Not only because of the precious metal gold, but also because of high collector's values, bracteates fetch high prices when they go on sale. Auction houses, including renowned ones, are keen to include them in their offerings. However, some of the pieces are suspected of being forgeries, counterfeits. A combination of various suspicious factors is decisive in this regard: These include unsatisfactory clarification of the origin of the pieces (often from supposedly old collections), their exceptionally good condition (compared to other archaeological finds), very clearly legible, almost ideal motifs, and the above-average size of many pieces due to their magnificent border zones. These are also particularly ‘customer-friendly’ features. The appearance of identical motifs in unusually large series is also suspicious.
Examples of this are the five copies of IK 594, the seven copies of IK 600 and the eight copies of IK 624. However, individual pieces also belong to this category, such as IK 637, 653, 662 and many more. Unfortunately, it has not yet been possible to conclusively confirm that any of the pieces are forgeries – the counterfeiters have become too clever when it comes to imitating old manufacturing methods and using old gold.
- Pesch, Alexandra: Zu schön, um wahr zu sein: Moderne Fälschungen von Goldbrakteaten? In: Forschungen in Franconofurd. Festschrift für Egon Wamers zum 65. Geburtstag, Hg: P. Fasold et al. Regensburg 2017, 147-157.