I've been waiting/saving to purchase a Ptolemaic coin on Ebay. I really just want a BIG coin in decent condition. This one seems to me to be in much better shape than the others I've seen and also cheaper? http://www.ebay.com/itm/EGYPT-Alexa...397?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5653c5c10d Is this fake, or am I missing something, or were the other ones I saw just overpriced?
It looks right to me. I posted one a couple of days ago about the same size, but a slightly different reverse. I saw this reverse when attributing mine. I see nothing wrong with it.
OK. So I should be able to get a decent looking one for around $100? Exactly how big is 33-37 mm? I know it is slightly bigger than a US half dollar, but do these Ptolemaic coins really have that wow factor when you first see it? Are they thick and heavy? I guess what I'm asking is, should I save and look for other "big" coins (and if so which ones?) or will these do the job?
I've bought from this seller and had no problems. Just be prepared to wait a few weeks for the shipment from Israel.
My Ptolmey IV is the largest/heaviest coin in my collection. I can't imagine a purse full of these fat boys. On the other hand, these are not my favorite coins. A nice Roman Sestertius or a Greek Tetradrachm while not as heavy, are, IMHO, more aesthetically pleasing. However, many will set you back more than this Ptolmey.
OK thanks. I don't really have $250+ to drop on a coin right now so I guess Ptolemy seems like the best choice.
The US silver dollar comes in at 38.1mm and 26.73g. So think almost as big as a Morgan, but substantially thicker and heavier. Yes, they do have a wow factor. I don't own one, but I've handled one at my LCS, and it is indeed impressive.
The patina looks artificial to me, as many of these "desert patinas" are. I don't know if that's something that bothers you guys.
I've thought the same thing on occasion, Bill. Are sellers sometimes known to doctor worn coins with a dirty patina that accents the devices?
Sometimes it's used to obscure flaws, but more often it's just because the patina is more desirable. It's especially common among Judaean coins.
You may be right, but what makes you say it is artificial? Desert patina is not real patina. It is a product of the sand becoming wet and adhering to the coin, then drying leaving only the minerals to adhere. This happens countless times over the ages leaving what we call sand or desert patina. If I understand it correctly, most, if not all, coins with "sand patina, come out of the desert areas of the middle east much like this coin.
Sure, desert patinas in general are merely earthen encrustations, but this particular light dusting with underlying green is notoriously manufactured. I've seen patinas similar to this on widely disparate groups of coins that simply should not have shared it, unless they came from the same hoard. And unless there are hoards of Ptolemaic drachms, 3rd century Romano-Egyptian tetradrachms, and 2nd century sestertii, the patina is modern.
The OP's coin looks like it has some serious scratches on the reverse, but am unsure if those are cleaning marks or what. Still, there appears to be some pretty good BIN prices on a few coins at least from that seller. It is "professional courtesy" to Lord Geoff that I didn't click on any.
Never mind the professional courtesy. If you would like to buy any, go ahead. I just had my birthday and got some $ to spend on coins and have been planning on a Ptolemaic coin for some while. I was just browsing to see what was available. This one was the first one that came up in the ebay search. I didn't even check his other sales, so by all means take advantage of anything you want. Just post after so we can see
Its a nice looking coin, the only thing I don't like about it is the reverse from the 3 to 6 o clock area. And I'm pretty sure I have seen Ptolemy coins cheaper on ebay and Vcoins before.
