LRBs direct from the source...Are they real???

I made a new contact to get late Roman bronze (and silver) coins direct from the source.

This is my first test order.

I was quite impressed with the quality of the coins and
am getting a good per coins price so
I would like to get some thought from members here if they seem authentic before I order hundreds of dollars worth of more coins.

I'd also like to know what you think their value is, if you are so inclined.

So here they are.

 

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Definitely real, but of low value. These are the sorts of coins that you can buy for a few dollars (or less) each, unattributed and in bulk.

With proper cleaning and attribution, some will bring more than $10 each. The lower grade and less attractive ones may not sell at any price.

 

However, if your goal is to HAVE FUN and LEARN ABOUT ANCIENTS, buying them is a good thing to do.

 

My goal is to have fun and learn about ancients and earn free coins, and after that maybe even a little extra cash.

I have sold hundreds of dollars in LRBs in the past two months from a bulk lot I bought from Forum Ancient Coins in January but the quality and price were not as good as these coins I am buying directly from a source in Eastern Europe.

 

I believe @Roman Collector 'nailed it' with both posts.

 

If you live in the United States, importing these coins "from the source" as you say, may very well be against the law. The U.S. has imposed import restrictions on ancient coins found in many source countries such as Greece, Italy, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Egypt. Unless you have a valid export permit or can prove the.coins have been outside of certain countries borders for a certain period of time or are otherwise exempt, subject coins could be seized by U.S. customs. You need to be careful buying ancient coins from a source country..

 

I know all the sites you can get uncleaned Roman coins. But the prices are not as low as you seem to remember I think @Roman Collector. The higher grade ones go for $3 and up per coin. And those high grade coins do not match what this source has. I have searched all over. And I don't want to be cleaning coins. Am I being told that these coins will not sell, or that I shouldn't even try? I'm confused...

 

I live far outside of the United States. But thanks for that information. If the worst thing that would happen is seizure then I probably wouldn't care even if I was though.

 

Oh yea, last week I just bought the last lot of Tetradrachms from Alexandria, Egypt from Forum Ancient Coins after the recent ban passed so if anyone wants some contact me because they are about to become a lot harder to find.

 

A) If you are having to ask for help with authenticity from average ancients collectors in a forum, perhaps you shouldn't pass yourself off as a dealer of ancient coins. At least not until you get more knowledge.

B) I doubt Alexandrian coins are going to go up a lot. I can still find hundreds on vcoins.com, at auctions, etc., and we can still import them from UK dealers and dealers in many other countries without restrictions. Plus before this ban, I guarantee you the majority of hoards of these coins in Egypt have already been discovered and dispursed abroad.

C) Trying to flip coins you bought somewhere else on here is against forum rules. You don't see anyone else trying to sell coins on the threads, so don't.

 

Doubtful. Sellers can simply sign a sworn statement affirming that they are legal for Import and that is good enough for CBP.

 

This thread was not started to sell anything. It got brought up in the thread by others. So I responded. Discouragement, criticism, threats, and insults...wow I have finally found the dark side to this site.

And can you explain what you mean by "pass yourself off as a dealer"? How much and exactly what knowledge must I possess to acquire such a qualification? Are you the one who will bestow it upon me? If not a helpful tone and sharing some knowledge about the actual coins may help me reach those educational requirements you speak of.

 

Can't bring myself to like any of these responses so far...I know others are trying to help...seems like really mean spirited attitudes though...is it just me or does is seem like everyone is having a really bad day today??? I know when I am trying to actually help people, I usually have a kind and helpful manner about it. Maybe that's just me?

 

No. Everyone is trying to help.

 

Perhaps some of us have misinterpreted your offer to sell some of the Alexandrian Tets you mentioned but I do believe @red_spork is probably correct about the lengthy delay before coins of the type become scarce, but I don't think any of us really meant to be 'mean-spirited'. Offers to sell sometime seem to bring out the 'cynic' in us.

As far as the value of the coins you posted, the market could easily realize more than we estimate, but I think most of us would only spend more than the $10.00 stated (plus shipping) on coins with less wear, better surfaces and perhaps less common reverses or mints.

Anyway, I'd be interested in seeing some of the Alexandrian Tets and I'll contact you and leave my e-mail since I assume you can not post your coins via PM. If you have any with atypical Egyptian devices, I'd be more interested than if they are predominantly 'Eagle' reverses.

And, as @Jwt708 posted....we are trying to help.

 

I don't think that any of the members are trying to be unhelpful. It's a good group here, the friendliest I've encountered. I think there is some really good points made above though I understand it's difficult not to take blunt advice hard if you don't know the member giving it.

As to your question I think importing directly from countries in Eastern Europe is a big risk. It's not uncommon for forgers to pepper in higher value fakes with authentic lower cost coins (Black Sea Hoard fiasco???) If you don't have a ton of experience in forgery detection this can come back to bite you or your customers. If my last name wasn't Sear I wouldn't even try it. JMHO

 

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Thank you for your assessment. What I meant by asking the value is what would the coins go for on Ebay. I was not trying to sell the coins here, obviously these would not really appeal to the hardcore coin collector. I thought people would understand that...

It is also very frustrating to hear people say don't buy coins from source countries, only buy from dealers who do that. wtf. Sounds like a bunch of people with coin selling sites who don't like competition.
Buying coins for ~$4 and selling them for $12+ is a pretty good profit in my books.

I am sourcing from many different places. Expensive auction houses, ebay, others on THIS SITE, and source countries. As anyone should I would think. And you can just as easily get ripped off from US dealers that look legit such as Sadigh Gallery in NYC. I appreciate the information people give and cautionary advice but I really don't understand the blanket condemnation. Do you know who I get the coins from? Have you seen his website or know how we are connected? I would say to someone in my situation, be careful, watch out for a, b, and c, but if it looks like d then maybe try it and see. People are not allowing that it could ever even possibly be something I should even try. Doesn't smell right to me.

Any thoughts on how I could further vet this person?

First order shows me he provides more value than Forum Ancient Coins and people agree these are authentic.

Yet still threatening, trying to scare me, and discouraging me from buying more...

Really not what I was expecting.

How about I continue to buy small amounts and post them here. And see if we get any fakes. Why not? I know this guy is a hardcore detectorist and am connected with him and his friends.

 

Getting into ancients with little prior experience is fraught with dangers. Can I ask which country you are sourcing these coins please?