Is this coin a counterfeit? 0

[Nathaniel1580]

 

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[Mr.Bill347]

It appears to be a very old shekel made into a necklace. 
if real, it could be valuable 
https://www.ebay.com/itm/233666562008

Very Rare Silver Shekel Of Tyre Ancient Judea Authentic Rare Old Coin

[JKK]

The shekel photos shown obviously do not match the reverse of the coin in question and thus are not relevant here.

Now for the Alexander tet (tetradrachm) in the bail, in particular its authenticity. As long as it's in the bail, the edge is concealed; a pretty important aspect of counterfeit detection. Between that and the crapulation--which I can't quite assess from the photos--the question is somewhat difficult. You're asking a very reasonable question, because it so happens these get heavily counterfeited. Do you know when it was first acquired? About the only tell I can pick up is some surface roughness that is not the norm for an authentic tet with a lot of remaining detail. Color looks right. Depending on what the crapulation is--whether it's just discoloration or gunk--that could speak in its favor, since old silver tends to tarnish black.

You'd need to take it out of the bail (gently, gently), weigh and measure (g and mm), and take a couple good edge photos. The reason for this is that matching the weight/size correctly is one of the checkoffs for authenticity, as is examining the edge for casting seams. There's a way that authentic edges tend to look, and most of the phonies don't match it.

If you go searching for Alexander tetradrachm on Ebay, sold listings only, you will see that most are slabbed and tend to realize $250-400. Really nice examples, as you will see, get a lot more. In the end, it's probably going to come down to sending it in for grading and authentication. If authentic, this one looks like it could get EF without much trouble. It might also be worth NCS's conservation efforts, because I'm not sure what the black stuff is, but if it's tarry gunk rather than tarnish, it could be harming the surface.

[Nathaniel1580]

Thanks you so much for your reply:). 
All I know is that I purchased it approximately three months ago. 
I was told by a coin dealer that it’s a ancient counterfeit. A bronze coin coated in silver, from one of the wars of succession following Alexander’s death. 

[JKK]

1 hour ago, Nathaniel1580 said:

Thanks you so much for your reply:). 
All I know is that I purchased it approximately three months ago. 
I was told by a coin dealer that it’s a ancient counterfeit. A bronze coin coated in silver, from one of the wars of succession following Alexander’s death. 

Contemporary counterfeits of ancients can sometimes be worth more than the real thing. Strange, I know, but I have that on good authority from people who deal daily in ancients. I would be interested to know why the dealer felt it was bronze plated in silver. By now, it would seem some of the plating would have worth through and we'd be seeing exposed bronze. Happily, once you get it out of the bail, you can weigh it. If it's at least silver, we can compare it. A look at this listing will tell you how extensive is the selection of Alexander's coinage, many of them tets. Offhand I do not know the difference between the weights of bronze and silver, and to make matters worse, bronze compositions have always varied.

[Nathaniel1580]

It took me approximately five hours to go through all of the Alexander coins, lol. Thank you so much for the link. 
I’m still not sure what to do with it... I was thinking of just returning it and buying a different coin instead.

Do you happen to know anything about this coin, It’s worth, or it’s history? It’s current bid is 700 dollars, and will probably keep going up. I came across it in an old coin collecting book I have, and have been enamored by it ever since. 
what do you think?

 

[JKK]

Looks like a variant on Sear 737 or 913, depending on how much stock one puts in the slab. Given what I am seeing on sold listings, I also suspect it will go higher, probably hammer around $1200-1500.

[Alex in PA.]

Beautiful coin but, as JKK says, it will go higher.

[Nathaniel1580]

It ended up going for 1037. Is that a good price? I never know how to evaluate these things..

[RWB]

29 minutes ago, Nathaniel1580 said:

It ended up going for 1037. Is that a good price? I never know how to evaluate these things..

Good price only if your wanted it and knew what you were buying.

[JKK]

4 hours ago, Nathaniel1580 said:

It ended up going for 1037. Is that a good price? I never know how to evaluate these things..

Can't say for sure, as I did not take time to make a positive specific ID and did not do much digging. Might be. It's a nice piece, authenticated by a major TPG.

[Nathaniel1580]

Thanks for all the help guys:). I love having this place. Wish I knew about it sooner.