Ancientartifakes Forum

For many years, many forums and websites have offered extensive help in researching coin forgeries.

We could not find any help for fake rings. Slowly grew with us the idea to offer this service also corresponding interested collectors .

Anno 2015 it was time. Our fake-ring-data base was born. As if we had started an avalanche with our idea, grew on ebay and also outside the offer of fake rings.

At the beginning there were only fakes / replicas from Bulgaria, which were relatively easy to spot, because the counterfeiting workshops put more emphasis on bulk than on quality. But then a new generation of fake sellers conquered the ebay market. Dangerous, as well organized and with much better sources of supply from Serbia and Bulgaria. Mafia-like structures of a group from the former Yugoslavia, who are raising their prices with shill-bidding. Silver and gold items and spiced up bronze rings made by professionals. And yet easy to recognize for a trained eye as counterfeit.

Bulgaria is trying to regain its place among the fake manufacturers. Especially noticeable....A seller located in US with item location Bulgaria offers an impressive range of Bulgarian fakes, mostly with focus on legion rings and advertising with a sexy looking female decoy. Did he offer initially two legion ring fakes per week, there are now six to eight. In addition, there are pendants, chains temptingly presented between the breasts of this model. Statues made in 2017, offered at a high price. Snake ring resp. bracelet fakes and last but not least the moneymaker „ sex rings badly copied from a spintria“  Everything cleverly hidden between hand-knitted textiles and wooden pictures.

I could tell you more, but you get a better overview in our forum.

Our request now to the collectors -  whether beginner or already experienced -  who can not tolerate the fake market on ebay and would like to change something.

Contact ebay - file a fake report - . Enough are published in our forum among the Top Ten (actally TOP TWENTY) fake sellers.
The more we are - the less ebay can ignore these fake reports!

Just shaking your head is not enough anymore. The sellers work with all criminal methods, even offering CoAs and Provenances for the fakes. They harm the truly honest sellers and destroy the market for ancient heritage.

You are most welcome!

Chris



REAL OR REPLICA? no problem - we offer a huge section of replicas of all kinds (since 2009 documented)

quote from one of our members, who bought a fake from a Serb seller...................................
„I had seen that (genuine) chi rho ring from cameleoncoins ! In fact - that auction made me feel like I was getting a "good deal" with what turned out to be my Serbian fake LOL!!!!!!! „

The Serbian group below now sells 4-5 silver ring fakes per member. Total of 20 to 26 fakes per week. The latest fakes listed on April 17, 2018 are attached

TOP TEN ancient-lord
TOP TEN antique_store-1
TOP TEN moesia_roman_empire
TOP TEN master-numismatic
TOP TEN impvladimiravg
TOP TEN roman-hunter

See here>

http://ancientartifakes.net/smf/index.php/topic,1103.0.html

Lots of useful information there.
BUT you need to register on this forum to be able to see all this.

pls. enjoy also this thread http://ancientartifakes.net/smf/index.php/topic,1241.0.html

first information for our guests

We reported countless times the fakes of uniques77777 and its branches (five_stars_five, augusta_fine_arts) on ebay. After filing all claims for fake selling, this crook began to increase the number of fakes and opened a fourth branch, ebay ID alexander_art_classic. February 10, 2018 followed the fifth branch helioscoins20177. This leaves a lot of room for guesswork and these assumptions leave ebay in a very bad light.

Mafia-like structures and global links make it easy for scammers. The ebay's failure to remove the negative feedbacks in compliance with ebay guidelines makes the feedbacks worthless.

There are a good two dozen seller in the antiquities sector cheating on a large scale. And every day there will be more.



