Losing your mind in this hobby is expensive. Here's one of mine from Heritage about 2 months ago. $661.00 You can make fun I don't mind.
When bidding on Heritage, I always keep a hammer handy in case I need to smash my bidding finger. Hurts but usually helps.
I can't do Heritage much to start with because of the 17.5 percent fee. My firepower doesn't extend that far.
I really like that one. Maybe not $661. It's well struck and has a full head and bust - typically you only get one or the other. Did you overpay? I think you're at the top end of retail. I'd think it would get a green bean for sure. Gold? Tough to say. I get in trouble with rarities, particularly ones that fill a slot. I paid just under $400 for a Mrs. M.A. Van Houten Civil War token last weekend. I'd been looking for one for a long time, and hadn't even seen one for sale. I put in one of those "I'm gonna own this sucker" snipes... and boy, did I own that sucker.
I'd like to see the reverse, but that is a very nice MS62. Were it not for the marks on the face, I would guess it graded much higher. With the facial marks, without seeing it in hand, it's hard to tell if it would bean. As for the price, well, at least one other person thought it was worth almost that much. That's how bidding wars happen, after all. I'm not sure what I would have paid for it.
I can see that keeping this coin will continually remind you of your faux pas and cause you many, many sleepless nights. Since that is the case, I'll give you my address and you can send it to me for Christmas. I don't mind celebrating a little early. Chris
This is another embarrassment from the other day. Tiberius $660. I just discovered I like Ancients but I'm not going to buy anything again without advice here first.
I think everyone of us has overpaid or later discovered we did, especially when we venture into unfamiliar areas. Obviously, scrolling through the archives of various auctions for similar types helps reduce the uncertainty of what are reasonable market values. And asking for advice is always another recommended alternative. As regards 'Heritage', they have an available archive to explore and I find it helpful, but the fees and the fact I also am liable for sales tax makes it an auction site I rarely visit these days. I generally peruse CNG, VCoins and acsearch for probable ancient market values.
Hmm. That reverse image of the SLQ looks weird. I'm not sure what's going on there. The surfaces just look funky, and it almost looks like there's wear ("cabinet friction?") there, although there isn't a hint of it on the obverse. The obverse, except for the marks on the face, gives me the impression of an MS64 or better coin. The reverse is just making me scratch my head. I wish I could see it in hand. As for the Tiberius, it has a couple things going for it... great centering, full and readable legends, and some nice toning. Ancients are unfortunately one area where you really end up paying a lot for plastic, but, at least it means they thought it was authentic (even though they won't guarantee it). You could have done a lot worse on both of these coins.
That is a very nice 1917, it's easy for me to see why you bought it.... I'm not sure I agree with the plastic gods on this ones grade
Heritage has the real good pics of it here. Theres marks on the back also. https://coins.ha.com/itm/standing-l...-642-3279-mintage-8-740-000/a/131633-25191.s#
No more plastic for me. I got a raw Nero tetradrachm from Heritage and handling it changed my world. I have seen the light!
@Michael Clarke Good man! Welcome to the dark side. This one wasn't a mistake per se, I got it at a decent price. The problem is that I don't even remember bidding on it. It's sort of a mystery, but apparently I must have bid on it because an auction house I'm registered with sent me a notification saying said I won it. Whatever happened, I was happy to pay for it. Alexander Severus AR Denarius Now the one below was a total mistake. I thought I was bidding on another coin, and totally overbid on this one instead. That's what happens for trying to bid last minute on a cellphone screen. Still, it is pretty, so the hurt feelings didn't last. L. Thorius Balbus AR Denarius
Come on over to the ancients forum. It won't take long for you to learn and get an idea of what's what when it comes to ancient coins. And yeah, we hold our coins...no gloves or plastic holders here. Obverse of Septimius Severus denarius from an eastern mint (being held by me)