Replica Coins
Replicas are conceptually different to true fakes in that they are created to imitate or suggest an original, but they are often marked in some way to demonstrate their inauthenticity. For some audiences, the appeal of a replica often depends on both the authenticity of the original and the quality of the replication. For others, the relative attainability of an ‘authentic’ copy, cheaper than an original, is the most important factor.
Coin 16 is a replica in a bronze coloured resin of the type of silver Roman Denarius shown as Coin 17. Here, the coin's status as a replica is denoted by the non-metallic material, and the use of the 'incorrect' metal to differentiate it from the original type. These changes from the original are intended to signal the coin's inauthenticity to an expert.
Coins 18 & 19 imitate a Roman silver Denarius but are produced in a bronze resin and gold coloured resin respectivley. They also announce their replica status in another way: they do not reproduce a whole real coin, but combine the front and back of two known types. The front (obverse) is from a silver Denarius of Geta, while the back (reverse) is from a Denarius of Pertinax.
Coin 20 uses materials that appear genuine to imitate a real coin, but demonstrates that it is a replica by including a counter-mark in the bottom left corner with the letters 'WRL'. This shows that it was produced by the company Westair Reproductions Ltd., a well-known supplier of Museum souvenirs and replicas from the UK.
