Buying lots in auctions

That's actually highlights from the whole group, not a single lot. They've shrewdly broken it up into a number of collector-sized bits this time, available at the link I posted.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

I've bought 3 group lots - this one is en route. Honestly, I have no idea why I bought it. I have a problem...

I don't even know how I found this thread and didn't realize it was 7 months old until seeing Volodya's last post. In reference to the 27k Roman Republic lot. I stumbled across that record back in 2012. It made me wish that lot would have sold in 2012, I would have went for it.

 

Looks like a nice lot.

 

That looks like a fabulous lot! Looking forward to seeing each coin

 

Something I just noticed; wondering if you guys think the same thing. I probably wouldn't have bought the lot without that Trajan Provincial from Cappadocia. Initially, I thought it was a drachm, but looking at its size compared to the rest of the denarii, do you guys think it might be a didrachm? The difference between the two width-wise is typically only 2-3 mm. 18-20 for drachms, 20-23 for didrachms.

 

I buy lots for two reasons, to give away or sell at my local coin club. In both cases I go for inexpensive, less than $20 delivered, and better than VF condition. for my own collection I go for individual coins. If you can see the lot, maybe you could feel good about bidding on more than one coin.

I bought 20 uncleaned widow's mites to give to friends. I may sell a few, but these are most are give aways.


In the upper left hand corner are 4 Victorinus coins advertised as VF - EF. The coins are well struck with good portraits and reverse characters, but on small flans with almost no legend. I plan to offer them to for about what I paid to try to grow interest in ancient coins. I bought the half asses to resell, but could not stand to break up the collection. It is too fun to say my half as collection.

 

Here is the only group lot I have bought so a non eBay auction..


listed as "9 Byzantine, medieval and islamic coins"
I bought the lot solely for the coin in the blue square, which i had been looking for for a few months..

I ended up selling a few of the coins too, I sold the coin on the right side of the 2nd row for $99 US and a few others combined for around $60 US


At the time i didn't realize i would have to pay almost $50 CDN in import charges to Fex Ex... I guess I should avoid them from now on..

but i guess it turned out OK.. i got the coin i wanted for free + a little bit of profit.

 

Its a Didrachm. " Bust of Artemis left, holding spear and patera"

 

Wow, wow WOW! stevex6. I have 9 very worn Alexandrian Drachms. Most have very little detail. Seeing yours took my breath away.

 

arnoldoe makes a good case here for the other reason to buy a lot. I have told the story before of buying 34 denarii to get one I wanted. I ended up keeping 7 of the 34 (the best 7) and gave away/sold 27 for less than their share of the total. I ended up paying $100 or so for the coin I would have purchased separately for several times that price. When you want something, you do stupid things. Perhaps it would be more stupid if you let money define your hobby. I wish I had thought to photograph all 34 together but did not know then that it would be useful now. Two of the seven have departed since then leaving only these five of which I have images. I doubt I will ever again buy a lot like that one. I would if it contained the right coin.

 

I bet 500 of those coins are worth only a few pounds each, if that. They look very poorly cleaned and I certainly wouldn't buy them at 5 dollars a piece as a lot.

 

If by Internet auctions, I've bought a total of 300 ish uncleaned ancients in several different lots for a combined cost of 200 bucks, I also purchased a lot of 10 early romans for 50 bucks. Nothing nice enough to post.

 

I got this lot for $241.70. That covered the cost of all the cheap stuff I knew was genuine. Got the rest checked out, and the consensus is that the rest are genuine, though the tall, thin spade to the left is questionable. Retail was $2000+.

 

wow

 

This auction house tends to be able to put together mixed lots that are better quality than the average. This one looks to have some real keepers in it. I think the Trajan is almost definitely a didrachm, and a rather nice one too.

 

Nice capture! Well spent.

 

As noted, a Didrachm, Sydenham195-97 (the differences being small obverse varieties in the bust).

 

I ultimately bought a lovely denarius from that A.K. denarius lot, possibly at a subsequent Gemini auction. It had a nice provenance going back to an E. Button sale in 1959. I would say that most of the A.K. lots have sold cheaply considering the quality and provenances of the contents. The Alexandrian lots a few years ago were also stuffed with great coins.

 

The above group lot showed up.... a few months later; but thought I would post the coins that pleasantly surprised me. First up.

I thought for sure that the rev would have legend off flan, have a huge gash through it, or be horribly tooled. I was surprised at the quality and centering. One of the first coins I have with desert patina that accents the coin well.

Domitian. As Caesar, AD 69-81. Æ Dupondius. Uncertain Thracian mint. Struck AD 80-81. Laureate head right / Ceres standing left, holding grain ears and torch. RIC II 165a (Titus)

unkn weight or size, yet

 

That's great, I like that one a lot.