These early coins were very crudely designed and generally of poor quality. The green pockmarks on the obverse fields and This replica is unmarked The obverse of this forgery was documented in Bulletin on Counterfeits Vol. He's also sometimes referred to as "Kostas," which means "Tall One." 2 (1989) p. 58 (obverse). coin counterfeiting, Lebanon more so in the past, Bulgaria more so today, though as some of the pieces on this I've found nothing to corroborate this, however. tetradrachm (16.7g). The S countermark of the Antiquanova replica was Owl tetradrachm (weight unknown). What's more, this forgery is documented in Ilya Prokopov's 2004 book Contemporary Coin Engravers and Coin Masters from Bulgaria, which presents many forgeries from the Lipanoff Studio, as No. This is one of the infamous fakes from a pair of forgers active in the 1980s, initially given the name the "British Museum Forgers" by the Bulletin on Counterfeits (BoC), then later given a new name, the "Galvano Boys," by BoC when the British Museum reportedly expressed disapproval of the initial name. Note: Any of the items illustrated on these pages that lips, nose, and eye and the oversized theta of the legend, and it may well have been produced by the same hand. The obverse of this replica is documented in Wayne Sayles 2001 book Classical Lebanon and Bulgaria are centers of ancient and inexpensive, replica with large casting pits over its surfaces, muddy and indistinct details, and Athena rendered This replica copies an Early Classical Owl, Sear 2521. This is another of the cast fakes offered for sale on eBay in thousands of scam auctions over and 6 o'clock on the reverse, and prominent casting pits. are in my possession are stored off site. It's an "original copy," a work of Peter Rosa, the American It appears to be made of bronze. He said he had previously bought it as part of a group of about 50 coins, medals, and tokens. the details in particular on the reverse are mushy, the edges have been filed, and the piece is severely underweight. The piece has slightly pitted surfaces, filed edges, and an overly concave reverse. Coin Replicas, Inc., is a metallic art reproductionist of museum-quality, rare and ancient coins. Despite the size and weight of the above Owl replica, it frequently appears on eBay as an authentic coin. on the reverse, which on these particular replicas is sometimes at the owl's feet, as on the above piece, and sometimes (17.3g). Unlike the Slavey replica of the Classical Owl pictured earlier than the reverse. silver 2020 Athenian Owl coin inspired by the ancient Greek tetradrachm belongs in your collection! The casting which he sells on eBay. accounting for its very low weight. unsuspecting buyers, but also legitimately by museums and commercial replica makers, with no intent to deceive. page illustrate, fakes still emanate from Lebanon. Rosa's molds, which he bought from Rosa's estate. It's the correct weight and diameter. This fake has the same reverse as the previous two fakes and a different obverse. who was cheated out of $180 by the Toronto Forger when he was using the alias Online Liquidators and who wanted This is a curious copy. Rosa/Doyle replica Classical Owl tetradrachm (11.1g). Ancient Greek coins from the region of Attica, modern-day Attic peninsula of Greece, projecting into the Aegean Sea. The reverse is marked with "2005," which is likely the year of manufacture. $365.00. This is an obvious cast fake, with pronounced casting pits, soft details, and a filed edge. However, in a footnote this dealer site indicates that in some cases the Paris Mint used mint marks after the dates listed, so there's a possibility that this piece was minted later. (17.3g). the edge appear to be a clumsy attempt to simulate age. This suggests that the previous seller knew little about ancient coins but knew he was selling a modern copy. This piece is said to have originated in Turkey. The Athenian tetradrachm was the first successful international coins. Wilbert also distributed sets of replicas of U.S. colonial coins and U.S. early Western google_ad_slot = "6304280971"; On the other hand, the seller later sold many copies of this same copy, so this more probably is a cast of a Mayer & Wilhelm electrotype. The pair created other forgeries, according to BoC, through originally engraved dies and still others by making transfer dies from authentic ancient coins and then reworking the dies to enhance the details in the finished products. No authentic Owls exist with a imitations, ancient and modern counterfeits, and modern coins, currency, medals, and tokens that depict ancient City's Metropolitan Museum of Art and sold by the museum's gift shop in large numbers in the 1950s and 1960s. 24 and in Bulletin on Counterfeits Vol. This is a lightweight copy of the previous Slavey copy, marked with a "COPY" countermark on the reverse above the owl's left foot. Bulgarian School pressed counterfeit (11.2g). It was purchased 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. google_ad_width = 728; 1. Watch. Here's more on the Lipanoff Studio. The earliest of Athenian coinage (c. 510 BC) reflect an archaic looking Athena with a small, dumpy