeup" I can see how it can be deceiving.

I first stumbled on these sellers when I searched for Victorinus on eBay and found two identical cast copies of an uninteresting low value coin listed right after each other!

[maridvnvm]

Just for information whilst they all purport to be in th UK the majority of these sellers actually post from Bulgaria though there are a few who actually post from the UK. They all have a wide range of cast fakes all the way though to LRB and on into Byzantine and into Celtics. Coins that a few years ago might have been though as not worth faking are now being cast. There are artefacts too/ There are probably about half a dozen or so sellers with the same base stock on repeat sale over and over again. There are artefacts too. WIth volumes of sales into hundred of coins sold per month and an average selling price of about £10 it must be worth their while.

[ominus1]

On 12/22/2023 at 4:51 PM, expat said:

not worth faking.

i was of that school of thought but then a peep showed a bunch of  'cheap-if-ther're-real LRB"s' that WERE fake......just sayin'....:)...but i do believe Topcats is legit...

[Topcat7]

Thank you, people. 

The more I know, the more I don't know. (Ahh. Once said . . ."Ignorance is bliss.")

[maridvnvm]

@Topcat7A double die match with the same flan shape, wear pattern etc. as the example illustrated by @Postvmvs is a red flag. This in itself could be accepted if it were the same coin but coming from a known fake seller the odds are diminishing.

A more definitive answer would come out if we found another matched example.

Here we go.

So I have to disagree with @ominus1 here and say that it is fake.

[ominus1]

34 minutes ago, maridvnvm said:

So I have to disagree with @ominus1 here and say that it is fake.

it very well could be(and lQQks as tho it is)...as  said, i've been schooled on this before....:)..never underestimate the forgers...

Edited February 9 by ominus1

[maridvnvm]

I am now starting to look properly and have found yet another.

[Topcat7]

@maridvnvm Thank you, Martin. You have confirmed my suspicions. I appreciate your work.

I am old enough to remember when the 'crooks' wore masks and black hats, but . . .

(Obviously low investment coins, but still annoying.)