http://www.coretech.cc/CT3/clients/hirsch/index.php?page=saleView;saleId=1847 Wow, there are some interesting leftovers. Seems like a huge number to have gone unsold-- 49%! I wonder why. Opening bid too high? Bad exchange rate? If I were in a buying position there certainly are a few interesting coins I'd get.
What?!?!!?! That's ridiculous, both that so many lots didn't sell, and that I've never heard of this auctioneer. Noooooooo! I've been wasting my life!
Umm, I can see why most of the lots are unsold, the starting offer for a Phillip I tet similar to Doug's is 140 Euros, and he paid $50 for his!
After a quick perusal I agree that most seemed overpriced. Still though, there are some interesting and less commonly seen coins. I didn't look at the Philip I tet but keep in mind that Doug seems to be a patient man who waits for good deals. Plus, how long ago did he buy his?
some very cool coin in there..but yeah, the prices seem kind of high on many of them. but some neat coins, many i'm not really familiar with...cool to look at them.
Patient tightwad here. My Philip tetradrachm was bought in January 2014. It is worth more than my $51 but not $200 (remember these guys charge buyer's premium and registered postage). In this case the dealer is a major auction house of CNG level and should get prices more than I will pay. I don't buy much from from such dealers because I only have so much to spend and they charge more than other sources. The prices I see here are beyond reasonable. If you are going to get exceptional prices you better have exceptional coins and exceptional scholarship. If I get the idea that I know as much as a dealer (correct or not), I'll cut back on how much I buy from them. About 10% of my collection came from top flight dealers. My last purchase from one was in 2010 (except for some books). They don't need my business; they have plenty of rich people who don't care.
So you would buy less from someone simply because your knowledge was greater than theirs? I dont understand that, surely you should buy more, because chances are you'll spot something they dont?
No. Full price sellers charge, rightly, for their services. Most employ specialists of considerable ability and some of them make more than minimum wage. If a dealer stops being useful in this regard, I can not see paying him more than I would pay you for the same coin. I fail to understand why people who know nothing are willing to pay high prices for coins UNLESS they are comforted by the fact that the seller is fully competent. fully honest and worth the extra. When you pay $200 for a coin available elsewhere for a fraction of that, you should have the right to get the difference in service, comfort and professionalism. I prefer to buy from dealers with lower overhead unless I am in need of comfort (hand holding) on that item because it is out of my area of study.
ok, I understand, that makes sense. The thought that buyers who knew more about coins than me, not buying any more, worried me.....because if that were the case....I wouldnt sell a single coin! I have nice coins to sell, so the quality is there, but I cannot hold peoples hands, except Mrs YOC, but she doesnt buy my coins.
Yeah, Frank Robinson commented about a year ago how bad some European auctions were getting. High estimates, starting bid incrasex to 80 percent of estimate, etc. Having some auctions fail badly is kind of to be expected. I feel sorry for the consigners if they needed their coins to move.
Hirsch is, in my opinion, not one of the better known auction houses when it comes to ancients. That may have been part of the reason. I have never been attracted to their offerings, but buy on a fairly regular basis with at least 3 others. There is probably too much competition in this area (in Germany) on the supply side.
