Spent $150 on a Roman coin and it was a total fake

I got really into ancient coin collecting after watching some YouTube videos. Found a site selling a "genuine" Roman denarius of Marcus Aurelius for $150. The seller had good reviews and even included a certificate of authenticity. I was so excited when it arrived, I showed it to everyone at work. Then my buddy who actually knows this stuff looked at it with a magnifying glass. The letters were all wrong and the patina was just painted on. Turns out the whole thing was a modern cast fake from somewhere in Eastern Europe. I felt like a complete idiot for not doing more research first. Has anyone else gotten burned on a fake artifact purchase?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_wren1mo ago

Actually you got what you paid for, $150 is basically pocket change for a real one.

bennett.nora1mo ago

I knew a guy who paid $300 for a "rare" coin at a flea market that turned out to be a bottle cap.