March 1, 2018       =  total 60  counterfeits listed from uniques77777   of which 5   newly listed today
March 2, 2018       =  total 62  counterfeits listed from uniques77777   of which 8   newly listed today
March 3, 2018       =  total 67  counterfeits listed from uniques77777   of which 15 newly listed today    (pics of the complete listing attached)
March 4,  2018      =  total 69   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 8   newly listed today
March 6,  2018      =  total 83   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 16 newly listed today
March 7,  2018      =  total 91   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 9   newly listed today
March 8,  2018      =  total 102 counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 11 newly listed today
March 11,2018      =  total  94   counterfeits listed from uniques77777   of which 7   newly listed today
March 12,2018      =  total 99   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 13 newly listed today
March 13,2018      =  total 95   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 11 newly listed today
March 17,2018      =  total 71   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 16 newly listed today
March 18,2018      =  total 70   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 8   newly listed today
March 19,2018      =  total 76   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 11 newly listed today
March 20,2018      =  total 85   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 16 newly listed today
March 27,2018      =  total 64   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 10 newly listed today
March 28,2018      =  total 78   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 14 newly listed today
March 29,2018      =  total 89   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 11 newly listed today
March 30,2018      =  total 113 counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 15 newly listed today

April   1  ,2018      =  total 86   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 7   newly listed today
April   2  ,2018      =  total 75   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 8   newly listed today
April   3  ,2018      =  total 80   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 14 newly listed today
April   4  ,2018      =  total 74   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which  8  newly listed today
April   5  ,2018      =  total 70   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which  8  newly listed today
April   6  ,2018      =  total 73    counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 14 newly listed today
April   9  ,2018      =  total 79   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 14 newly listed today
April 12  ,2018      =  total 65   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 12 newly listed today
April 13  ,2018      =  total 63   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 13 newly listed today
April 19  ,2018      =  total 32   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 12 newly listed today
April 20  ,2018      =  total 31   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 13 newly listed today
April 21  ,2018      =  total 39   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 13 newly listed today
April 23  ,2018      =  total 54   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 13 newly listed today
April 24  ,2018      =  total 63   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 11 newly listed today
April 26  ,2018      =  total 65   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 14 newly listed today

This seller has recovered from the shock of negative feedbacks. After his "I-have-all-inherited" lie, he raises the fake offers again ..

May 16,  2018       = total 32   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 10 newly listed today
May 21,  2018       = total 32   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 21 newly listed today
May 24,  2018       = total 49   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 27 newly listed today
May 26,  2018       = total 46   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 18 newly listed today
May 27,  2018       = total 56   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 10 newly listed today
May 31,  2018       = total 43   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 15 newly listed today

June 4,   2018       = total 31   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 16 newly listed today
June 6,   2018       = total 28   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 12 newly listed today
June 19, 2018       = total 38   counterfeits listed from uniques77777  of which 14 newly listed today

21. 9. 2018 number of fakes listed from uniques77777............................25
21. 9. 2018 number of fakes listed from five_stars_five...........................41

10.12.2018 number of fakes listed from uniques77777 ............................62
10.12.2018 number of fakes listed from five_stars_five ...........................17


Uniques77777 and its branch five_stars_five are trying to build on the success story of the past.

uniques77777 ............ 6. 2. 2019 ................. 56 fakes
five_stars_five ............6. 3. 2019 ................. 24 fakes

80 fakes in just a week and the ebay buyers still are not suspicious? Wow
  
For the time of our campaign
http://ancientartifakes.net/smf/index.php/topic,1254.0.html

our guests can also see the full extent of this seller’s scams.
http://ancientartifakes.net/smf/index.php/board,468.0.html
and his fake branch five_stars_five  
http://ancientartifakes.net/smf/index.php/board,488.0.html

PS.  
Since this crook is in our forum, the counterfeits increase daily.
For me that means he feels very safe, really shows us the middle finger (well known Italian gesture), and above all, there is likely one on ebay that helps him or - more likely - he is a member of a Bulgarian gang acting worldwide. He is putting his thumb on his nose to all of those who object to his fraud

Approx. 350 - 400 fake reports about this crook from various ebay members, anyway ebay is silent and lets him continue to cheat. Incredible

Preliminary result
We have become uncomfortable. Ebay did not respond, but what looked like a defeat in the beginning has turned out to be a partial victory.

