Modern Forgeries Now Turning Up in Uncleaned Lots.

Updated 4/11/04 - Fake Tiny AE-4 found.

This site shows a group of suspect coins from a lot of 1,000 uncleaned ancient coins. By posting what I have encountered, I am hoping both collectors and dealers will be better able to identify what appears to be a new group of forgeries dumped enmasse into the market via uncleaned coin lots. Many thanks to Tom Schroer for his help in ID'ing the Byzantine forgeries. In early April, I discovered a tiny AE-4 in another 1,000 coin lot of either Theodosius II or Valentinian III with crucifix reverse that is an obvious fake from this same series.

Source: Eastern Europe, most likely Bulgaria.

In December 2003, I discovered 316 coins from a 1,000 uncleaned coin lot that are clearly modern forgeries. Since then, I have encountered individual stray pieces from the same forgery source in other uncleaned lots I have handled.

Below is a sampling of 8 Jovian AE-3's - all from struck from a single die. Originally I thought these and the other forgeries were cast but, on closer examination, they appear to be struck fakes.

Suspect Jovian group - Obverse

Suspect Group Jovians - Reverse

The die links here are clear, note the mouth and lips on the obverse and the "O" in Vot on the reveres.

Below is an authentic uncleaned Jovian AE-3

Suspect group of Justinian 20 nummia pieces. Style clearly renders these as fakes (note the eye) as well as identical dies.

Below is a set of six Urbs Roma types with Wolf & Twins reverse. Again, style is completely out of keeping with the authentic series as well as the clear die links indicating these coins were all struck from the same die.

Below is an authentic uncleaned Urbs Roma issue from the Siscia mint.

For now I am making the following information available for spotting these fakes in uncleaned lots:

1 They are mostly AE-3's, some AE-3/4's with a few early Byzantine AE-2's and a sizeable number of Severan provincial issue forgeries.

2. The flans are not ancient but modern, too perfect for an ancient coin that has lain in the ground for 1500 years.

3. No patinas but rather a modern chemical induced toning similar to Rosa replications. Dirt doesn't adhere to the coins, but rather brushes off with a few swipes of the toothbrush indicating the coins have been dirtied to imitate authenticity. In addition, the suspect coins, although they purportedly range in date from over a three hundred year period, all display the exact same toning, level of wear, flan types and style.

4. Currently I have identified 20 types, each similar type (say Urbs roma w/wolf & twins) coming from the same dies (known as die links) a rare occurrence in ancient coins but to have it occur over and over in 300+ coins from an uncleaned lot, not possible.

5. These all look like they are struck forgeries, with large areas of the flans smooth. Some have clearly been clipped off the molten metal with tips of metal left where the liquid metal flowed out from between the dies.

6. Most importantly, the style of the engraving is not ancient Roman, neither is that of the lettering in the inscriptions. They are also not ancient barbaric imitations (the uniformity of flan compostion, artificial toning, and similarity of condtion depite supposedly originating over a 300 year period, eliminate them as barbaric imitations) but similar to known forgeries to come out of Bulgaria, particularly those of the Slavey school.

A catalogue of the coins found in the 1,000 coin lot

Some of the coins are purely ephemeral or "mules" with the reverse types not matching issues of the obverse emperor or reverse types from one emperor paired with obverses of another. So far I have identified 20 forgery types. The number in parenthesis is the count and the percentage of the 316 total to give an indication of scarcity. Percents have been rounded to one decimal place.