owl on the reverse. It's a third-generation copy, or replica maker, not a later reissue from his molds. I'm calling this a Turkish counterfeit because it entered the market in Turkey, but the reverse is the Rosa's molds, is not one of his better works. The above piece is an exception. This replica, made before the U.S. Hobby Protection Act According to journalist Geraldine Norman in her June 14, 1992, article, "It is perhaps characteristic of the crazy market in antique coins that leading dealers ... should consider it quite normal to publish the story of how two men ran a multi-million-pound fraud without taking their findings to the police.". or gully when it typically is the high point on these coins, with this being better visible having the coin in This fake shares obverse stylistic similarities with the previous two fakes. US Coin Auctions. In fact, this particular specimen did just that. It offers a certificate of authenticity with all goods sold, and it operates a reseller program, selling its forgeries in quantity to other stores. This fake like some others on this page has made the rounds, with different versions cast coin forgery by providing how-to tips. It's the correct diameter, but it's thin and light. same as that on the previous fake, and it likely originated in Bulgaria as well. so poorly that it could fool only a tourist. Marcantica. 9a, with that coin weighing 16.4g. with both the Rosa copy and Charlton Mint copy, it's even thinner and lighter. 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. Rosa based many of his replicas on casts he bought from the British Museum. This is the second of two pieces illustrated on this page that I haven't examined in hand, though I have examined an Antiquanova replica. This is a copy of an Antiquanova replica, illustrated on the Owl Replicas page of this site. company, often referred to as Mayer & Wilhelm, that was run at least for a period of time by both Wilhelm Mayer Was: $905.08. This silver forgery was once part of a Japanese collection of authentic coins and was said to have originated With the NP75 countermark on the reverse, NP is short for the German word Nachprägung, This high-quality pressed replica, made of .999 silver, is from the Czech It appears to have been originally engraved before being cast many This forgery criminal is sometimes called the If so, it only follows that full-weight forgeries will follow, or already have. It's hand cut in soapstone, a soft lightweight metamorphic rock composed These coins funded the building of the Acropolis and Parthenon in Athens, as well as funding the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC) between Athens and Sparta. With every round of scam auctions, eBay canceled this forger's I.D. I haven't seen this one in hand, however. Owl forgeries, like ancient coin forgeries in general, range from excellently crafted, and quite dangerous, hand-cut struck copies to cheap cast tourist fakes. You can add an Athenian Owl Tetradrachm to your collection! on this page, this replica is unmarked with "COPY." Bulgarian School Forgery Early Classical Owl tetradrachm (11.8g). It's thin and lightweight, probably made of pewter, and cast, with small casting pits and a pronounced edge seam. This is an inexpensively made, Guide. This replica, which is unmarked, originally was part of a 12-replica set marked "Wilbertly Yours" on 93. $633.56. Another of these fakes was an astounding period of four years in the early 2000s by a crook operating out of Toronto, Canada. 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) and antiquities dealer who has a large black cabinet of forgeries. It has an "SL COPY" This hand-cut, struck copy is made of .900 fine silver and has a "COPY" countermark on the edge. Bronze cast counterfeit coffee jars as a promotion. Charlton Mint replica Classical Owl tetradrachm (10.5g). It was eBay sent messages to the people who had been scammed, but its intent appears only to absolve itself of responsibility. in Crete in the early 1960s, though it's unmarked with anything indicating its origin. At 27mm at its widest, however, it's slightly larger in diameter than is typically seen in Classical Owls. mushy details, and the remnants of a casting seam. This cast piece has nice enough surfaces and detail, but the edges have been filed, and the flan is very thin, Athena's hair above her "earring." Toronto Forger cast counterfeit Benefits charity. 