This scammer seems to have ceased operations, but a number of other crooks have come along and emulated his tactics. Said to have originated in Greece. The message contained the following language: "eBay is only a venue, and we cannot guarantee that sellers will complete transactions nor can we guarantee the delivery or quality of bought items.". The styling isn't perfect in its fidelity to the original design of Mass Owls but is close. and Franz Wilhelm. ancient coin that "had been found by a farmer in his fields." Reproductions of Cheshire, England. It was sold on eBay by a seller in France simply as an owl medal, though in email he did provide the information that the cornucopia design on the edge is a mint mark of the Paris Mint. At 27mm at its widest, however, it's slightly larger in diameter than is typically seen in Classical Owls. as an authentic coin on eBay. no doubt was initially made from hand-engraved dies before being cast because the styling is considerably off. coins. Antiquanova replica Early Classical Owl tetradrachm (17.2g). It's not made of silver but some kind of artificially toned white metal alloy. Marcantica. Cast counterfeit Egyptian Owl Bulgarian School struck/pressed counterfeit (16.4g). Get the best deals on Athens Owl Tetradrachm when you shop the largest online selection at eBay.com. Coin sites: Doyle also worked with Rosa, and he currently makes these replicas, This tourist fake has been cast in bronze and has very indistinct details and filed edges. Bulgarian School pressed counterfeit (11.2g). The reverse is documented in the 2003 book It copies a New Style Owl, Sear 2553. This small, underweight piece was part of series of reproductions of ancient coins On most of the edge the file marks were also smoothed away. This fake distinguishes itself by being silver and the correct weight. When informed with the appropriate detail that this was a modern copy, he immediately took down the auction then donated the piece in the name of counterfeit education. so the above piece could be one of the less typical Lipanoff casts, or it could be a cast from a Lipanoff fake made by someone else. The style transitioned quickly over the next few decades, becoming more refined and artistic, reaching a peak around 460 BC. These prices are a half to a third /* Ad03 */ Turkish cast counterfeit The S countermark of the Antiquanova replica was NT Ancients replica of Rosa replica (6.1g). cut dies, careful minting, and attractive toning. The piece was also artificially toned, badly, with "circus" toning and burnt spots on Athena's helmet. can also be an interesting way to see various modern interpretations of ancient coin art. imitations, ancient and modern counterfeits, and modern coins, currency, medals, and tokens that depict ancient Metropolitan Museum of Art replica Classical Owl tetradrachm (9.6g). It appears to be made from originally engraved The initial name resulted from the fact the pair created some of their forgeries from making casts of electrotypes obtained from the British Museum of coins in its collection. a hydraulic press, the above piece appears to be cast, having a faint edge seam. This is a high-quality silver fake that's at the low end of the correct weight range and appears to have been originally engraved and produced with a machine press, in the Bulgarian style, rather than being cast. Ending Jan 2 at 1:46AM PST 1d 22h. Instead, it just sends back an automated response indicating receipt of the message, taking no action. This is a run-of-the-mill cast counterfeit, with casting pits and remnants of an edge seam, with one exception. This replica is anything but convincing, however. This suggests that the previous seller knew little about ancient coins but knew he was selling a modern copy. No doubt purely by chance, this oversize piece weighs about the same as an authentic using multiple I.D.s. You can optionally buy these bullion coins in an NGC slab, titled "Private Issue Bullion," but the reverse -- the owl -- is treated as the obverse, facing front. are in my possession are stored off site. The flan is also slightly wider than normal. This replica, made before the U.S. Hobby Protection Act This fake originated in Lebanon and was acquired in trade with another collector who had bought it from a Lebanese The piece documented by Prokopov weighs only 10.2g, while this piece though still underweight weighs 15.1g, much closer to the correct weight range. He's also sometimes referred to as "Kostas," which means "Tall One." It's thin and lightweight, probably made of pewter, and cast, with small casting pits and a pronounced edge seam. Copy of Slavey replica Early Classical Owl tetradrachm (13.3g). $2.90 shipping. You can add an Athenian Owl Tetradrachm to your collection! Because of their popularity, ancient Athenian Owls are widely forged by scammers today and are perhaps the single most frequently counterfeited ancient coin. by Ilya Prokopov, et al., Modern Counterfeits and Replicas of Ancient This is a cast replica from Gavia, a coin dealer in Germany. This piece is said to have originated in Turkey. google_ad_slot = "6304280971"; Though this piece is a poor-quality, even humorous, fake, it points to where things may be headed if the Chinese get better with ancients as they have with modern coins. It produced silver- and gold-plated pewter coin replicas along with medals, plaques, pins, and Here's more on the Lipanoff Studio. The reverse of the above piece doesn't match the obverse, with the small owl tilting its head being in the style of some Early Classical Owls and the obverse in the style of Mass Classical Owls. This is one of two pieces illustrated on this page that I haven't examined in hand, though I have examined a Wilbert replica. forgeries. Cast counterfeit (15.7g). version of this fake was published in the Bulletin on Counterfeits Vol. Watch. below this outside the incuse square. The above fake appeared for sale on eBay as an authentic ancient coin from an American dealer who sells U.S. coins, modern world coins, exonumia, and banknotes, with no indication through his current auctions or feedback that he specializes in ancients. Amazingly, there are counterfeits of even these primitive pieces. 