So, I recently had a 2nd, out of 2, kind-of sketchy experience with the same Auction House, through Biddr but not involving them. The lot in question is in the link below. I placed a winning bid, thinking it was a Barbarous imitation of a pretty rare type issued only at Thessalonica for Valentinian II (& Theo. & Arcadius); RIC IX, Thessalonica 58a for the model. It was described simply as of Val. II with a date struck & mass & Dia., no real specifics beyond that. Certainly nothing claiming it was specifically what I had assumed it was, just that it was of Valentinian II. But, turns out the coin is actually a tooled example of RIC VII, Heraclea 20 for Constantine II, as Caesar, with the obverse legend altered to be Val. II. I feel that that's enough of an error to negate the whole thing. Now, granted, I did NOT figure this out until AFTER the hammer (I took a screen shot of the listing for my own records after winning the lot & while admiring it, it just kind of hit me. Should've figured it out sooner). But still. I wrote them to politely let them know what I think (know) the coin actually is & to ask if they could take a 2nd look & confirm. Seemed better than paying & having it shipped halfway around the world just to have to return it & get my money back, but what do I know. Without getting into specifics & further airing publicly what was private; they were not hearing it & I got the impression that the coin will be re-listed. & I'm banned (kind of like getting fired after you quit). Take a look, see for yourself, avoid my mistake & do not bid if/when it comes back up. Honestly, what's making me really question the whole thing is that I had another issue with the same place the only other time I tried them. Wanted to bid on a cheap coin, checked 'auction terms' for shipping prices, saw a €15 option (along with a €30 option), even wrote & checked that that was accurate as the wording was...not ideal, got confirmation, bid on & won the lot only to find the only shipping option on my invoice was for €40 (Prices are approximate, pretty sure that's the exact amount, but I'm not gonna go check, so, yeah, disclaimer). For a €12 coin. I wrote & asked what to do. Back & forth a bit but they finally said it was a some glitch in the set up for that particular auction & they can't change it. But they'll hold the coin & next time I won something they would add it to that order. Then they promptly sold the coin. I figured "whatever, no worries, they have WAY more important customers than me & my €12 lot to deal with. I've bugged them enough, let it go." But I did figure it probably ought to earn me a few points of...I don't know, something good. Nope; their recollection seems to differ from mine & the email exchange's. Doesn't matter, moving on. I'm not trying to say they're bad or anything like that. I can certainly see this being different through their eyes, especially since my winning lot, both times, was for an amount small enough that I can't really expect them to actually check up on, or do anything about, my issues. I can certainly see how I could be perceived as a minor customer who's now made problems in 2 auctions out of 2 that they'd placed winning bids in. BUT (& it's a BIG but), what I was trying to tell them is important. They aquired, missed a BIG problem with, & sold at least a coin that was deliberately alerted in modern times to make it look like a much rarer & more valuable coin. AND, taking a 2nd look through the other lots in the same auction, I'm seeing more that may have the same, or similar, issue. That's why I'm posting this here, as a warning to other auction participants. I don't know. Auction house & auction number are in the link below (& visible in the text of the link I imagine. N&N London, Auct-XII, if not). If you happen to have won a lot in that auction, maybe take a second look? Has anybody else had issues with this auction house? I don't know what to think. Little annoyed. Easily could all just be a series of honest mistakes, but a lot of little red-flags has me wondering enough to ask what anyone else's experience was like with this place? Good? Bad? Thanks. https://www.biddr.com/auctions/nnlondon/browse?a=3667&l=4252704
My opinion, this is not tooled. If it was it was also sand blasted. Tooling would give you grooves in the fields or patches of smoothed fields, not pitted field.
I agree that it's not an official issue (there should be a Chi-rho above the campgate & mintmark should be TES if it's an RIC 59). But I can't tell if it's an ancient imitation or something else. The reverse does seem like a Constantine II type (but a bit too crude). But the doesn't seem quite right though for the Constantine II type with this bust. I don't feel sure though. It's weird.
For what it's worth, my experience with them has been good. I've participated in three of their auctions. I'm in the UK so you'd think shipping from N&N London would be easy? Well actually their coins are sent from Belgium and I was quoted an eye watering £35 shipping... But when I asked for other options they offered a £10 non insured option at my risk, which is what I used. The coins, a mixture of byzantine and roman mainly, including several campgates, were a good price, as described and delivered without problems. I would use again.
Perhaps the prototype is the camp gate issue from Heraclea with the consular bust for both the Augustii and Caesar’s? Eg. Below, from NotinRIC
It's a Licinius II coin, the obverse legend is D N VAL LICIN L[ICINIVS NOB C]. The reverse legend is [PROVIDEN]TIAE CAESS. The first letter of the mintmark is not clear, but it looks like MHTΔ, which is RIC VII Heraclea 19, a very common coin.
based on the size and style it might also be an unofficial copy of Licinius II. I have attached a picture of the coin
Oh, dang it, you're right. I forgot these were issued for Lucius II (& Licinius I think). Yeah the legend fits as is. So not tooled or altered. Making me the tool. Shit. Misattributed isn't anywhere as bad as what I accused them of. I might have to send them payment anyway, probably without getting the thing, to square that; I gotta think it over. Still a little annoyed with them. But I was wrong. Thanks Victor
Yup, a cheaper uninsured option, £10 sounds right. Asked about it before bidding even. Then the only option was something more expensive than the most expensive option listed in the 'auction term' or offered when I inquired. Good to know that option does actually exist, normally, & wasn't just a strange lie. Thanks, feel better knowing.
I collect widely including coins from some pretty obscure series. Small firms that auction generally low-value coins by the thousands do a remarkably good job of coin identification, including coins I had to study hard to identify. How they can auction a on the order of a thousand coins every few weeks and get so many descriptions right amazes me. biddr has a link by every coin to submit a proposed attribution correction, which I occasionally do. But, overall, I'd say that firm and the others do very well. I'd not hold against them an occasional mistake. On its face, that OP coin looked like a $5 coin and they probably didn't look at it very long.
