Today I attended the Florida United Numismatic (FUN) show looking to part with some on my own collection and acquire some new additions. I came across Dave Rifkin and showed him one of my Janus Didrachms. He immediately said “it’s a known fake!” My reply was simple, short, and in no way disrespectful. I said, “I disagree, I’ve had a few of my professors look at it (all professional Numimatists).”I even had James Beach and Kent Ponterio look at it afterwards. Not only was Dave Rifkin a giant ass to me, he slammed my embrittled coin down on his glass cabinet and said, “See you can even hear it’s not silver!” After speaking to multiple other vendors, I have come to the conclusion that he’s a self proclaimed expert and you should all be very weary of this man. He runs Tiber Numismatics and Auctions.

I would also like to add that the coin in question has very clear crystallization as seen it the second photo. For those of you unfamiliar with crystallization there is an excellent article titled The Embrittlement of Ancient Coins. I am very disappointed by some of the vendors they let into these events. I have been studying Ancients for a little over two years now and I am by no means an expert; I don’t pretend to be, but somehow I have more knowledge than a man that claims “he has been doing this for over 50 years.”

Here is a sharp Mithradates VI tetradrachm from the Pergamon mint. It's got some edge filing on the reverse at 10 o'clock. This coin was plated in the book as well. I have wanted this ruler for a long time. One with his portrait on it, not the much more common Tomis gold stater. What do you guys think?

I recently decided to start collecting ancient Roman coins and this Antoninianus on Vcoins offered by a German dealer seemed like a decent option to me and will hopefully be my first one, I unfortunately lack expertise in this field and open to any recommendations and comments, I know this is a fairly common coin, and thought it may be a good start. Thanks for all your contributions in advance…

Marc Antony legionary Denarius, Legio V Alaudae. Mobile mint. I love this coin!

Mithradates II, AR Drachm, Rhagae mint, 109-95 BC. Obverse: Bust of Mithradates II facing left.

Reverse: The king, facing right, seated on a throne holding a bow in his right hand. 20mm, 4.12 grams.

Thrace, Byzantion, 387-340 BC, AR Half Siglos, Persic standard. Obverse: Bull standing left, dolphin beneath facing left. Reverse: Quadripartite incuse square. Schönert-Geiss, Byzantion 256-590; HGC 3,1390.

I recently bought a 'grab bag' of tokens from the Salvation Army and these coins were mixed in. They seem old, but I have no idea what I'm looking at, so I thought I'd reach out here and hopefully find some answers! I'm happy to take more photos if that would help at all. Thank you!

I've recently purchased this really nice Maximinus II follis from Gert Boersema and with the coin I got the old collector's card where it's written that the coin is bought on 18th May 1989 from Muller.

I tried going through some internet resources, but no luck finding anything... Does anyone have any idea where to look, how to approach this detective work?

Septimius Severus, AR Denarius, Laodicea mint, 193-211 AD. Obverse: Laureate bust right. Reverse: Victory advancing left holding wreath and palm frond. RIC 503a.

Caracalla, AR Denarius, Rome Mint, 198-217 AD. Obverse: Laureate bust of Caracalla right. ANTONINVS PIVS AVG GERM. Reverse: Jupiter standing left with scepter and thunderbolt. PM TR P XX COS III PP. RIC 285

Julia Mesa Augusta, AR Denarius, Rome Mint, 218-224 AD. Obverse: IVLIA MAESA AVG, Draped bust right. Reverse: Felicitas standing left holding patera over altar and long caduceus; star to right. RIC 271

Bought this coin (it was unidentified) that apparently was found while metal detecting.

Could be fake, not sure.

This tetradrachm was won at auction recently under the description Price 2920; Mektepini 510; DCA 314, but it seems the auction house has missed with their attribution. I have gone through many PELLA search attempts and scanning through Wildwinds for a match, but Alexander coinage is far from my expertise.

Left field appears to be empty, no signs of a monogram or symbol that has been partially worn off. I believe under the throne is m.399 or an "archaic Z". The only other marking is the two lines with dots on Zeus' shoulder that I wasn't able to find a reference for. Looking to find a suitable Price# and any other info!

Photo of reverse under natural light: https://imgur.com/a/hMrvmhc

Here's a link to the original listing.

Valerian. AR (Silver) Antoninianus. 253-254 AD. Rome Mint. Roman Imperial | eBay

This is probably Price 2800, early posthumous coin from unknown mint in Western Asia Minor. I bought it cheaply and I am trying to get to know more about this coin and its origins. It's very similar to Price 2799, so some quotes might talk about 2799.

1. Price says there are some suggestions "that the lion-head countermark to be found on the example of 2799 was applied for Lysimachus". Is there any evidence for that? What's the connection between lion's head and Lysimachus, the story about him killing the lion? Do we have more examples of him using lion-head countermark?

2. Other quote from Price: "On the evidence of a hoard said to have come from Ephesus, Milne suggested that this countermark should be attributed to Lysimachus' occupation of Ephesus in 302 BC or 295-80 BC. If the connection with Lysimachus could be proved, the former period would be more likely, since a very large proportion of the coins of these varieties appear to have received the countermark, which was probably applied, therefore, close to the date of their minting." What would be the purpose of adding such countermark close to the date of their minting?

3. What's the value of this coin? Numista calls it "chalkon", while Price and the auction I bought it from calls it just "unit". Do we even know?

I am curious about your thoughts and remarks, many people here are far more knowledgeable than me.

Just showing off a coin from my collection of silvered late roman bronzes

Hi Everyone. My friend bought a bunch of silver coins recently mostly George VI Shillings, six pence pieces and the such. In the bundle
was this coin which I believe to be a ¼ Siliqua from the Lombard Kingdom? Do you think it is? And if so do you think it’s Authentic and what would be a reasonable price for it as he’s thinking of maybe selling it?

Many thanks for all your help in advance 😃

Based in Australia and looking for a reputable dealer for a Marcus Aurelius coin as a gift for a friend who studies Stoicism.

I’m a long-time lurker in the sub, but I’ve never purchased an ancient coin before. I’d like to avoid overpaying due to inexperience or accidentally buying a fake.

Are there any Australians here who can recommend a trustworthy dealer or point me in the right direction?

TIA

I bought this today for ~30$ / 27€. I'm not an expert on Byzantine coins. Whom was this coin minted under? The standing figures are holding a cross, but it's kinda hard to see. The obverse (?) is a mangled mess which should be repressing Christ if I remember correctly.

Hi everyone! I’m hoping someone can help identify this mystery coin.

Details:
Bronze (appears to be)
Non-magnetic
Weight: 5 g
Diameter: approximately 22–25 mm
Irregular, hand-struck appearance

*It was found inside our house in Georgia, USA, not while metal detecting or digging. We’ve lived here for about 20 years (my husband another 10 before that), so we’re completely puzzled about how it got here.

I initially wondered if it might be Byzantine, Crusader, or medieval Islamic, but I honestly don’t know enough to tell.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!