14 No. by Gallery Mint Museum of Eureka Springs, AR. Coins: Ancient; Greek (450 BC-100 AD) Roman: Republic (300 BC-27 BC) Roman: Imperial (27 BC-476 AD) Roman: Provincial (100-400 AD) Byzantine (300-1400 AD) I've been collecting indian heads and roman coins a number of years but know little about greek coins… The original "COPY" mark on the reverse of the replica was removed in the process of creating this fake, likely by tooling the transfer die. This is a work by Bekircan Tahberer of Sandan Art, originally based in Turkey, currently based in Vancouver, Canada. It's It was originally but unrealistically styled, and the flan is very low relief in contrast Ancient Greek coins from the region of Attica, modern-day Attic peninsula of Greece, projecting into the Aegean Sea. Still, the above piece is attractively done, with a small, thick flan and attractive toning, and it's tetradrachm (16.7g). as "repros," without any other identifying information, and sometimes not attributing the coin that the Silver tetradrachm coin depicting the owl of Athena (circa 449–413 BCE). Guide The piece has slightly pitted surfaces, filed edges, and an overly concave reverse. Perhaps it was a trial piece put out by one of the Bulgarian forgery workshops. This piece is a product of NT Ancients of Quebec, Canada. Collecting an inexpensive replica of an expensive ancient coin is similar to hanging on your wall an inexpensive poster of an expensive oil painting. on the reverse outside the incuse, though this isn't the case with all Slavey Owls. (12.8g). This is a very curious oversize silver-plated mule replica that combines the obverse of a New Style Owl with the reverse of a Classical Owl of three centuries or so earlier, though the owl's small head is more akin to that on New Style Owls. The reverse is marked with "2005," which is likely the year of manufacture. A gravity hammer machine was used to mint it instead of a hand-held hammer. more obvious casting pits. Only the piece sent to buyers wasn't the above but a common cast forgery of lesser quality without a "COPY" mark. Higher-quality, more dangerous forgeries are cast AR Tetradrachm (36mm, 16.97 g, 12h). One buyer of another specimen of this same Chinese fake got scammed out of $307. cast fakes. BoC gave him the pseudonym "Costodoulos," which is a bastardization of the last name of Constantinos Christodoulou, a Greek Cypriot forger who worked in the early 20th century. A coin described as GEM BU is ungraded, featuring characteristics associated with a coin earning a Sheldon Scale grade of 65 or higher: a superb strike, nearly perfect surfaces and fantastic eye appeal. unsuspecting buyers, but also legitimately by museums and commercial replica makers, with no intent to deceive. donated to me by a dealer who had five of these in his black cabinet, all identical. One version of this same fake was sold on eBay for $400 by a Lebanese School cast counterfeit No doubt others did this too. 510/500-480 BC. on this page, this replica is unmarked with "COPY." 2020 Niue Silver Owl of Athena Stackables 1oz .999 Silver Coin In email he said he's a long-time collector but finds the "bulging" eyes of Athena on earlier Owls "grotesque," so he decided to create his very own ancient Greek coin. Eukratides I Megas. her "earring" dropping too far down in the style of some earlier Owls and with her face being too mannish. It could be argued 23 and 25 and the reverse of No. Turkish tourist copy cast counterfeit (11.0g). The Athenian Owl tetradrachm would remain the dominant currency force in the region and many Greek-influenced Asian areas until Roman coinage replaced it in the 1 st century B.C. This is a lightweight copy of the previous Slavey copy, marked with a "COPY" countermark on the reverse above the owl's left foot. 31 watching. in Iran, though the styling is very similar to the next Lebanese School forgery on this page, particularly Athena's Owl, Sear 2521. Despite many people contacting eBay, it had no mechanism in place to act in a timely way, and to this day it still doesn't read or act upon most messages sent to it. Back to: All Ancient Greek Coins: Main Page Presented here is a fantastic collection of silver tetradrachms minted in Athens, ancient Greece, between 449 and 404 BC. 6 No. on Athena's helmet is off the flan, as with the piece pictured above, and sometimes it's on the flan. With the NP75 countermark on the reverse, NP is short for the German word Nachprägung, This piece appears to have been cast from an originally engraved fake because the owl's head and breast They appear to have been originally engraved because they diverge in significant ways from the styling of authentic Owls, particularly with Athena's helmet crest, which lacks a break in the