REAL OR FAKE: FARLEY COINS

Siculo-Punic AR Obverse head of Arethusa with four dolphins around. Pearl necklace and earring with three drops. Reverse horse head and palm tree with dates. Punic legend m mhnt meaning People of the Camp indicating these were struck as payment for soldiers.

Bronze. Obverse head of Arethusa with four dolphins around. No earring. Legend: S?????S?O?. Reverse horse head and palm tree with five roots. Nonsense legend.

Diagnostics:

1. The Carthaginian coin is silver, the Farley coin is bronze.
2. The Farley legend Syracuse does not appear on genuine Carthaginian coins.
3. The Farley reverse legend is incorrect.
4. The Farley reverse palm tree has roots, unlike the original.
5. Original coins are struck; Farley coins are cast.

A Farley Coin is a modern fantasy and not a copy of a real coin. The Arethusa obverse is a general copy of a Syracuse decadrachm. The reverse is similar to a Carthaginian tetradrachm, but with a palm tree with roots not seen on any real coin.

The original coins are struck and silver. The Farley coins are cast and bronze. There should be no reason to attribute the Farley coins as authentic. The holed Farley coins were originally jewelry pieces not matched to a maker or time period.

Dr. Mark McMenamin suggested that the fantasies may have been scattered in the ground to confuse archaeologists. This is not logical since they have not been found at archaeological sites with other objects to provide context.

The number found and the wide distribution suggests that the jewelry pieces were quite common at one time. Some of these jewelry pieces have survived without being buried. While more may be found in the ground, it is likely more can be found in vintage jewelry if people are looking.

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web