Got duped by a 'rare' Roman coin, spent 11 days proving it was a fake

I bought a denarius from a market stall in Lyon for 85 euros and the seller swore it was from 2nd century AD, but the patina felt wrong and the lettering looked too crisp. Turns out it's a 1990s replica, and now I'm wondering if anyone else has a cheap test for spotting these things before you hand over cash.

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jenny19825d ago

Damn, that hurts. Getting burned for 85 euros is bad enough, but the time you spent proving it is the real kick in the teeth. I've been there with car parts, bought a "genuine" alternator once that turned out to be a rebuilt piece of junk, and the whole hassle of checking serial numbers and casting marks just made me madder than the money lost. For coins, a simple magnet test can catch some fakes if they use steel core, and a jeweler's loupe helps you see if the edges are worn naturally or if they're machine-stamped. But honestly, the only cheap trick that works most of the time is asking the seller if you can test it with a scratch and acid kit right there, most fakes will fail that fast. Sorry you had to learn the hard way, but at least you know the tricks now for next time.