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MDC Monnaies de Collection

308 - ROMAN EMPIRE - ROMAN Reproduction of a light miliarense of C…
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Estimate €20
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Description
ROMAN EMPIRE - ROMAN Reproduction of a light miliarense of Crispus struck at Sirmium, by Becker (modern strike, pre-1914), Berlin (Bode Museum). Hill, *Becker the Counterfeiter*, 1924, 262 – cf. RIC.15 (Constantine I); Pewter – 7.73 g – 23.5 mm – 1 h Superb, in mint condition. By Karl Wilhelm Becker. Born in Speyer in 1771, Becker worked as a goldsmith in Mannheim, where he married in 1806. After falling victim to Baron von Schelm, who sold him a counterfeit Roman gold coin, he began to take an interest in the art of coin engraving and quickly became skilled enough to produce aureus dies. Settling in Offenbach, he became an antiquarian with a reputation for having a substantial stock, attracting European collectors including the Prince of Isenburg, who became his patron, and Goethe, who described him in glowing terms. Between 1815 and 1825, he engraved around 600 dies for 133 Greek coins, 136 Roman, 25 Visigothic, 1 Merovingian and 19 Carolingian, as well as 7 medieval and 9 siege coins. The first to expose Becker as a forger was Sestini in 1825. Until then, Becker had managed to deceive his customers by using metal of the correct fineness and the correct weights, and did not hesitate to age the coins by transporting them along the roads in a box studded with nails. He died on 30 April 1830, going down in history as a counterfeiter of great artistic talent. Becker’s dies are preserved in Berlin.
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About the sale A selection of coins and medals from the collection of an amateur collector from Burgundy (Part 2)
Auction location
Auction time 09/05/2026 at 9:00 AM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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