foreign publications
Sayles Wayne G. - Classical Deception. Counterfeits, Forgeries and Reproductions of Ancient Coins, Iola 2001, ISBN 0873419685
196 pages, B5 format, hardcover with wrapper. An illustrated study, with catalog, of forgeries of ancient coins. This book by Wayne G. Sayles author of the highly regarded Ancient Coin Collecting series. An Illustrated Catalog presents a straightforward and objective look at the history of ancient coin forgery. The book discusses production methods (including minting, casting, stamping, milling, engraving), types and composition of metals, weights and dimensions. The "schools of forgers" and their specializations starting from ancient times, the Renaissance, the Baghdad, Geneva, Italian, Sicilian, Beirut and Bulgarian schools and ending with the modern ones are introduced. The forgeries of the coins of Alexander the Great and those in the British Museum are described, as well as museum-quality forgeries and the fantasies of forgers in creating new coins. A separate chapter presents methods and techniques for revealing forgeries, including physical examination (determining weight and center of gravity), microscopic examination, use of ultraviolet light, magnets, and X-ray and even neutron analysis. Each of the sections described has links to further literature on the topic. The book contains numerous drawings and diagrams, as well as several hundred photographs (including enlarged ones), including more than 400 images from the so-called Rosa collection showing forgeries of Greek, Judean and Roman coins. An essential guide to identifying the increasingly common forgeries of ancient coins and avoiding disappointment and sizable financial losses.
