Paid $200 for a 'rare' Roman coin at a flea market, turned out to be a cheap replica from the 1980s

I grabbed what the seller swore was a denarius from 100 AD, but after getting it home and showing a local archaeologist, she identified it from the mint mark as a tourist fake. The patina was a dead giveaway once she explained how real silver oxides differ from artificial coatings. Has anyone else gotten burned on a piece they thought was authentic, and did you ever get your money back?

2 comments

2 Comments

claire_ramirez223d ago

I paid $200 for a 'rare' Roman coin at a flea market" - yeah, I feel that pain but honestly I think you gotta RESPECT the hustle a little. Flea market sellers are pros at moving stuff that looks old but isn't, and $200 is cheap for a life lesson on fake patina. Did you ever find out where the seller got it? Most of those 80s replicas are everywhere, they aren't even trying to trick experts, just casual buyers. You probably won't get your money back unless you track the guy down and he's feeling nice, which he won't be.

amygonzalez3d ago

You said "flea market sellers are pros at moving stuff that looks old but isn't" and that's the truth. @claire_ramirez22 I wouldn't be surprised if that coin came from a bulk lot on eBay or some discount replica bin. The real kicker is those sellers know you're not gonna call the cops over a $200 fake coin, so they just shrug and move on to the next customer. Plus they probably swap out the display case stuff with the real junk the second you walk away. At least you learned about fake patina the hard way like a lot of us have, it's a right of passage in this hobby. Next time bring a magnet or a small file to test the edge, copper alloys don't flake like brass.