Some fancy and some not-so-fancy coin purchase packaging...

Over the course of a couple hundred purchases, I've grown used to receiving the coins I've bought in those familiar self-adhesive cardboard mailers used by so many dealers and auction houses. These are usually mailed out in standard letter or padded letter envelopes, and I think these packing materials are economical, secure and totally sufficient for just about any purchase. I was therefore quite surprised when I opened my latest coin package - containing two coins I won in the most recent Künker auction - and beheld this...





Huh... I don't know if this is typical for Künker now, but wow, isn't this perhaps a little too classy for our cruddy, old ancients?

The familiar utilitarian cardboard mailer was placed inside with my coins, and while I could have done without the fancy box (in exchange for lower buyer's premiums, perhaps? ), I appreciate the effort Künker has made to try to impress.

I've only had time to process pics for one of the coins so far, a Tarentum dolphin-rider for my small collection of them...


CALABRIA, Tarentum
AR Nomos. 6.39g, 20.9mm. CALABRIA, Tarentum, circa 272-240 BC. Lykinos and Sy-, magistrates. Vlasto 836-841. O: Youth on horseback left, crowning horse; ΣY to right, ΛYKI/NOΣ in two lines below. R: Phalanthos astride dolphin left, hurling trident; to right, owl standing left, head facing; TAPAΣ below.

Now, for something at the other end of the scale, here are some coins I received a few months ago from another European auction house, which shall not be named. I'll grant that the coins themselves were a little average, but really, did they deserve to be sent to a customer wrapped in what appeared to be thin strips of toilet paper? I kid you not... no flips, no attribution, just toilet paper .




So, this is not a serious thread, but if you've nothing better to do on your Saturday...
please pile with your strangest, most interesting, most laudable, or most deplorable coin purchase packing.

 

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Great coins and I like the packaging!

 

I really like that Kunker took so much care with the packaging. To me this shows an important eye for detail. It also adds to the entire purchasing experience.

I love getting the auction lists from Frank Robinson. I never know what cool and unusual stamps he is going to use.

 

My recent Kuenker winnings were well packaged, and short shipping via DHL. There was great customer service communications with very nice folks. Was glad that mine had great provenance so that I had no MOU customs problem (one was a Pre-Denarii issue). I received mine within days!

But mine were not the gorgeous "up-town" packaging the Great @zumbly was bestowed! Very nice...

Personally, no real complaints in receiving my packaged coins. However, have had some odd ones:
- Packed in tissue paper, then packed into a breath mint tin (protected!)
- Corrugated carton walls with a pocket exactly cut out for my coin, then corrugate flapped over the coin (meticulous!)


PONTOS Amisos 85-65 BCE Æ24 12.2g Mithradates VI as Perseus r Phrygian helmet Pegasos grazing l Malloy 33b HGC 7 239

 

Was the TP at least double ply?

 

Yeah, those are fun! For him to get them to me, at least one side of the envelope will be completely covered with stamps.

 

. Breath mint tin is a very nice touch! Love that Amisos AE, btw.

 

Thank gawd, not used!

 

It was single ply, my friend... single ply .

 

I've received uncleaned hoards (1/2 kg) in a white plastic baggy thing and inside was a ziploc bag containing the coins. (I shall not name the vendor). One time I purchased "cleaned" uncleaned coins and they came in a nice velvet drawstring coin purse inside of the aforementioned white baggy thing.

I've received coins from @John Anthony that are superbly packaged. Last coin I got from him had a boot print on the outside wrapper so I am glad that they are so well-packaged and virtually indestructible.

 

I also have seen packages of all sorts. Below an example of a small envelope made from recycled cardboard. I do appreciate sellers think about costs and the environment. The paper on which it is lying was used as padding in another envelope. It is a receipt for the transports of goods per train and dated 22th of November 1944. That's real old paper recycling.

 

Your dolphin-rider is fantastic and certainly deserved to travel in style. Can't wait to see it's traveling companion.

As far as packaging goes I don't think anything could beat this

 

Ahahaha, lol. Well somebody had to tell your coins are crap, Z. Total CRAP.

 

Don't give me any ideas!

 

When they do stuff like that, they don’t hurt the buyer, they hurt the coins! Think about the coins!!

Uh-oh, now, for some reason I get the feeling the next coins I pick up from you are going to come wrapped in some ‘creative’ packing...

 

The Sender on your transport receipt is Glendining which was a famous auction house in England through much of the 20th century.

 

I get some wrapped in European coupons. I leave them on my bosses desk

 

Yes, the tissue paper was clean, well protected my coin, and I gave tge mint tin to my wife who collects them (bonus). It WAS fortunate the tissue paper was not “used”.

 

That is some beautiful packaging, zumbly! I think it's great that they give all of their customers the royal treatment. I really don't have anything to compare with Künker’s exquisite packaging but this one is certainly different. This dealer ships everything in a huge plastic bag even if only sending one coin.

 

There is a certain dealer I have bought many coins from over the years whose packing technique has become somewhat legendary among my coin friends and me. It's clearly designed to fool would-be thieves and typically consists of a series of nested packages, with the largest, exterior box being suitable for a men's dress shirt. It literally takes me a solid 5-10 minutes of back-breaking work with various sharp-edged implements to get to the coin within the series of boxes, envelopes, and other packing materials. Definitely builds anticipation, burns calories and deters thieves (none of his shipments to me have been nicked).