Counterfeiter’s Hub

CNG 88, Lot: 1303. Estimate $3000. Sold for $3750. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Domitian. As Caesar, AD 69-81. Bronze counterfeiter’s obverse hub for denarius set in iron shank (20x29mm, 47.43 g). Made after AD 80. CAESAR DIVI F DOMITIANVS COS VII, laureate head right. Cf. RSC obverse legend/type Da. Good VF, some rust and deposits.

The intended use of this counterfeiter’s tool was as a hub for creating dies or moulds, rather than the imitative coins themselves. For a die or mold, an inverted image of the eventual coin would be necessary, with features being reversed and incuse. This piece, however, has features which are exactly as would be seen on the coin, thereby being used to impress an inverted image into a die or clay mold, which would then be used to make the coins.