Quant-Geek
It is a fake coin, unfortunately…
Yep! I actually sent photos to a professor at Princeton, and she suspects it may be a contemporary counterfeit. I was suspicious after doing a little research and could only find the design in gold, which is why I emailed. This is part of her response:
I had a look at the images that you sent and it is clearly a coin of a John, as well stated by the legend.
John III, in Nicaea, copied the coins of John II, and they share a lot of features. However, the style of the anexikakia, held by the emperor, seems that of John III and the same goes for the reverse right legend.
The only problem is that this coin seems to be Type 6 b or c (given by the pellet(s) on the throne arms), and the type is only produced in gold and your coin seems to be bronze (as you also mention in the email).
It is possible that this is a contemporary copy, possibly gilded, but that would need a close up investigation (and even then, it is possible that gilding is not visible to the naked eye, or even under good magnification).
“Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger.”