6 No. is very darkly toned. Copy of Slavey replica Early Classical Owl tetradrachm (13.3g). being sold for $480 by an antiquities dealer in Australia from his own Web site. This tourist fake has been cast in bronze and has very indistinct details and filed edges. This is a deceptive fake that appears to have been made using a transfer die. dealer, with the dealer disclaiming knowledge of its authenticity. The edge of this replica has a seam visible in part, indicating this piece was cast. Coin sites: cut dies, careful minting, and attractive toning. google_ad_client = "ca-pub-9064191796818813"; around and try to sell the piece as authentic. Pressed counterfeit Bogos: Counterfeit Coins 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. (15.9g). However, as the piece of art that it is, this specimen is signed, with a tiny "Slavey" signature in Cyrillic under Athena's neck (not visible in this photo). The styling isn't perfect in its fidelity to the original design of Mass Owls but is close. It originated in Bulgaria. by Ilya Prokopov, et al., Modern Counterfeits and Replicas of Ancient Owls have been copied not only by scammers trying to cheat up on eBay as an authentic coin before taking the auction down and selling it to me for a token fee. Athenian Owls, thick, heavy, high-relief silver coins minted more than 2,000 years ago, were arguably the most influential of all coins, and the Classical Owl tetradrachm, pictured above, is the most widely recognized ancient coin among the general public today. casting pits most visible at Athena's cheek and chin, though there's no edge seam characteristic of lower-quality Watch. This is a skillfully done though far from perfect copy. Along with the cornucopia design, the edge also includes the French word "CUIVRE," which means copper, and N° 485/500, which indicates 500 of these pieces were made. $2.90 shipping. Coins from Bulgaria as No. Still, it's a fairly well-made and deceptive fake, judging strictly by its photo. It was said to have originated One copy of this fake, at time of this writing, is being sold by the New York City forgery outlet for $600 and by the Vancouver forgery outlet for $1,140. Aside from its oddity, the piece is attractive enough in hand, with nice matted surfaces. blank space where the crest should be, though sometimes there's a slight gap between the top of the crown and the beginning of the crest. The similarity in styling, however, is probably just coincidental. $3.99 shipping. The styling is unrealistic, with Athena's hair above This forgery was documented in the 1997 book can also be an interesting way to see various modern interpretations of ancient coin art. with her nose sliced in half. Now, 2020 1 oz Niue Silver Athena Owl Stackable Coins are available to you for purchase online from JM Bullion. Bedouin soapstone replica Classical Owl tetradrachm (17.3g, 38mm). This specimen The 480 BC date on the obverse corresponds to the first year that Early Classical Owls were thought to be minted, though the minting of the variety depicted on this piece, a Mass Classical Owl, was initiated slightly later. Turkish tourist copy cast counterfeit (11.0g). 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. The style transitioned quickly over the next few decades, becoming more refined and artistic, reaching a peak around 460 BC. Antiquanova replica Early Classical Owl tetradrachm (17.2g). (16.9g). Design of the Athenian Owl Tetradrachm This forgery was provided to me by one of the most respected ancient coin dealer/numismatists in the world. On most of the edge the file marks were also smoothed away. It has been sold multiple times by different scammers, including the Toronto Forger, an eBay (16.7g). 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. 14 No. Shishido mule replica This is one of a large group of attractive unmarked replicas sold during This fake appears to have begun its life It's It's the correct weight, or just a smidgen heavy. to the evocatively high relief flans of ancient Owls. Rosa/Doyle replica New Style Owl tetradrachm (10.6g). The catalog December 29, 2020. This is a silver copy with the characteristic appearance of a low-quality cast. As with the first piece, it has what appears to be the remnants of an This is a lightweight silver-plated cast replica, made by Charles Doyle from Peter Category includes Athens, Athenian Cleruchs of Delos, ... Athens: AR tetradrachm – Athena/Owl – Well-centered on extremely large flan for die. 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. 1/2 (1982) p. 1, with that specimen Tetradrachms of Athens are beautiful types that show how Athens changed throughout their years as a superpower. This is a fake of an ancient coin sold as authentic by a seller in China and appearing to have been made by the typical Chinese process -- creating a transfer die using another coin and producing the fake with a hydraulic press. This fake was donated to me by a public-spirited collector The pictured silver (AR) tetradrachm comes from Athens, Greece and dates around 393 to 350 BC. From what you see in this picture could you tell if it or the other coins are fake? of the Bulgarian replica maker Slavey Petrov, who goes by his first name, Slavey. Athena's lips and the shape of her face are also very un-Athenian. This and the next three fakes share similarities in the way the obverse die was engraved. Coin sites: which likely consists of former apprentices of the Bulgarian replica maker Slavey Petrov and which is infamous for producing the Black Sea Hoard and New York Hoard of forgeries dispersed to dealers at the New York International Numismatic Convention. Instead, it just sends back an automated response indicating receipt of the message, taking no action. This gorgeous, 1 oz. The piece has the look and feel of lead-based pewter and appears to be a high-quality was passed in 1973, isn't marked with a "COPY" or similar countermark.
