Delays work in strange ways. I sent a package to a Russian customer who asked that it be sent to a friend in Germany. That was on November 29th. Seemed to have gone missing, but today it was returned to me for whatever reason. My customer had tracked it to German customs, where it was opened and inspected. Germany for whatever reason assigned it a new registered number and shipped it off to Switzerland where it went unclaimed (obviously). No idea why they did that. Strange path, but I hope he will ultimately get it when I re-ship it!
I've got a couple of coins from the African city of Kilwa on the way - or so that's how they were advertised. I'm hoping to pin down a fuller attribution once they arrive. Coming from the UK, and I have yet to have trouble with Royal Mail (at least outside the UK - from inside has been another matter...)
I got my coworker hooked on coins, so I got this for him as his request. We are both anxiously awaiting its arrival.
Just got a nice 3rd century tetradrachm from Brian yesterday. Will try to find time in the evening to post it.
So I just returned from the post office trying to track down a Julius Caesar denarius with an Aeneas/Anchises reverse purchased from Numismática Prados in Spain. It was shipped January 24 and arrived in New York on Feb. 12 and has been in US customs ever since. It was supposed to have been delivered around Feb. 17. I actually went to the Post Office on February 17 to check on the Spain package, but instead they found a package from Croatia that had been shipped way back in December. It was a small lot that I had given up for lost; the seller had even refunded my money. I contacted the seller and re-paid for the lost lot that had been found. I guess lengthy delays in customs for international packages are the new normal. Or perhaps Aeneas and Anchises are being “properly vetted.”
@Curtisimo @Deacon Ray My package from Israel arrived today, 2/27/17. I ordered the book on 2/19/17. Eight days shipping from Jerusalem... not bad. Now the rest of the story. I should do a better job of reading book descriptions. The book said "Greeks and Jews in Ancient Cyrene" by Applebaum, Shimon. [Signed by author][in Hebrew]. I even read a few words about the book from an on-line source, in English. I missed the internal set of brackets. That kind of mistake cost me dearly in engineering school. Unfortunately, all but the forward was not in English ... The Greek Colonization = הקולוניזציה היוונית How many of you knew (remembered) that Hebrew read right to left.
Congrats on getting your book so quickly! And I am bummed for you that it is all in a language that you don't speak though. I was actually in Israel a few months ago so I remember well that they read right to left. (Must be nice for the left handed Hebrew speakers ). If you have to sign your full name to something they will tend to call you by your middle name lol Most people over there speak English but occasionally I had to use my translate app and hold it up for others to read, which of course led to some funny misunderstandings. You think google does that on purpose just for the laugh?
I'm correct in thinking this is pretty ridiculous, right? Basically it arrives but I'm not home. Go to get it after a few days (weekend+MLK day) but the PO tells me its lost and that they would call me within a couple of days. Guess who never called? So I schedule a redelivery for the next day to get them to actually look for it. Apparently it is found but instead they send it right back up to New York. It hangs out there for almost 3 weeks and it takes a missing mail claim by me last week to get it moving again, but its now stuck again. I'm going to call (again) tomorrow and hope that I actually get to speak to a live person this time. Anyone gone through something similar?
I've never had that happen before. It appears they have sent it back to the sender. The Jamaica sorting facility is one of the first ones an incoming European package hits after clearing customs. If the next update you see is ISC NY that's what happened. Check the Postal tracking of the sending country too, it may have more info. https://service.post.ch/EasyTrack/?shortcut=easytrack#simpleSearch
Thanks for this. The tracking ends on the day it was originally supposed to be delivered, no updates after. I'll call USPS tomorrow, and then I'll wait a few days and email the seller to see if they got the coin back.
Yes, call USPS and talk to a live person and tell them your situation ... they might be able to redirect the package. If it is being sent back, after the Jamaica sorting facility it should've hit customs again and that's apparently the current delay. A phone call to NY ISC wouldn't hurt either. I found this number for ISC NY online 718 553 9132. Good luck!
I asked them to re-route your coin here to Miami so I could play with it for a little bit. I hope you don't mind.
This guy showed up today from CNG! He just came RUNNING IN! PERSIA, Achaemenid Empire. temp. Darios I to Xerxes II. Circa 485-420 BC. AV Daric (14mm, 8.30 g). Lydo-Milesian standard. Sardes mint. Persian king or hero, wearing kidaris and kandys, quiver over shoulder, in kneeling-running stance right, holding spear in right hand, bow in left / Incuse punch. Carradice Type IIIb, Group A/B (pl. XIII, 27); Meadows, Administration 321; BMC Arabia pl. XXIV, 26. VF. Well centered and struck.
Can anyone tell me what makes this seemingly normal-looking Byzantine coin of Tiberius Constantine I just won special?