Late Roman Bronze Coins

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fake Constantine I SPES PVBLIC from Constantinople

Started by Victor, July 02, 2018, 04:58:03 PM

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Victor

here is a nice example of this fake being offered by fake seller silverdenar

https://www.ebay.com/usr/silverdenar

by nice, I mean that you can clearly tell it used to be a Siscia campgate, as the star, which should have been turned into a Chi-Rho, is still intact. You can also see some campgate rows in the border of the banner, medallions on banner and the body of the snake. I have included an authentic campgate for comparison.

see Lars Ramskold's 2009 article from the Celator--

https://www.academia.edu/1469458/Highly_Deceptive_Forgeries_of_Constantine_s_SPES_PVBLIC_Coinage._2009_Lars_Ramskold._The_Celator_Dec._2009_pp._18-32_

Factor

I am always surprised by the people who bay these coins. Many obviously fake coins sold for hundreds of dollars, usually still a bargain compare to what you would expect real one to sell for, but still at least for me spending this kind of money on coin on ebay justify doing some homework. What is the portrait of typical customer of all these fakesellers??? I am talking about quite obvious ones, not the level of these mentioned in the recent Helena/Fausta post.

Victor

the person that buys this coin may not ever even find out is fake. You see plenty of topics on other boards for ID help on coins left to the poster by  their father, grandfather etc.; which have been in the family for years, only to discover that they are fakes.

romeman

Not only ordinary people are fooled by these forgeries. A very similar example, also re-cut from a Siscia campgate, was offered last month by Roma Numismatics. It was withdrawn on my request. Other fake SPES PVBLIC examples have been offered by a number of respected auction companies. I have alerted them that they have offered SPES PVBLIC forgeries, and they have withdrawn them:

2007 Rauch Sommer Auction 2007, lot 1179: withdrawn on my request.
2008 Artemide Aste 22, lot 279: withdrawn on my request.
2008 Hirsch 260, lot 2272: withdrawn on my request.
2009: ebay seller petronius 2008, end 13 Dec 2009. Withdrawn 091209 after I showed it to be a forgery.
2011: Lanz on ebay (numismatiklanz), end 28 July 2011. Modern forgery, bought for study, returned, reimbursed by Lanz.
2015: Savoca  5, lot 358: withdrawn on my request.
2017: Gorny & Mosch 244, lot 597: withdrawn

My quest goes on.