Etruria, poss. Populonia. AR Didrachm Euboian standard, 
21mm. 5,6gr.

Obv: Gorgoneion facing, tongue protruding, XX below.
Rev: Six stars.

Fake of Sambon 50a.

Contributed by Numis-Fabius-Coins, Switzerland, August 2010.

Sambon 50a has four Xs on the reverse, not stars; some
types with other obverses have star(s) and a crescent 
whilst a gold coin of Etruria with a hippocamp on the 
obverse, (Sambon 8) has four stars of the same design.)

Clive Stannard, the expert on coins of this area writes:
>I think I've seen this thing before. I'm pretty certain 
>it's fake, for all that he has tested it for silver and put 
>it under the microscope. Many things give it away: the 
>engraving, particularly, of the hair, is too laboured; the 
>"XX" on the obverse is merely scratched in; the edges of 
>the coin are too perpendicular; and the patina is at the 
>same time too dark and to thin; the way it has flaked on 
>the back is very characteristic of this type of fake.