Becker forgery lead restrike
of Alexander III drachm, 3.6g, Hill 48, M.J. Price F101. Copy of coin from Kition/Citium c. 325-320 BC Price 3109.
Carl Wilhelm Becker, a German who worked in the early 19th century, is history's most notorious ancient coin counterfeiter,
a collector who started making fakes after having gotten stuck with one himself, eventually sticking the seller
who stuck him. Becker also fooled many of the world's most prominent museums. Becker hand engraved and hand struck
his pieces, as was the practice in ancient times. He then artificially aged them by placing them in a box filled
with metal filings and attaching the box to the axle of his carriage.
The above piece is a later lead restrike of a Becker forgery, likely made from Becker dies, which some people regard
as a replica rather than a forgery since it's an off-metal copy, though major auction houses have sold these as
forgeries. The lead-tin alloy used for these pieces may have been "type metal," an alloy of lead, tin,
and antimony used in Linotype printing machines.
It's not clear when the above and other lead Beckers were struck. Some are said to have been struck by Becker himself
near the end of his life in 1830, some by his wife and new husband shortly afterward, some later in the 19th century,
and some as late as 1980. The seller of the above piece said it was part of a set of more than 300 Becker restrikes
he bought in Europe, with most of them identified with handwriting that matched the handwriting on the Becker restrikes
that the American Numismatic Society acquired before 1930. It appears to have been struck rather than cast or pressed,
with die slippage from a hammer strike evident above Zeus' head that not visible on the specimen illustrated in
Hill, luster from striking most visible on the obverse beneath Herakles' head around 7 o'clock, and no evidence
of casting.
The most complete reference about Becker is George F. Hill's 1924 book Becker
the Counterfeiter, illustrating 360 examples of his work. You
can find an abstract of the book at the Web site of the Celator.
Bulgarian School forgery of Alexander III drachm, 4.2g. Correct weight, but fantasy, with no Alexander drachms in Price having Pegasos in reverse left field.
Bulgarian School forgery of Alexander III drachm, 4.6g. Same dies as previous piece but aged and toned. I've seen another one of these with a small "COPY" countermark on the edge.
Bulgarian School forgery of Alexander III drachm, 3.9g
Bulgarian School replica of Alexander III drachm, 4.0g. Same dies as previous piece but with small "COPY" countermark on edge.
Lebanese School forgery of Alexander III drachm, 3.2g, Price F-98. Said to be from the Baalbek region of Lebanon near the Syrian border.
Lebanese School forgery of Alexander III drachm, 3.2g, Price F-103. Same as previous piece but with different mint mark.
Cast forgery of Alexander III drachm, 2.8g. Very lighweight.
Bulgarian School cast forgery of Alexander III drachm, 4.1g. Casting pits and indistinct details. It also has a small lamination defect at the center of the reverse. Said to have originated in Bulgaria.
Cast forgery of Alexander III hemidrachm, 1.6g, compared with about 2.1g for an authentic hemidrachm
Cast forgery of Alexander III hemidrachm, 2.0g