This may not be an all inclusive list since a total of roughly 20,000 coins were imported, the percentage of which were fakes is uncertain. Other types may still be unidentified. The ones known to me are listed below:

AE -3 Urbs Roma, Wolf & Twins reverse ( 23 - 7.3% )
AE-3 Valens, Victory advancing left reverse, Securitas Reipublicae ( 36 - 11.4% )
AE-2 Justinian, K nummia reverse ( 2 - 0.6% )
AE-3 Jovian, Vot V Mult X in wreath reverse ( 19 - 6.0% )
AE-3 Justinian "H" 8 nummia of Thessalonika ( 23 - 7.3% )
AE-3/4 Justin I with Chi Rho reverse, Constantinople ( 7 - 2.2% )
AE-4 Justinian decanummia with "1" Anno xxii reverse, Constantinople mint( 11 - 3.5% )
AE-3 Constantinus I, altar and phoenix, Fel Temp reverse ( 25 - 7.5% )
AE-3 Constantinopolis, victory reverse ( 15 - 4.7% )
AE-3 Valentinian II with Concordia Avgg reverse ( 18 - 5.7% )
AE-3 Constantius II Fel Temp Reparatio reverse, soldier spearing fallen horseman ( 24 - 7.6% )
AE-3 Licinius II. Iovi Conservatori reverse ( 17 - 5.4% )
AE-3 Crispus, Providentiae Caess reverse ( 7 - 2.2% )
AE-3 Septimius Severus Provincial ( 30 - 9.5% )
AE-3 Septimius Severus Provincial Variation ( 10 - 3.2% )
AE-3 Constans, Gloria Romanorum reverse ( 29 - 9.2% )
AE-3 Constantinus I Virtus Exercitu reverse ( 12 - 3.8% )
AE-3 Constantius II, Victoriae DD AVGG QNN reverse ( 11 - 3.5% )
AE-3 Constantinus I, Gloria Exercitus, pair soldiers w/standards reverse. ( 10 - 3.2% )
AE 3/4 Pentanummia Justin II w/reverse of Justinian (Antioch mint) Fantasy "mule." ( 7 - 2.2% )
AE-4 Valentinian III/Theodosius II crucifix reverse (discovered April 11, 2004 in a separate 1,000 coin lot.) (1 coin)

The most plentiful of the forgeries appear to be the Severan provincials, the Valens Victory advancing left, and the Constans Gloria Romanorum. The least plentiful is the AE-2 size 20 nummia K reverse of Justinian with only two pieces represented and the AE-4 Valentinian/Theodosius crucifix reverse.

Photos of the coins not show above are below. Pair coins are displayed in order to show die links.

Set 1 from left to right they are:
AE-3/4 Justin I with Chi Rho reverse, Constantinople
AE-3 Valens, Victory advancing left reverse, Securitas Reipublicae
AE-4 Justinian decanummia with "1" Anno xxii reverse, Constantinople mint


Set 2 from left to right are:
AE-3 Constantinus I, altar and phoenix, Fel Temp reverse
AE-3 Constantinopolis, victory reverse
AE-3-Valentinian II with Concordia Avgg reverse


Set 3 from left to right are:
AE-3 Licinius II. Iovi Conservatori reverse
AE-3 Crispus, Providentiae Caess reverse
AE-3 Constantius II Fel Temp Reparatio reverse, soldier spearing fallen horseman


Set 4 from left to right are:
AE-3 Septimius Severus Provincial
AE-3 Septimius Severus Provincial Variation
AE-3 Constans, Gloria Romanorum reverse


Set 5 from left to right are:
AE-3 Justinian "H" 8 nummia of Thessalonika
AE-3 Constantine I, Virtus Exercitu reverse
AE-3 Constantius II, Victoriae DD AVGG QNN reverse


Set 6 from left to right includes:
AE-3 Constantine I, Gloria Exercitus, pair soldiers w/standards reverse.
Samples illustrating modern clipping and metal tips on flans left over from striking/casting.

Set 7 from left to right
AE 3/4 Pentanummia Justin II w/reverse of Justinian (Antioch mint) Fantasy "mule."

Set 8 from left to right

AE-4 Valentinian III/Theodosius II cross reverse fake.
Real AE-4 Valentinian III with cross reverse

Bob Bischoff

petroni912@aol.com