So I've been collecting long enough now that I probably have about 25 or 30 coins that I would like to "designate for assignment," as they say in major-league baseball.These are duplicates or coins so worn that I am no longer pleased to have them in my collection, even though they are still identifiable. I would happily trade 10 of these for one VF+ coin that holds real interest for me now. Some I will give away to students. With others, off to eBay they go. I know eBay is full of crappy coin lots, and they're about to get a couple more. So I'm considering what might make for the best marketing strategy. 1. Do I leave them identified in flips? Or do I remove them from flips and sell them without identification since persons interested in low grade LRBs might want to learn through the identification process? 2. Is there any conventional wisdom about lot arrangement? Several lots of 5? A couple of lots of 10? One large lot of 25? I know I'm probably trying to make a decision that will yield $14.51 versus $12.32. But any wisdom from those of you who have done this sort of thing would be appreciated.
Leave 'em identified in flips. That at least makes your lot different than unidentified lots of similar coins, and presumably more desirable to some collectors as well.
I agree with leaving them identified. I also think the more in the lot the better. People who buy a lot like that want a deal, so the more coins they're getting, the more worth it it might seem. I've seen big lots of some pretty bad looking coins get decent money. I think people must think, those coins are terrible, but there's so many of them!
Curious as to the term "identifiable". Could you show some pictures of them ? Each numismatic always seems to have a different definition for everything. While I'm continuously learning, I'd like to see what other individuals have in regards to what they have. What are you going to "designate for assignment" ?
I agree with selling one large lot rather than several smaller ones. Fewer invoices to generate and packages to mail.
Well, I haven't gathered them all up yet and figured out what to sell. I have some from an uncleaned lot that I can ID and that know I won't keep. But here are some I've flipped that I will be putting into the mix. Actually, now that I sit down with them, they seem better than many of the mixed lot / uncleaneds I see on eBay. The Trajan is an outlier; almost all are 4th c. LRBs. These flipped coins will be merged with coins from the uncleaned lot for sale, of about the same quality or slightly worse. My fear is that I'm going to sell some slug of a super-rare coin with an extra dot above Constantius II's earlobe that makes the coin worth $10,000 to somebody. But I serious doubt that's going to happen!
Very nice pieces. Funny that you would now question yourself on them, but don't we all do that ? I probably do that on every coin I have.
Don't worry too much about selling a rare issue. I bought various lots during the "uncleaned rage" in the early 00's, but realized that I didn't have the patience for cleaning them and eventually resold them on ebay. One lot of large AS/Sestersius sized coins sold for a little more than I thought it would bring. The buyer noted in his feedback that there was a rare Nero in the lot. Oh well, I would have loved to have the Nero, but I made a little profit and someone else benefited on his knowledge.
I'm just dipping my toes into ancients. Save yourself some time and aggravation. I'd love to give you 14.51 for you lot of 25 coins. Pm me, PLEASE
Nothing against your toes, Odomax. But when I get them together I'll just put them on ebay and update this thread. Who knows? You might do better than 14.51.
We see two answers to this question on eBay. One is to tell people that these are rare 1700 year old coins worth using as a basis for a collection for only $250. This means you hope never to run across the buyer in the future and particularly hope he is not the next dentist you visit. The other way is to list them as an identified lot of low grade coins from which an absolute beginner will get $25 worth of education and $25 worth of coins for only one payment of $25. Either way, you may see the coins again on eBay but this time billed as rarities at $25 each. Many of us accumulate coins we bought earlier in our game that quite frankly we wish we had not bought let alone paying $25 for when $10 was closer to right. I have trouble telling people they should buy my mistakes from 1987 but it really grates me when they decide that they should look for a 2017 sucker to buy 1987 mistakes. Those are the coins I believe should be given to charities like Ancient Coins for Education or sold to someone who might just actually turn into a collector rather than a flipper. I wish I knew how to tell the difference. Most collectors I know don't want my cast offs since they have a pile of their own. Watch JA's sales here on CT and see how many $10 coins sell let alone draw multiple bids. Don't worry about the hidden $10k coin. People with that kind of luck should buy Lottery tickets. Finding an R5 rarity in a junk lot is not all that unusual but finding an ugly one someone will pay big money for really is.
Message me your address. I'll pick out a couple and send them your way. No charge. I can't let Deacon Ray be the only do-gooder around here.
