Ancient ID help needed
Posted:
Tue Feb 19, 2013 5:04 pmby Verbane
Thanks in advance
This is not an area I've spent any time with.
non magnetic, untested otherwise. They appear more like a white metal inhand, seem to have a yellowish tint in the photos.
edit: About the size of a quarter.
Re: Ancient ID help needed
Posted:
Tue Feb 19, 2013 9:01 pmby Country
Looks to be from one of the Seleucid kingdoms ruled by the Seleucid dynasty founded by Seleucus I Nicator following the carve-up of the empire created by Alexander the Great following his death. Seleucus received Babylonia and, from there, expanded his dominions to include much of Alexander's near eastern territories. At the height of its power, it included central Anatolia, the Levant, Mesopotamia, Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Pamir and present-day Pakistan.
Re: Ancient ID help needed
Posted:
Tue Feb 19, 2013 11:54 pmby Verbane
That fits. A soldier brought them back from Afghanistan recently. Gives me a good starting point for identification.
Re: Ancient ID help needed
Posted:
Wed Feb 20, 2013 12:06 amby AGgressive Metal
Verbane wrote:That fits. A soldier brought them back from Afghanistan recently. Gives me a good starting point for identification.
Afghans, like the Chinese, are known to sell "rare coins" to Americans which are actually repros, so I'd probably triple-check for authenticity.
Re: Ancient ID help needed
Posted:
Wed Feb 20, 2013 12:31 amby Verbane
AGgressive Metal wrote:Verbane wrote:That fits. A soldier brought them back from Afghanistan recently. Gives me a good starting point for identification.
Afghans, like the Chinese, are known to sell "rare coins" to Americans which are actually repros, so I'd probably triple-check for authenticity.
Agreed. The markets weren't as well developed in 2001 when I was there, so I didn't have the pleasure of seeing stuff like this first hand. The guy is out some money on these and I want to make sure before I tell him they're trash.
Re: Ancient ID help needed
Posted:
Wed Feb 20, 2013 3:57 pmby Verbane
At least those are marked copy
Re: Ancient ID help needed
Posted:
Wed Feb 20, 2013 10:44 pmby currencydebasement
They don't look qute right. I am not an expert on ancients but all fakes seem to have a "look" to them.
Re: Ancient ID help needed
Posted:
Fri Feb 22, 2013 11:43 amby Verbane
Well, weather they're real or fake, I have been able to attribute the designs to Bactria (500~327BC) Northern India area predating Alexander the Great's conquest.
http://www.snible.org/coins/hn/bactria.html