S3R3NDIPITY

“The sellers listed below are notorious fake sellers. We do not list sellers that make an occasional error. The sellers on this list knowingly and intentionally sell fakes. The list is long but many are the multiple eBay IDs of the same people (a few of the aliases are identified as such below). When they are added to this list or their negative feedback builds these sellers abandon their current ID and get a new one. These sellers are criminals and frauds.” - Forum Ancient Coins https://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=18502.0

That’s a valid question because Athenian Owls were forged even in ancient Greece by silver-plating bronze coins which is why most of them are found with disfiguring chop marks. Surprisingly, the same principles which apply to detecting modern counterfeits by NGC also generally apply to ancient 2,500-year-old coins. First and foremost, it’s very important to always purchase ancient coins from reputable dealers which involves thoroughly researching your dealer. Secondly, it’s also important to research the coin you are buying. These are the invaluable lessons I’ve learned from an Athenian Owl collector: 1. Weight: my tetradrachm weighs specifically 17.25g which is generally consistent with the weight of most ancient Athenian Owls. 2. Edge: genuine Athenian Owls like mine have irregular, not smooth edges. 3. Surface: my tetradrachm doesn’t have a smooth surface. 4. Wear: high spots and low spots don’t have the same wear. 5. Format: the coin is not perfectly round. https://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=121759.msg734696#msg734696

Merry Christmas to you to all! It’s amazing how spot on Americans were with the MS-62 grade! It’s gonna take me years as a British collector of Morgans to reach the same level of numismatic competence.

No, it’s a raw tetradrachm, but I can straightaway sense you thinking that such a magnificent Athenian Owl should be slabbed! You can see in this fine example what it is about these high-relief silver tetradrachms that inspired President Teddy Roosevelt to redesign US coinage. The Athenian Owl and Saint-Gaudens double eagle are like two sides of the same coin.

I’m British and like this very complimentary comment about English coins. I collect Morgans and world coins as well as British gold sovereigns and silver coins. Yes, what makes collecting English coins so fascinating are the changing portraits of the monarchs, especially Queen Victoria and Elizabeth II who are the longest reigning. Interestingly, that’s one reason why there aren’t many Morgan collectors in Britain. They complain how the Morgan portrait never changes which is a complete misunderstanding of American coinage.

I loved your comment and felt inspired enough to order a beautiful Athenian Owl silver tetradrachm. I paid £750 British pounds for it which is the equivalent of $1,012.23 US dollars. It’s my very first ancient coin. It is said that President Teddy Roosevelt carried an Athenian Owl as a lucky piece and that it inspired him to redesign US coinage. I’m still waiting for my Athenian Owl to arrive in the mail. However, I can show you the website photos of the Athenian Owl I ordered. The tetradrachm incidentally is 23mm, 17.25g, and not as huge as it looks.

One of the common features of most counterfeit coins I’ve noticed is the lack of detail or poor strikes which is why I try to avoid as much as possible coins in Fine (F) or Very Fine (VF) condition. I remember once purchasing a coin from a dealer which I wasn’t happy with because of its poor strike. It turned out to be genuine because I sold it for its bullion value. It’s not the first coin I sold off and replaced.

Morgans can be collected either for their numismatic or melt value. The person or persons who scraped the Morgan to test its authenticity probably knew it was a common date and just worth its weight in silver. They were stacking it for its bullion value alone. Collectors who are alarmed at the disfiguring scrapes on this Morgan dollar should check out how this Athenian Owl was chopped almost in half! Testing silver coins to make sure they are not silver-plated base metals has been going on for thousands of years.

The major reason I think bubble wrap is the best way to send submissions to NGC is because that’s how my dealers send me their numismatic coins and I’m talking about coins which have cost me thousands of dollars. Coins do get knocked about a lot during their journey through the mail to NGC and bubble wrap should cushion against any damaging blows.

I do know a coin dealer in Britain who sells counterfeit coins alongside genuine ones. However, they are listed as forgeries and their intention is to educate, not defraud their customers. The coin dealers you are probably referring to are the counterfeit coin dealers who are offloading fake coins on their customers. I have nothing but contempt for the counterfeiters and those trading in counterfeit coins.

I’m British and love all these posts and comments about the Royal Mint by Americans. We also have a sense of humour and don’t mind Americans poking fun at us.

My most recent acquisition is this 1878-S Morgan silver dollar which is very different from my other blast white Morgans which are in BU condition. I’ve collected all of the five Morgan mint marks. I love coin combinations within collections and I realised what I lacked after completing my collection is the very first 1878 Morgan to complement my last 1921 Morgan. What grade would you assign to my 1878-S Morgan?

I’m blown away by the sheer professionalism of RWB’s observations which can’t be faulted in any way. We desperately need this level of American numismatic expertise in British numismatics. We have nothing like it this side of the pond.

I was instantly drawn to this post because I realise countless philosophical questions do arise from coin collecting. One of the most worrying for me is why more males than females collect coins. I’m also confused by the perceived differences between “conserved” and “cleaned” coins. Numismatists are not bothered in the least if they notice a slabbed coin has been preserved. However, it’s obvious the same valuable conserved coin would be regarded by them as a worthless cleaned coin if I cracked it out if its slab.

Yes, the Peace dollar looks like someone with red freckles which I’ve always found to be one of the most appealing features on a human face.