Postumus: A Certificate of Authenticity and questionable photography skills

After waiting a while for this coin to arrive, I finally got my Postumus in the mail today. When I opened the package, I found this tacky certificate. I thought dealers didn't bother with these unless (1) you either requested it, (2) or you bought from some shady overpriced numismatics operation that doesn't know squat about ancients. It really is very tacky! Not sure why an y self-respecting ancient coins numismatist would want a worthless certificate of authenticity. A coin is either genuine or it isn't, and a certificate doesn't mean squat.




The second observation was this: Look at the seller's pictures!


And the actual coin:


Lol! I don't know what kind of editing software these people were using. Talk about using tons of lighting and editing to make it look shinny. The interesting part is that I'm actually glad its toned and not bright as a brand new proof US coin. Part of the reason why this coin sat in my vcoins watch list for many months was because I could never bring myself to pull the trigger because it just looked too shinny...so I waited for a discount in price.

Still, I will definitely keep this photo experience in mind when buying from this seller in the future.

 

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I sometimes photograph coins at an angle to demonstrate the surfaces, particularly if the coin has a glossy patina. In fact, I prefer that sort of photography from dealers - if the surfaces are good, I'm going to be happy with the color, no matter what it is. That being said, the dealer's pic of that coin looks too much like a graphic. I much prefer your image of course.

As far as the COA goes, they're really unnecessary if you offer a lifetime guarantee of authenticity. Anyway, I like the coin very much. I need fully-struck reverse devices on Gallic ants unless there is something really outstanding about the bust by itself. The reverses just don't come as well-struck as they do in other Roman eras and areas. It's a good choice.

 

That dealer always tends to include those certificates, I have gotten a few coins from him & have gotten them.

Your Postumus looks Ok to me, I like your pics better as well.

 

Well, I'm not questioning the authenticity either. I think it looks as debased silver of that era should look after 1600+ years in the ground, and the style is correct. The source is also reliable, despite the tacky certificates. I can tell it's undergone some leaching in the soil, but it's still got good weight, so it shouldn't be too porous inside, I think.

 

You should be happy the coin doesn't look like the dealers pics - the coin looks so much better in your hand.

 

That is a sweet coin with a nice reverse.

The certificate would be much more professional looking without the silly border. I kind of appreciate a dealer who puts their guarantee in writing for you with a photo of the coin. I am not so much interested in their Opinion of whether it is authentic as much as their money back Guarantee if David Sear or the BM says it's a fake.

I'd say
that is a black and white filter with a lot of contrast to make it look like that.

 

COAs don't have any legal standing anyway. A COA is just a signed opinion that a coin is authentic. Some people's opinions matter more than others. The lifetime guarantee is what counts. I've found Romae Aeternae to be trustworthy, and they have a lot of reasonable stuff for the budget collector.

I'm an occasional seller when i upgrade to nicer coins, and I find shiny coins are sometimes very difficult to photograph well. I wouldn't infer any intentional dishonesty from the seller's photos, and as long as returns are allowed I wouldn't worry.

 

Having taken thousands of pictures of my coins (sometimes a hundred of just one coin, still without satisfaction), I am always finding that a given coin can look extremely different with minor differences in the photography conditions-- type of light, angle of light, camera settings, coin tilt, focus, and other factors contribute to the differences.

I think the seller's pictures and your pictures both look fine. The seller probably has a standard setup for imaging. His pictures have a reassuring consistency-- reassuring because you'll now have an idea of what his coins will look like in hand compared to his pictures.

You've probably also noticed similar things with other sellers. CNG, for example. Their images tend to be a bit desaturated. There's nothing wrong with that; just factor it in to what the coin will probably look like when viewed in your hand.

There is no such thing as a perfect picture or the perfect viewing monitor. For sellers to cover all bases, they'd need to post dozens of pictures of each coin, taken in different lights, different camera settings, etc.

 

But but but... The seller used the word ancient FOUR times in two brief sentences! What more reassurance could you possibly want than that?

s/

 

This is a good bit of info, since I have like 15 of their coins in my vcoins watchlist.

 

Is a nice one you have @Sallent good pick.
I believe you had another nice Postumus pick recently, if I recall correctly.
I agree with both you JA, it's all how strong the reverse is struck. I recently grabbed a Postumus, would've passed it up but the auctions photo looks to good. I wait for delivery.

 

First, thank you everyone for the compliments. I definitely love the coin, despite my opinions on the certificate and the photographic techniques of the dealer. The coin is definitely a keeper.

Second, I find the second sentence hilarious. "It was minted in ancient times by ancient people. Well, if your first sentence stating that this is a genuine ancient coin is true, then obviously it was minted in ancient times. And if it was minted in ancient times, of course ancient people minted it. So much redundancy for no reason at all. The second sentence could be cut out altogether and no one would miss it.

 

The certificate, if nothing else, protects the seller from someone switching coins and later claiming refund for authenticity. I'm sure most of his customers are relatively new in the hobby and a percentage of them will be reassured by the certificate which they can show to their friends who will ask how they know it is real. No harm here.

 

Real nice Postumus! I have almost pulled the trigger on that coin and have held off. Seeing your better picks makes me wish I had pulled the trigger. Nice catch!

 

I think the seller, by editing his pics the way he does, wants to emphasize details, especially on the reverse, no matter what the color of the coin is in the end.

Nice grab and nice coin by the way !
Well done

Q

 

romae_aeternae_numismatics => that dude rocks (I have half a dozen great coins from that fella) .... tacky maybe, but the extra effort is always appreciated

 

Yeah, my personal opinions on the tacky certificate or the crazy color on the sales picture does not affect my satisfaction with this dealer. I got a nicer coin than I expected (I love the toning on it) and the overall transaction was smooth. I would definitely buy from this dealer again. So far I only had 7 dealers and auction houses in my list of ancient coins sellers I trust to buy from. I'm definitely making this dealer #8 on that list.

 

I have purchased a few items from Romae Aeternae, including coins and tools. They have always been good to work with, with no problems in transactions or shipments. The coins have always been as represented. I do not worry much about the certificates, rather at least he goes the extra step and CREATES a certificate featuring the coin's pic. I just file them away with my other Certs and Import Docs.

 

Ditto

 

I find the seller to be trustworthy as I have bought from them before. I have also bought enough coins to get a feel of how the coins might look when I get them. Most of the time the pictures are brighter than the coin and sometimes this alters the color a bit. Silver tends to look more grayscale and copper/ bronze tends to look greenish.