Fake trajan denarius

Fake Trajan Denarius

Enlargement of Obverse

Enlargement of Reverse

I believe this to be a modern fake of a Trajan denarius.

WEIGHT:
3.01 grams

SIZE:
17.3 X 18.4 mm

STYLE:
Good

MANUFACTURE:
Probably lost wax casting of silver

FIRST IMPRESSION:
Good

CHARACTERISTICS: I first noticed something was wrong because of the excess metal in some of the lettering (and a few other places) which appear to have formed due to air bubbles trapped there during the molding process (visible on the small image). A quick examination of the edges shows evidence of file marks, which are suggestive of the finishing of a casting, but could also be present on a genuine coin filed to make it fit a jewelry bezel. Unfortunately my system does not allow for the imaging of the edge of coins, but some file marks where an attempt was made to remove excess metal are visible on the reverse. A close examination under magnification clearly shows porosity and surface structures characteristic of a lost wax casting. The coin has been artificially worn and toned, which gives it a superficially ancient appearance.

RELATIVE DANGER

DEALER
High (then Low)

COLLECTOR
EXPERIENCED
Low
NOVICE
High

Because the style is good, and the casting quality is moderate, this fake is easy to miss on a casual examination, which means that a dealer may end up purchasing it when it is present in a larger group of genuine coins, making the danger to him personally rather high. Because a closer examination clearly shows it to be be a fake, it is likely any experienced dealer or experienced collector will spot it fairly quickly and there should be little danger of it being passed on, so the danger at that point is relatively low. However, this is the type of fake that inexperienced collectors, especially if purchasing from an inexperienced dealer, will find to be very dangerous.