Forgeries of Hellenistic bronze coins of Ithaca

Abstract

• This article examines the stylistic and metal composition differences between two variants of the bronze Odysseus/Cock type from Ithaca. It posits that Variant 2 is a forgery, which must have been produced after the Hellenistic period but before the end of the 19th century. It also identifies a historic substitution of a Variant 2 coin for a Variant 1 coin in the British Museum collection.