Counterfeit Ancient Coins. Ancient coins have a unique fingerprint, however modern coins are cast from molds. Counterfeit coins are the reason I wrote book number 7 in my series. There are a few scientific...
Counterfeit coins are the reason I wrote book number 7 in my series. There are a few scientific methods to identify fakes, but they are not always reliable. There are also personal opinions of experts who have looked at a lot of coins, but they are also not always reliable. It is easier to prove that a coin is not genuine than to prove that it is.
If we take two coins cast from the same original, every imperfection will be identical. That immediately tells you that this is not an original coin. Every ancient coin was basically produced as a single item. They were mass produced, but there were no two exactly alike. They can get pretty close sometimes, but they aren't exactly alike. Every coin is unique in the sense that every fingerprint is unique. You just have to look at them closely to see what the differences are. Modern coins are a different story because they are cast from molds. I am talking about ancient coins only.
The other way to tell a fake is that if a coin was engraved in modern times by an artist, a dye was engraved and the artist then used that dye to strike coins and they were made to look like ancient coins. For those who see enough ancient coins, you develop a sense about what the style of a coin should be, and you know immediately when a coin does not meet the same style. It is very difficult for an artist today to exactly replicate the style of the ancients. I am not saying that there aren't artists who are capable, but they are rare.
