Bought a fake Roman coin off eBay for $75

I thought I found a real denarius from 100 AD for a steal, but it turned out to be a modern replica from China. The metal was too shiny and the edges were all wrong. Has anyone else gotten burned by fake artifacts online?

3 comments

3 Comments

dixon.nathan1mo ago

Read that the Chinese replicas are getting scarily good lately.

kai7791mo ago

Nah, they're still not there yet. I've seen some in person and the details are always off, especially the material feel and stitching. Good for display maybe but anyone with a trained eye spots them right away.

the_taylor7d ago

You're sleeping on what's happening over there man. I've seen a few of the newer batches in hand and the difference is barely there anymore. The leather on the higher tier ones actually has that same pebbled texture and weight now, not that plasticky stuff from before. Stitching is clean, thread count is right, even the box and dust bag are spot on. Some of these factories are literally using the same machines and materials as the Italian ones, just without the brand markup. I can tell you most people walking down the street would not clock it unless they pulled out a loupe and went over every seam with a checklist.