What do you think of Dad's present?

The small test order (two 1/2 oz. hand-struck rounds) came in from the Haleybug mint. I was pleased as punch that they used USPS Ground Advantage and not Priority. It also was packed great. Since it's a small business, I can probably just contact them and ask them to repeat that.

I rather like the silver stacker stuff better than U.S. coins, so when the opportunity arises, perhaps I'll do another Haleybug order.

Aside from vcoins/ma-shops and the LCS's, I really have no idea regarding the best places to buy U.S. coins. Furthermore, probably because of the heavy weight, one seems to be stuck with either Priority mail (no) and certified (super-expensive). I was willing to risk Priority for Haleybug, but not for a real coin. $30 shipping (certified) for a common U.S. coin really doesn't make sense and my two recent acquisitions have largely satisfied my U.S. urge.

The Haleybug round is about the size of a Heraclius Hexagram, only much thicker.

 

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Skunked again. I guess certified mail takes forever.

I could have gone priority, but unless it was in a compact mailer like Haleybug's, it would have either received the Lucille treatment, been folded in two and stuffed in the mailbox, or tossed on the doorstep.

 

I think your dad picked out a very nice coin. You should be very pleased.

 

Thanks, I was pleased! The certified mail part was referring to the slabbed rainbow toner, which I recently ordered.

He also thoughtfully picked up some inexpensive Byzantine coins. While most were fairly decrepit and some misattributed, one is a scarce coin of Nicephorus II, "The White Death". (meaning his enemies went pale), one of the all-time great generals and an underrated ruler.

I have a very nice example, but here's the LCS one:


A nice example is much more impressive, having a pretty nice portrait for the time. This one is maybe G-VG.

There's just too much history and not enough collecting budget to veer too much from ancients and medievals. Plus, like I mentioned, ancients are cheaper, generally speaking.

Assuming the rainbow toner arrives safely and looks as good or better than the picture, I'll be pleased with my two U.S. coins. That will be enough to satisfy me for quite a while.

 

The slabbed coin must have been sent via dogcart. Ordering from Europe is generally faster (and cheaper).

 

Really? When I order from Europe, it has usually been in desperation for an old English coin I can't find here. The exchange rates, shipping and taxes they slip in usually make me wish I could have bought it here. The trouble is there are only a limited number of coins like available in the U.S. This is an Edward the Martyr penny (ruled 975 to 978)



Edward became "the Martyr" because the mother of the next king, Aethelred II had him done in so that her son could take the throne. The story was his step mother, Elfrida, invited him over to the house for a visit. As one guard was offering him a cup of mead*, another stabbed him in the back.

The perps dumped his body in shallow grave, but after miracles began to happen in the vicinity of his burial plot, they decided to dig him up and give him a proper burial. Edward was 13 when he became king and only 16 when he was murdered.

* Mead is an alcoholic beverage that is made by fermenting honey with water and sometimes fruit juices. I got a chuckle because a couple of years ago Budweiser had an ad campaign that mentioned the drink. The king comes into a bar and offers to buy everyone a beer. One guy says he wants a mead instead. After making some specifications about how he'd like his mead, he ends up in the stocks. I had never heard of "mead" before that ad campaign.

 

I love mead! Spiced wine can also be good. Witches' Brew red spiced wine is probably somewhat akin to Roman spiced wine. Kroger doesn't have it, so I picked up 4 bottles at Meijer. It gets used in my Beef Burgundy stew, and the remainder is sipped on.

That's a nifty Edward the Martyr, by the way.

Well, the certified mail was $30, the only way to avoid priority mail. Tomorrow will be two weeks exactly since I bought the coin. I'm still waiting.

Yes, except for Germany, it's not unusual that my European orders will be 1-1 1/2 weeks, order to door, and all are cheaper than $30, via the post. If I order FedEx from Savoca in Germany (fairly cheap for FedEx, c. $25), on a 'slow' order it'll be 4-5 days order to door, on a fast one, three. Dubai was ultra-fast, but it's been slowing down, because of customs. One still can't beat the $5 rate, however. Savoca's one of my favorite dealers. Numiscorner in France is generally overpriced (I usually hop on the exceptions), but their customer service is top-notch, shipping is fast, and I've been very pleased with my few buys from there.

I generally avoid Austria. One must wait a month for the export permit. Spain, fuhgettaboutit. I'm not going through that hassle. I bought a lovely Macrinus from an Austrian dealer, though. It was well worth the wait.

However, I have some favorite U.S. sellers, who also ship lightning-fast (and not by priority). Their shipping, maybe $6-8. But, also factor in that Europe is closer to source and sometimes one doesn't have the middleman markup. It all evens out.

One of my big passions is patina. European sellers are a LOT more likely to have AE's with lovely patinas.

Generally speaking, shipping from France and the Netherlands is pretty fast. The UK (although I only order from one dealer from there) is middling. Post varies from country to country, but for an or der of 3-4 raw coins, it's maybe about $15.

U.S. coins and ancients are apples and oranges, but generally the better (and a bit cheaper) ones are generally in Europe. Today's order is from the UK. Said dealer isn't the fastest shipper, but it'll probably arrive in fewer days than the U.S. coin does.

Perhaps this guy wasn't the fastest shipper, or certified is exceptionally slow. We shall see.

 

What a surprise; another day passed, no coin.

 

It's officially reached the absurd stage. How long should I wait before contacting vcoins' management?