Ebay has its own way of dealing with cheaters. After estimated 350-400 fake reports uniques77777 closed from one day to the next his complete listing. After a few days all fakes were listed again.
That was irritating. It turns out, however, that uniques77777 can only (or may) sell "nationally". No international listing is possible anymore.

Why is USA "National" for a European seller?
He comes from Bulgaria, but ebay offers the possibility for sellers from countries where ebay is not represented to sell from the USA. This is exploited by the fraudsters. The Serbian and Bulgarian mafia-like gangs now have an easy game, spread all over the world and serve their customers with fakes.

And ebay kills two birds with one stone. It has hypocritically reacted to the many fake reports while saving its high profit margins (10% sales charge).

That's what I call "double morality". In one sense, the index finger is raised (customer protection), in the other respects ebay works under the public eye as a fence

Chris

PS. ebay has decided only to limit the restriction to national sales. This cheater is allowed to sell his fakes again internationally. The selling prices rise again and ebay can continue to participate in this scam.

From 8. 3. 2018   to 3. 6. 2018 number of fakes sold = 369
From 22. 5. 2018 to 7. 8. 2018 number of fakes sold = 225

One article from our section "Help to help yourself on purchases of ancient artifacts" also available for our guests. For more information you might join our forum.

Excerpt from "how to spot a fake" by Louis McWhinnie
unfortunately not available online anymore


"A big bit of advice to collectors, and you can quote me on this!....
A big library is more important than a big cheque book"
Louis McWhinnie

I have even seen private collections where the fakes outnumber the genuine pieces! I remember a good friend of mine, over a number of years, buying up quite a few fakes, and very low quality artifacts, when I questioned him about it, he replied that the objects were cheap to buy, and that it was all part of his learning process, I replied, “well how long do you want to keep on learning,….ten years,…twenty years,………… how long?”

There are basically four ways of spotting a fake, they are, Tooling Techniques, Patina, Style & materials used,
 
Style
Judging the difference between a genuine  and fake style takes certain knowledge and experience, it is a matter of handling and studying as many artifacts as possible, even scrutinizing items that are of no interest to you at the time, as maybe one day your taste will change, and when they do, you will already have a basic understanding in that particular field.

Sight
The most important of the senses when it comes to collecting, sight  tells us the  tooling techniques used,  size,  visual power, form and presence of an object, (aesthetics) the quality, condition,  colour,  patination, and whether an object has been restored or modified. (Fakers love to modify a new or authentic piece, because the hard work has already been done, they are, more or less, working with a  blank canvas)

Touch
Will let us know the weight of an object, whether it is made of stone, metal,  soft or hard wood, cotton or silk, we can also feel the texture of the surface, whether it is rough, smooth or polished. Touch is a good indicator for silver. Silver is a very good conductor of heat, and will quickly warm up in the hands.

PATINA
Patina is the natural aging on the surface of a material, caused through polishing (as in furniture) handling, weathering, and in the case of metals, oxidation. Genuine patina will not come off if wiped with a damp cloth, or with methylated spirits. There are two types of patina, with variations of each, (an inside or outside patina) A statue kept inside a house will have a far different patina to one that has been placed outside in the weather.
Patina can be faked on virtually every material!

Bronze

 Of all the materials, bronze is one of the most difficult for collectors to understand, unlike iron objects  that just go rusty, bronze can be a variety of colours, it can be green, brown, reddish, blue,  black, silvery, or a combination of each. The reason for this is because of the material itself, bronze is basically a mixture of copper and tin, with  various trace elements, that also react to oxidation. The variation of colour can be put down to the copper and tin ratio, keeping also in mind that the artists could only smelt whatever metals were available at the time, the casting of bronze was never an exact science. (bronze that has a silvery patination, has a high tin content that resists corrosion)
Other factors taken into consideration are, whether the bronze had been excavated, and if so, how long  had it been in the ground, was the soil well drained, acidic, or was it found buried under silt  in a freshwater river, or salvaged from the bottom of the ocean floor. Genuine bronze artifacts will not have any sharp edges, oxidation would have corroded the metal so that all the edges would be smooth to the touch. A heavy oxidation will be blister like in appearance, almost like a green rust, where the patination has swelled up on the surface of the metal, and will not wipe off with solvents.

