Several years ago I had written the following concerning this coin:The other coin is a tetradrachm of Heraklea ad Latmon (Sear 4453) which has a dull grey core . . . . I have been so convinced this is a fake I never bothered to take it out of the coin holder it came in, until today. The coin measures 26-27mm, and weighs 17.45 grams aginst a book average of 16.50. After a couple of tiny scratch tests under the microscope (don't do this to something you love!), I am almost certain that the core on this piece is a lead alloy which shines like silver when you break its surface. I suspect it is a cast copy in base metal which has been plated in silver and burnished. In this case it goes back into the collection of fakes, since I don't believe the coin is really ancient.

To this Robert Kokotailo (Calgary Coin) had replied at the time:I have not seen it, so am only speculating, but this sounds like it could be a genuine coin with a highly crystallized silver core that has been exposed. This issue should be crystallized like this. The weight of 17.45 grams is a little suspicious, but it is not an impossible weight for a genuine specimen. Is the style of the coin good or bad?? Note his key question.

When examining the silver core of a highly crystallized coin, you must consider that the crystals that have formed are virtually pure silver. The alloy material fills spaces between the crystals and may have leached away. The purity of the silver gives two effects. First, pure silver tones very easily, so do not expect it to be bright and shiny if it has been exposed for any lenth of time. Because the surface is composed of microscopic crystals, it will not be lustrous. Combine these two effects and you have a dull grey metal that looks very much like lead. Second, pure silver is very soft. If you try to scratch the metal in a crystalline silver core, it will scratch very easily and the scratching will smear out the crystals, giving a lustrous bright scratch, again much like lead. This is a case of : "If it looks like lead and is soft like lead, it may be silver".

Obviously you can't evaluate the metal very conclusively. But you can comment on the style features which would indicate "copy" versus "original." Is everything shaped right? Are the devices mushy? Anything missing? You can take a closer look at certain key spots on the coin by clicking on the hotspots as listed above. This will bring up closeups of those details in this frame window, replacing the text you are now reading. To return to this text, simply click on the TEXT button in the upper left corner of the upper frame. To return to the main menu, click the EXIT button.

Let me know what you think.