feathers. of the electroplated copy. Though severely underweight and comprised of base metal, it's an attractive enough Owl replica, with well-chosen devices and nice surfaces. ATTICA. It's the correct weight and diameter. The catalog cover also indicates that the coins for reproduction were selected by the Keeper of the Free shipping on many items ... ATHENS Greece 455BC Ancient Greek TETRADRACHM Coin Athena Owl Remake St Judes. Charlton Mint replica Classical Owl tetradrachm (10.5g). This is an inexpensively made, This very large, old, and attractive off-metal replica was made by the Paris Mint, probably between 1880 and 1901. Cast counterfeit (8.2g). Ancient Greek Tetradrachm (Coin) Portraying Alexander the Great, 297-281 BCE, issued by King Lysimachus of Thrace Octadrachm (Coin) Portraying King Ptolemy III Euergetes, Ptolemaic Period (221–205 BCE), issued by King Ptolemy IV, reign of Ptolemy III Euergetes (247–222 BCE) google_ad_height = 90; December 29, 2020. A number of other varieties of Owl forgeries exhibit the same mistake as this piece. His partner reportedly was a Hungarian dealer who at the time was one of the directors of a coin and antiquities shop in London but at some point has worked out of both Germany and Switzerland. It's slightly larger in diameter (27mm) and slightly lighter in weight than ancient Owls, and it has highly reflective proof fields and a reeded edge. It was sold on eBay Germany as being .999 silver, weighing 17 grams, and being 26mm in diameter, but it's lighter at 16.01 grams and smaller at 24 millimeters at its widest. He said he had previously bought it as part of a group of about 50 coins, medals, and tokens. The styling is very similar to Slavey's replica of an Early Classical Owl, which is illustrated on the Owl Replicas page of this site, with This is a deceptive fake that appears to have been made using a transfer die. (10.5g). The copyist used a test-cut and countermarked Classical Owl as the seed coin, then after creating the cast filled in the test cut. That the major coin and antiquities organizations haven't been able to shut down such blatantly open forgery operations is a telling commentary about the dark side of the trade. There's a possibility that this is an electrotype, though it's more likely that it's a cast. is very darkly toned. This fake originated in Bulgaria. 7 No. With fakes having the above obverse, sometimes the crest This high-quality pressed replica, made of a lead alloy, is unlike most of the so-called Rosa replicas on the market today. google_ad_client = "ca-pub-9064191796818813"; This forgery is documented in BoC 17 No. Pre-coins. $ 20.00 Owl Of Athena Necklace – 22k Gold Pendant on Sterling Silver Chain $ 849.00 Owl Of Athena Necklace – Sterling Silver Coin … Greek cast counterfeit Forger. which are less expensive to obtain than authentic ancient coins. The Chinese have been heavily involved with forging American and other modern collector coins as well as medieval coins (and just about anything else that can be copied), though as yet they haven't involved themselves much with ancient coins. During ancient times, Athena’s association with the owl was so strong that, in mythology, meant that if an owl was seen before war, Greek soldiers believed that she was blessing them for victory. (17.4g). which he sells on eBay. Persia reconquered Egypt c. 343 BC. This piece is countermarked with "COPY" on the edge (not visible in this photo). His name has also been in the news regarding smuggled antiquities. and 6 o'clock on the reverse, and prominent casting pits. 1. (16.9g). to contribute to the cause of counterfeit education. Also, the crest is off the flan on this piece. It's a third-generation copy, or As coin experts and historians, we specialize in replicas from the rarest and choicest Ancient Greek, Roman, Biblical and Colonial & Early American coins. Bulgarian School cast counterfeit (14.5g). on the reverse, which on these particular replicas is sometimes at the owl's feet, as on the above piece, and sometimes Owl forgeries, like ancient coin forgeries in general, range from excellently crafted, and quite dangerous, hand-cut struck copies to cheap cast tourist fakes. that publishing this mistake will help forgers make more convincing fakes in the future. Charactistically, the details of what authentic Owls in this condition would sell for but about 20 times what copies sold as copies typically 28. City's Metropolitan Museum of Art and sold by the museum's gift shop in large numbers in the 1950s and 1960s. The earliest of Athenian coinage (c. 510 BC) reflect an archaic looking Athena with a small, dumpy owl on the reverse. Royal Coin Cabinet in Munich, so presumably the originals were from the Munich Coin Cabinet. Turkish ceramic jewelry replica Classical Owl tetradrachm (3.0g). full weight despite being silver plated. It originated in Bulgaria. More on Slavey Guide Its design has even been replicated by the Modern Greek 1 Euro coin. It's the correct diameter, but it's thin and light. The fields on this specimen are overflat, noticeable in particular to the evocatively high relief flans of ancient Owls. I've heard years ago someone made a lot of fake tetradrachm owl atticas. coin forgery by providing how-to tips. with her nose sliced in half. This is another of the cast fakes offered for sale on eBay in thousands of scam auctions over Owl, Sear 2526. The above piece has some heft to it and appears to be made of lead-based pewter. Pre-coins.