Typically when fantasy coins of Roman republican theme are discussed the citation given is mid nineteenth century, a less than 3 page note in NC. I give it in full below. It does not use the term ‘fantasy’. The term seems popular in 20th century numismatic periodicals targeted at collectors, not peer-reviewed scholarly journals. Most of the types discussed are modern in inspiration as well as manufacture. There are of course exceptions, often religiously motivated ones (one example).
If you know things I should read on false or fantasy Roman republican themed pieces please do let me know. This is a sustained interest of mine. I don’t count in this category the Dassier RR series (a favorite of mine!) for all it may have fed a similar market or the Becker pieces as that seems more to be true forgeries. I’m looking for more along the Paduan line. Of educated knowing imitations. Just like what Bunbury discussed.
Do you have images you think belong here? I’m not looking dispute any coin’s legitimacy, but rather collect those where others have already made a statement that the specimen (type?) is a fantasy.
Bunbury, E. H. “False Denarii of Labienus and Others.” The Numismatic Chronicle and Journal of the Numismatic Society 8 (1868): 177–79. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42680462.
This note came with no images. Let’s rectify that.
Classification is difficult… Would this even count?!
The Scipio Africanus and Catalina denarii remind me of the same sort of ‘these coins should exist’ logic of the Cocles ‘restoration’ coins made under Trajan:
Stephen Minnoch provided a link in the comments to content that is relevant. I am adding screenshots to archive it here. It parallels nicely the Caesar fantasy above.
Liv Mariah Yarrow 
I remembered seeing this one around, I’ll leave it to you to decide if it qualifies for your purposes:
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancient-fantasy-coin-from-the-rbw-collection.360128/
Thanks Stephen! I think I need to work out categories and/or accept that categories might not be too meaningful. There are a lot of Copper reproductions in UMich collection that may be of a similar date and purpose as this type of piece. I think I’m mostly interested in WHY certain fantasy pieces are created and how do we differentiate them from intended deception or if that intent is really even a meaningful or knowable thing.
It is an interesting topic, at least to me. Would the so-called Sponsianus gold maybe also fit? (I don’t accept for a second that is the real coinage of a 3rd century usurper) Otherwise all I can think of are the drawings of fantasy coins that appear in older books when they didn’t have anything else to illustrate whoever they were writing about.
I’d not thought of that connection. But I like it a great deal! Have you seen Sharpless’ blog post? https://numismatics.org/pocketchange/sponsian/. You also called to mind this earlier post! https://livyarrow.org/2017/11/10/forgers-inspiration-or-fantastic-alternate-history/
I did indeed read it, amongst others, and the whole affair still puzzles me, for even if ‘real’ it’s a coin with blundered legends among other coins with blundered legends. Recreating Shakespeare might need infinite monkeys on typewriters, but for the media new emperors seem to only require one.
I don’t feel qualified to have any sort of opinion on the coins in your 2017 post, but it was interesting to look up the bronze coins from the revolt, I had no idea that any such existed.
And thinking of slave revolts in this context made me think “someone MUST have made a Spartacus coin”: and of course, someone has:
https://agaunews.com/im-brian-and-so-is-my-wife/
Right?! These classically themed modern medals are mind boggling. Too many fetishize a really twisted view of ancient history. There is no end our desire to make the past speak to our own present day. I’ve enjoyed this convo. Reach out anytime!