So You Want To Buy Ancients On E-Bay...

I don't buy anything on eBay because of their snipping policy. I've been the high bidder too many times, only be out bid by a snipper with not recourse whatsoever. This hobby is supposed to be fun, and that is not fun. So I don't bid on eBay. The site is dead to me for buying anything.

As for ancient coins and hammered English for that matter, all of my purchases have been from well known dealers at shows or on-line. I know I have paid more than some people think that I should, but many of the coins have come with tags that prove they have been in collections for a long time. I also know that what I have is genuine.

I have gotten a fair amount of expertise, but I will never have the knowledge about those areas that I have with U.S. coins. I'm just too old to do that.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Generally? No, they are not. Most on Ebay, that I've seen, are either not uncleaned at all but overcleaned slugs that sort of look like they're covered in dirt if photographed with a flash, or, like you said, they're leftover junk that you can tell before even cleaning that underneath the dirt is that light green "crumbly patina" that has a lot of detail that dissolves completely away in water or crumbles to dust if you touch it. Not all, but the vast majority are. The coins in the link you posted look like a mix of both. They weren't called uncleaned anywhere except the "cleaned / uncleaned" line in the "About This Item" footer, & that could just mean that the seller didn't further clean them themself. Or it's just a lie. Look for lots that clearly state that the coins are uncleaned in the item description & take a good look at listing pic.
Not to be a commercial, but for what it's worth, I like Noble Roman Coins (not on Ebay, on-line store) for buying uncleaned coins. 3 different grades at decent prices. I like the mid-grade (got a nice Hadrian denarius I might leave as-is & a probably-Diocletian SACRA MON Follis I haven't started on yet but that looks like it'll be beautiful in with the last batch. [That batch, by the way, is for me & my daughter to clean together! She's 7 & getting real interested in my coins. Sorry, had to brag on my kid]). The owner is fun, too; they're good people.

 

I will freely admit that I have no experience with cleaning ancient coins, but when I see a piece with two layers of surfaces, I would get very cautious. When there is an upper one looks flaky and fragile, and a lower layer that looks solid, my perception is you wouldn’t have much detail left when the flaky layer is gone.

 

I don't have a lot of listings, but I'm a reputable small dealer. I give fair prices on coins while I learn / collect more ancients

https://www.ebay.com/usr/ancient_addict

 

I plan to keep your Ebay account on file and will be looking now and again. Thanks

 

I enjoy your collection so much. Your an asset. I smile every time I see you on board

 

I thought you didn’t know this stuff. Good answer. Helpful