I blew $300 on a 'real' Roman coin that turned out to be a bad fake | Archaeology Discoveries

Vera Brown · 2026-03-25T00:00:14.952394+00:00

I mean, I got excited at a small antique shop in Rome last year and bought what they said was a silver denarius from the 2nd century. Took it to a proper expert back home and they said it was a modern cast copy, maybe worth $20. I feel like a total sucker. Has anyone else been burned by fake artifacts from tourist spots?

patking6mo ago

Oof, that's rough. Did they at least give you a cool story about which emperor it was from, or did they just point at a blurry face and say "old"? I bought a "viking" bracelet once that started turning my wrist green after two days.

4

king.aaron6mo ago

Honestly, that's just the price of a cool story, unlike @patking's toxic bracelet.

2

averywright5mo ago

Always ask for a written certificate from a real expert before you buy. If they won't give one, walk away.

2