Gold (a nice entertaining episode from the Far East, which should make thoughtful)

This one is a real beauty, and has been lately catching a lot of Indonesian art collectors, dealers and institutions,  new gold is boiled in a secret recipe of “herbs & spices” to give the pinkish/reddish patina that is found on most excavated archaic pieces. I have seen pieces that are so good, they would bring tears to a glass eye. The Indonesians are so smug and confident with this one, that they will invest many thousands of dollars in  solid gold bullion just to make one masterpiece, knowing that they can double, triple, or quadruple their investment in such a short time, and that there is always another sucker  just around bemo corner,  (landmark in Kuta, Bali). Collectors think that because the gold is genuine, then the item must be genuine also, but the fakers know, unlike other materials, that there is no such thing as an ugly piece of gold, and as I have stated before, collectors can be their own worst enemy.

quote from 7 tips for collecting ancient jewellery from Christie’s

In ancient Mediterranean, Near Eastern and Egyptian cultures, gold and silver were as much a symbol of luxury and status as they are today, and highly valued. That has meant, however, that some of the most important and valuable ancient pieces have been melted down for their materials over the centuries.
‘Ancient gold jewellery tends to be of comparatively high-carat: close to 24 carat, and roughly 93 per cent pure or better, which gives it a warm golden hue and texture not typically found in modern jewellery,’ our specialist explains.
Gold is also very soft, which means that an ancient stone in an ancient gold setting cannot be resized. Collectors who want to wear a centuries-old gemstone ought to consider a stone set in modern gold fixtures as an alternative.Given the delicate nature of ancient gold, collectors should handle gold jewellery gently, particularly when wearing it.

Collectors should adopt a healthy scepticism when it comes to bead necklaces, gold bracelets and other ancient jewellery. ‘More ancient pieces have survived from antiquity than you might expect,’ explains Solomon. ‘But there are fakes that have either been created to purposefully deceive, or else fashioned as revival jewellery meant to imitate ancient pieces in style.’

Silver, mysterious material, wonderful craft.

Already in ancient times, silver was value as precious metal. The most important places where silver was found, were in Ethiopia and Nubia/North-Africa. Greek dug for silver around Athens, the Romans got silver from Spain. A mysterious influence seems to go out from silver, one fround this precious metal in temples and castles, in palaces and churches. Masterpieces of silver were also given into the graves of kings for their long journeys. Since the color of gold reminded people of the sun, they associated silver with the moon.

Silver almost never is processed in pure form, it is usually mixed with copper and some zinc. The mixture is called an alloy. This light, shiny metal is resistant against many chemical influences, and silver even surpasses gold in elasticity. To work on silver was a laborous, costly work, which required expertise. Most object were moulded from plates. Besides hammering and embossing, silver-objects also were cast

Interested in an overview of the fakes of the last 14 days? All from different sellers.

See and be amazed. This picture gallery is not complete - but symptomatic for the mix of bad fakes, modern rings made on antique and replicas sold as genuine

Now we take a quick look into the 3-month presentation of the Serbian group. Recently, the group from the former Yugoslavia, represented in the UK and USA, no longer lists all the fakes at once but in two spurts. The final result remains the same.

I think some buyers would jump off buying if they had the opportunity to see the fakes as comparative as listed below

.............. is no longer alone. Barely 18 months later another eid mar silver ring was found. Same excavation site, fake workshop in Serbia.
You can read this article and many others here:
http://ancientartifakes.net/smf/index.php/topic,1100.0.html Help to help themselves on purchases of ancient artifacts

However, you would have to be a member of our forum.

