Help with an Alexander the Great Drachm

mmmm ... an amphora of wine (I forgot to toss that in my prediction)

 

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You sound like an informed buyer. It's fair to say NGC's ancient collector market is people who are new to the hobby, or who have "crossed over" from moderns to ancient.

In terms of certification for ancients - NGC don't have the same standing among ancient coin collectors as they do among modern collectors. What helps resale more so, is tags from well-known & respected dealers (who offer lifetime guarantees, and are bound by a code of ethics) and/or a provenance history.

I actually want to start a collection of "modern" English coins (Henry VIII onwards) but that market's insistence on slabbing has turned me off. I want them in a coin album, not in slabs!

 

I appreciate your advice. That is definitely good to know. Are there any particular dealers that stand out?

 

Just wanted to say, good coin but better user name. Fond childhood memories of Hercules!

 

Holding History, Gitbud-Naumann, Forvm, Sergey Nechajev, Edgar L Owen, Praefectus, Ken Dorney, Lucernae - all good, reliable, honest dealers. There's plenty more.

If they offer lifetime guarantees and have appropriate accreditation they're generally trustworthy (Vcoins code of ethics, membership in Numismatic associations and societies etc)

 

Kevin Sorbo is my fourth cousin. His grandfather and my grandfather were first cousins. Unfortunately though I've never had the pleasure of meeting him.

 

So I suppose asking you to get me a autographed photo is out of the question...drats....I would have loved that.

 

Member: John Anthony

I would trust his ethics above any paid membership or flashy website...just saying...

The dealers you listed are legit but some ask some gnarly prices.

 

That is also a very fair point.

 

Not offended in the least, confused actually. I thought you sounded pissed off at something in his posting. Actually considering the lifespan in those days, food and whores would be a good investment. I guess I was also considering the first "sigh" and really wondered what you were offended by. Actually I am just jealous of all your beautiful ancients. : - )

 

I hate picking apart someones purchase based on price.

I just did a quick search on vcoins - they had examples from $40 to £1,200. For my collection and budget, I like the ones around $200 (not that I'm running out to get one!) but my favorite would have been the £1,200 but that's not happening.

There was a very interesting Celtic version for sale. I liked that one too.

I biased against slabs and a lot of the collecting habbits of U.S. and moderns, in general, so that should be considered.

 

Thank you for the kind words my friend!

 

I do like having the vast array of fixed-price Vcoins offerings in case I'm too impatient to wait for a given coin at auction, but it can be hard to find "deals" there. Understandably, we pay a premium for convenience.

Keep in mind that many of the coins on Vcoins were acquired at the same auctions you can bid in. The markups are sometimes astonishing. Here's a selection of coins which sold at auction earlier this month which are now listed on Vcoins (these examples are all from one of the dealers listed above)

The price realized includes the buyer's premium and is roughly converted to USD for ease of comparison. I don't know if dealers get a break on BP, or if these coins were won by a third party and subsequently consigned to the Vcoins dealer.


Hammer ~$1060
Now offered at $2975


Hammer ~$1497
Now offered at $3250


Hammer ~$2500
Now offered at $4950


Hammer ~$16220
Now offered at $29500


Hammer ~$2745
Now offered at $5500


Hammer ~$21785
Now offered at $39500

 

Phew! Think I have to eat ramen tonight after looking at that!

 

They all seem to have a heck of a markup. I know they are in the business to make a profit, 100% seems somewhat greedy.

 

I looked into selling at vcoins, but...



Also, you CAN make offers. Just email the sellers.

 

Unless it's a good deal already you should always make offers. I recommend offering to mail a check for payment to avoid CC/PayPal fees too, most dealers are quite receptive to that.

 

I'm pretty certain that dealers who purchase at auctions (at least, at the same auctions at which I buy my coins) do NOT get a break on the buyer's premium. Since I bid only through my dealer, he's the one actually purchasing the coin and I pay the full premium.

I do think, however, that many auction houses "participate" with dealers who bring in customers and will pay those dealers a small portion of the buyer's premium. So pretty much the same result. I have no problem with this since dealers need to make a profit and I pay my own dealer a very small direct commission that has to be supplemented by the auction house.

In the coins cited above, it's clear that the dealer's markup from the auction price represents some negotiating room for those potential collectors savvy enough to bargain with the dealers. So the lesson here is to ALWAYS bargain with a dealer.

 

Terrific Alexander Drachm!!!!

I think it easily hits the VF area...

And here's an example of a cheap highly worn version that I still need to try to attribute ...I think it is from Colophon and 'supposedly' a lifetime issue. Hopefully, it's genuine LOL----- But it was so cheap I wouldn't get too upset if it wasn't.

 

I agree with you 100%. The cost of having an experienced, trusted dealer review auction coins ahead of time, travel over to Europe, bid in person, arrange the FOREX, etc is well worth it. The other benefit is that I don't buy bad coins anymore because I'm bidding blind without having examined them first.