Greatest goldsmith fraud

In 1896, the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, exhibited a large gold helmet weighing more than 800 g (1 lb 12 oz). According to an inscription on the tiara, this was a gift from Olbia, a Greek colony on the Black Sea coast, to the Scythian king Saitaphernes after he had besieged the city in either the late 3rd or 2nd century BC. The “tiara of Saitaphernes” was also decorated with scenes from the Iliad. Convinced of its authenticity, the Louvre bought it for a record 200,000 gold French francs. It was later shown to be a fake that had been crafted by Russian goldsmith Israel Rouchomowsky.