Good, reputable place to buy a couple of ancients?

I don't collect ancients and in fact I'm new at coin collecting altogether. However, I would like to pick up a couple just to have (and say, "Now THAT'S an old coin). Can you recommend a dealer/seller where I can pick up a few that I like the looks of at a price I'm willing to pay and know I'm not being taken/gouged/overcharged for common-as-dirt stuff? : ) Oh...thinking Greek, Roman, maybe Medieval (a small sample). Thanks!


Rob

 

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Everyone usually recommends vcoins. Their prices are fair compared to other "buy it now" websites. Also, if you've noticed a coin has been on their site for a while, you can always inquire about said item and offer them a price. I've had a few vcoins dealers drop the price after an inquiry. As far as era, if you want to have something old and beautiful on a budget, I would recommend going with a Roman imperial denarius. You can usually get a well struck vf condition on vcoins for $35-50. The best deals for lower end items come from eBay. Myself and most others wouldn't recommend delving into ebay coins until you've done a little research; as there are literally thousands of questionable or non-authentic coins for sell at any given time. If you have any questions or request an opinion, post it. Good luck.

 

Check out the link in my sig. I have mostly Roman and a couple of Byzantine I'm looking to sell, preferably to other CT'ers. You can count on me; I have perfect feedback on another forum I've sold on.

 

Try the under $35 area on www.ancientimports.com on the left side. Pick a category and look around. Some nice coins can be found without spending too much.

 

he is also on Vcoins,

 

Vcoins auction also affordable 9-11% Buyer’s fee

 

Ancientimports is a good site, vcoins is an excellent mall, you've also got the Canadian version at numismall, but a lot of those vendors are on vcoins as well. Also take a look at bargainbinancients.

Those are all great sites because you can browse through thousands of fascinating coins. Often I don't even buy anything, but I come across interesting issues that spur my research.

 

I just went on eBay ancients and looked ate the first three pages when you check US only and 200 lots per page. Out of the 600, a few were not coins, six were definite fakes (there may be more but I don't think many), between 30 and 60 were what I would call reasonably decent lots and not already over what I would call a fair price. I saw one I'd call a bargain (this will change in the last seconds when a bargain becomes a mistake in the blink of an eye). That leaves 500+ that I could not recommend to anyone due to condition and price.

I found this sort of depressing. If I went to vCoins and looked at 600 random coins, how many would be in the 'reasonably decent and fair' group? I have trouble telling a beginner where to buy coins. After a while we all have certain dealers like those mentioned above that increase the chances of getting reasonable coins selected randomly. I do believe that you would be happier seeking what you call "common-as-dirt stuff" but avoiding things that look like they suffered badly over the last couple thousand years. I made the image below for a talk I'm giving. Except for the coin in the top row center, all should sell in the $5 to $25 range (depending on where you are and who is selling). The middle row are all common-as-dirt stuff but strike me as the sort of thing that would fill the need as described. No?

 

Thanks for all of the input, guys! I've been window shopping and putting some things in wish lists.

Doug--my comment about "common as dirt" didn't mean I don't want to BUY them, but rather that I didn't want to be OVERCHARGED for them! I like your spread and would be happy with ones like them for my first ancients.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I like silver, so denari might "hit the spot".

Rob

 

Rob, all the suggestions here are good. I would add that in some instances, denarii will be cheaper than base metal coins mainly due to rarity. Also, find a coin you might like to buy then post it here for comment. There is an unwritten agreement here that fellow members will not try to outbid you on a coin you are thinking of buying. Anyway, post it here and members will comment on the coin, authenticity, condition and price. Then you can make an informed decision. Good luck

 

These are a couple that jumped out at me on vcoins...

https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/to...98217_silver_denarius_18mm/75485/Default.aspx

https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/in...ing_corn_ears_over_modius/468252/Default.aspx

Rob

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AJS-Vespasi...248?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35dab54430

I'm missing what makes the above cheap but it looks OK. I can not feel 100% certain of anything the seller has simply because he also has the one below which I doubt. He also has some Apollonia Pontikas that I avoid just because the fakes of them are so much more common than the real ones.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AJS-Thracia...446?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d223891ae

What do others say? If the vast majority of a seller's coins appear good but we see a couple questionable items mixed in, do we buy or avoid out of fear that the dealer might not be good protection for us so we would be better off paying too much for coins with poor surfaces?

