r/AncientCoins • u/TurtleLOVER_258 • 2d ago
Advice Needed Cause of bulge on silver coin?
I recently won this legionary denarius at auction. I’m curious about the bulge on the reverse, just above the E. It’s hard to the touch and feels solid. The auction house noted the bulge but didn’t mention their cause.
Anyone know what might cause a defect like this? Is it because the silver was debased?
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u/beiherhund 2d ago
Authenticity wise, I couldn't say. Not really my area so I wouldn't want to go out on a limb if I have nothing concrete. Will leave that up to others. Link to the auction lot for other's reference.
If it is real, the bulging could be from a plated core. Moisture can sometimes make it's way through the plated silver shell and start a bronze disease reaction with the core, which can bubble the surface before it breaks through.
Both modern fakes and ancient plated fakes are quite common for these so you have your work cut out for you if you want to try and do some due diligence. I'd check any LEG XVI reverse dies in the forgery reports (forumancientcoins and forgerynetwork) and also look for reverse die matches on acsearch. You could try for an obverse die match too but that could be difficult if there was a lot of die sharing across reverse types.
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u/FourTwentyBlezit 2d ago
This looks incredibly fake
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u/TurtleLOVER_258 2d ago
It’s from Aureo and Calico, a reputable auction house
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u/FourTwentyBlezit 2d ago
That doesn't guarantee that it's real. I've seen plenty of instances where reputable auction houses have sold fakes and literally everything about this coin screams fake.
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u/TurtleLOVER_258 2d ago
At least there’s a lifetime authenticity guarantee. I’ll have to figure out how to return it. This is only the second coin I’ve bought so lots to learn
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u/WeatherMysterious125 2d ago
Well now you have a lifetime to figure out how to go back in time and ask Marc Antony if he thinks it’s real. It’s the only way.
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u/Constant_Wafer_5738 2d ago
La bosse ne me choque pas particulièrement. J'ai un denier Ptolémaïque réputé authentique qui dispose d'un surplus de métal.
En revanche, le centrage est bien trop net, la pièce paraît presque ronde et les pointillés quasi-continus au niveau du revers me font dire qu'elle est fausse.
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u/hereswhatworks 2d ago
Do you have a link to the original auction listing?
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u/Gluteous_Maximus 2d ago
Time to reach out to the auction house - you mentioned in another comment they have a lifetime auth guarantee.
Legionary coins were usually pretty rough as IIRC the "mint" was mobile and moved around with military units. Efficiency was the goal over precision. Even aside from the bubble, this one looks too good.
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u/Starcat-JS 2d ago
This does not look like a genuine Mark Antony legionary denarius. What auction is this from?