Spotting fake Persian coins
Cast copies, transfer dies, tourist souvenirs and altered mint marks — the diagnostic tests that separate a genuine ancient Iranian coin from a modern forgery.
Key facts
- Most forged Persian type
- Achaemenid gold daric
- Commonest forgery method
- Cast copies from a genuine coin
- Fastest single test
- Weight and specific gravity
- Never conclusive alone
- The magnet test
The four families of fake
| Type | How it is made | Giveaways |
|---|---|---|
| Cast copy | Mould taken from a genuine coin | Soft detail, pitted surface, edge seam, low weight |
| Transfer die | Dies made photographically from a real coin | Sharp but repeats the original's flaws exactly |
| Modern die forgery | Hand-cut modern dies | Wrong letter forms, anachronistic style, clean fields |
| Tourist souvenir | Mass-produced brass or plated blanks | Absurd weight, glossy finish, invented legends |
Transfer-die forgeries are the most dangerous because they inherit genuine style. Their tell is repetition: because they clone one host coin, every example shares the same scratch, the same die break, the same flan crack. Comparing an offered coin against auction archives for the same type is therefore one of the strongest checks available to a private collector.
Physical tests you can run at home
- 1Weigh to 0.01 g. A Sasanian drachm should sit near 4.0–4.2 g, a siglos near 5.4–5.6 g, a gold daric near 8.3–8.4 g. Deviations beyond a few percent demand explanation.
- 2Measure specific gravity with a water displacement rig — the cheapest reliable test for plated and debased gold.
- 3Run a fingernail around the edge for a casting seam, and look for the flat, filed band left when a seam is removed.
- 4Check die axis: many series are consistent, and a wildly aberrant axis is a warning sign.
- 5Inspect at 10–20× for the tiny spherical pits caused by air bubbles in a mould — the classic signature of casting.
- 6Test with a magnet only to exclude crude steel-cored fakes; passing the test proves nothing.
Stylistic and epigraphic tells
Forgers copy shapes, not systems. Pahlavi script on Sasanian silver follows conventions of letter form, ligature and spacing that a modern engraver working from a photograph rarely reproduces correctly. On Islamic-era issues, the Kufic and Naskh legends must match the ruler's titulature, the correct mint name and a plausible hijri date — mismatches between these three are extremely common on forgeries.
- Crown types on Sasanian coins are ruler-specific; a crown that belongs to another king is decisive.
- Mint signatures must be attested for the reign in question — invented abbreviations are common on fakes.
- A hijri date must fall inside the ruler's reign and match the mint's period of operation.
- Portrait style should match the era, not a generalised "ancient" look with modern proportions.
How to protect yourself
- 1Buy from dealers who give an unconditional, unlimited-time authenticity guarantee in writing.
- 2Prefer coins with published provenance — an old auction appearance is the strongest single defence.
- 3Search auction archives by type before bidding and compare surfaces at high magnification.
- 4For anything above your comfort threshold, submit the coin for expert opinion before the return window closes.
- 5Keep the invoice, the description and the images; they are what make a return claim enforceable.
Frequently asked questions
Are most Persian coins on general marketplaces fake?
A large share of cheap "ancient Persian" listings on general marketplaces are modern souvenir copies or cast forgeries. The proportion drops sharply on specialist platforms and effectively to near zero with trade-association dealers who guarantee authenticity.
Can a certificate of authenticity be trusted?
Only if it names an identifiable, accountable issuer. Anonymous "COA" cards printed by the seller carry no weight; opinions from recognised authentication services or established specialist dealers do.
What if I already bought a fake?
Contact the seller immediately in writing, cite the specific diagnostics, and request a refund. Reputable dealers refund without argument. If the platform has a buyer-protection window, open the case before it expires.
Related guides
Why ancient coins are graded on strike, centring and surface rather than wear alone — and how the adjectival, Sheldon and modern Iranian systems map onto each other.
What actually drives price — rarity, mint, grade, provenance and metal — plus how to research realised prices instead of asking prices.
Inert holders, stable humidity, bronze disease, and the strict limits of what a private collector should ever do to a coin's surface.