 

I don't like the surfaces on the Caracalla at all. That coin was very crusted over at some point and it had to be harshly cleaned. That's not the fault of the cleaner, mind you - often coins are found with very heavy encrustations and whoever cleans them has no choice but to be aggressive about it. But that reverse type is distinctive and beautiful, and you're not getting the full effect with that coin. Either move up to a higher price bracket for that type or keep looking for something else.

The S. Alexander is much better in terms of detail. The surfaces are still a bit rough, but it's about what I'd expect from a $25 denarius. That dealer's pics aren't great. The coin isn't going to be purple. He just doesn't bother to adjust his white balance. If you make the pic black-and-white, you'll have a better idea of what the coin will actually look like. That being said, I've bought a number of coins from him with no problems - he's quite reliable.

 

My thoughts exactly JA.

 

To my limited experience, the Vespasian looks OK. The hemidrachm looks very fishy. I don't own one of the types, but if I wanted one, I would get it from the CNG store - last time I looked they had half a dozen nice examples. I'd pay a lot more for it, but I would have a certain amount of assurance that it was authentic. I know they're highly counterfeited.

As far as buying from dealers that sell fakes, it depends on the dealer. I don't get the impression that AJ's is out to screw anyone, and every dealer is bound to have a few iffy pieces that he may not be aware of. I stay away from the really egregious ones, however, like saxbys.

 

By way of comparison, here's a denarius of S. Alexander that I won off eBay for $35 shipped. Nice, even strike, well-centered, and fairly smooth surfaces. Sometimes a bit of patient hunting pays off. I don't imagine a vcoins seller letting go of this coin for less than forty or fifty dollars.

Severus Alexander (222-235 AD)
AR Denarius, 18mm, 2.27g, 12h; Rome mint: 228
Obv.: IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG; laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind.
Rev.: P M TR P VII COS II P P, Pax running left, holding olive-branch and sceptre.
Reference: RIC IV(b) 80 (p. 76)

 

Again, as a way of comparison, here is one I purchased from one of my favorite dealers for $42.50 which includes shipping:

SEVERUS ALEXANDER AR Denarius
OBVERSE: IMP ALEXANDER PIVS AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
REVERSE: P M TR P X COS III P P, Sol, radiate. standing left with raised hand and globe
Struck at Rome, 231 AD
3.4g, 20mm
RIC 109

I would say you can do better when looking at Severus Alexander coins. They are readily available in decent quality and price.

 

Hmm, looks like PAX lost the battle with Chili night on that one...

You want good silver at those price ranges? Then look into the ones below. Good coins and still cheap.

http://bargainbinancients.com/zen/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=586

http://bargainbinancients.com/zen/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=1170

http://bargainbinancients.com/zen/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=453

DONT limit yourself to ebay or vcoins.

 

The patina on that coin really offsets the details. Nice!

 

The Severus Alexander posted by Rob (the OP) is one of several currently being offered by Incitatus (a dealer I have purchased from and respect). He has a span of lower priced and higher which, for the most part, strike me as accurately positioned in a sense of fairness and value. The one Rob chose was not the one I would chose because I value surfaces more and would go for better metal for $50 over rough at $35. These things are opinions and nothing more. Overall, I believe that most coins offered by Incitatus are within reason (perhaps within double what I would pay but I am severely cheap).

Another idea would be to write a nice honest letter to the dealer and state exactly what the situation is (You don't intend to collect a lot but want some representatives in good looking, common representative coins (Greek, Roman medieval) giving a total price range ($100?) and asking if he has any suggestions. You will not be getting Athens, Nero and Charlemagne but he might just have something in stock that would fill the bill and could even offer a discount for your buying three coins together. Many dealers would have no time for such a request. Email is free.