Just blew $200 on a 'guaranteed' Roman coin that turned out to be a bad cast replica

Got it from a shady seller at a flea market near York. The patina felt wrong, and the details were too soft under a loupe. Anyone know a legit source for affordable artifact reproductions for study?

3 comments

3 Comments

cameronmurray8d ago

But @elizabethn56, a real coin's weight and feel teach you more than any plastic print ever could.

elizabethn568d ago

Honestly, the whole 'affordable artifact' idea is a trap. Tbh you're better off buying high quality 3D printed scans from museum databases. The British Museum has free files you can print yourself, way more accurate than any flea market cast.

the_nathan8d ago

Actually handled a fake denarius last month that felt right but was totally wrong. The patina was painted on and the weight was off by a few grams. Plastic prints won't fool you like a good fake can.