We must correct the history: Brutus paid his soldiers not only with the "eid mar". Anyone who wanted  could also get a silver ring instead of money. Unfortunately, only a single soldier has decided for the ring.* This rare specimen was now found in Serbia and could be sold to a lucky fake collector

EID MAR - An Ancient Roman Coin Commemorates the Assassination of Caesar:
One of the most famous coins of all time is the EID MAR denarius issued by Marcus Junius Brutus in 43/42 BC. When Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon, he threw Rome into more than three years of civil war, eliminating his opponents along the way. In 49 BC, many leading citizens, including some sixty Roman Senators, had come to see Caesar as a power-grabber who wanted to make himself king.

This was an unacceptable situation for men like Brutus, who wished to retain their beloved Republic.

The Liberators:
Brutus, who was a trusted friend of Caesar's, conspired with a group of his fellow senators to assassinate Caesar. This group of conspirators called themselves the Liberatores, or Liberators. They believed that they would liberate the Roman Republic from the threat of tyranny by a monarch if they could remove Julius Caesar from power.
The Assassination of Julius Caesar:
In 44 BC, on the 15th day of March, a day known in the Roman calendar as the Ides of March, Brutus and his co-conspirators struck. Using daggers they had hidden beneath their tunics, they flew at Caesar in a hail of knife blows, stabbing him at least 30 times. When Caesar realized his good friend Brutus was among his attackers, he asked, "Et tu, Brute?" ("You, too, Brutus?") As Caesar lay dead on the steps of the portico, Brutus jubilantly shouted, "People of Rome, we are once again free!"

Roman Civil War Continues:
Unfortunately for Brutus, the general populace was very fond of Julius Caesar. Marcus Antonius (Marc Antony) took advantage of the breach in leadership and loudly condemned Brutus' actions. Brutus was forced to flee Rome with his soldiers. After several military encounters, Brutus's forces fell to Mark Antony and Octavian (who later became Caesar Augustus) in 42 BC.

Brutus committed suicide before he could be taken prisoner.

The Ancient Roman Denarius - A Soldier's Pay:
Ancient Roman military commanders like Brutus had to pay their own soldiers, and they generally did so with a silver coin called a denarius. They frequently minted their own coinage, in mint workshops that traveled with the army. They often used these coins as a means of propaganda, or to commemorate important victories. In the case of Brutus, he issued a series of gold and silver coins commemorating the assassination of Julius Caesar.
Two Daggers and a Liberty Cap - and the Portrait of a King?:
Brutus issued the EID MAR silver denarius to remind his soldiers that they fought for the Roman Republic. The reverse of the coin bears the images of two daggers, between which is a liberty cap, an ancient symbol of freedom. The inscription reads EID MAR, meaning "Eidibus Martiis" or "the Ides of March." The message was meant to convey that on the Ides of March, Brutus set the Romans free.
However, there is a curious inconsistency here: In ancient times, especially in Republican Rome, it wasn't considered seemly to put the portrait of a living person on a coin. Sometimes gods were depicted bearing a marked likeness to the actual ruler, but to boldly place your own likeness on the coins was to risk being seen as a king.
In fact, it was Julius Caesar's likeness on his own coins that helped foment the insurrection against him. Yet, here we have Brutus doing exactly the same thing!

Brutus, Imperator:
The obverse of the coin features a portrait of Marcus Brutus. The inscription reads BRVT IMP L PLAET CEST, which means Brutus, Imperator, Lucius Plaetorius Cestianus. Lucius Plaetorius Cestianus was the moneyer who actually managed the mint workers who produced the coin. The Moneyer's name usually appeared on Roman Republican coinage and was a sort of assay mark, guaranteeing the quality of the metal. Imperator meant, roughly, "honored military commander".

The EID MAR Denarius - Rare and Valuable:
About 60 specimens of this remarkable coin are estimated to exist in silver, with 2 known in gold.

from
https://www.thespruce.com/eid-mar-denarius-768790
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2015699/Hail-Caesar-Killers-Ides-March-silver-coin-set-fetch-300-000-auction.html
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/denarius.html

PS.* approx. 18 months left and a new eid mar was found in Serbia (near same fake workshop)

This scam went wrong. Gold fake offered as a grave related item? Ebay did actually react once and closed the auction. It happened even signs and wonders