A Slabbed coin to avoid

I have bought enough coins on line that my e-mail in box is overloaded with offers to buy good stuff in online auctions. I got a chuckle reading the description on this lot.

The seller's description:
This lot includes (5) Roman Widow's Mite Sized Bronze Coins C. 50 BC - 400 AD. The coins have each been authenticated and encapsulated by the International Numismatic Bureau (INB). Please see the photo below for details on the condition of the coin.
http://www.icollector.com/Lot-of-5-...Coins-50-BC-400-AD-INB-Encapsulated_i28606899

Coin Talk and other web sites have pretty well trashed IBN. Reviews of the seller's site are not much better. My thoughts on slabs are shown below thanks to @TIF -


I think there is a place for slabbed ancients. @Deacon Ray has done good things with his slabbed mites. For me, I like to touch the coins.

 

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That shirt is too funny!!

 

INB isn't good for US nor is it good for ancients.

The one positive is that there is no need to crack those slabs as they open up (and close) easily (at least that has been the case with the examples I have encountered).

 

Notice the slab says widows mite SIZED coin.

It doesn’t say it IS a widows mite.

Notice the precise dating from 50 BC to 400 AD.

That really narrows it down.

 

that was what made me laugh

 

I got one of those in an eBay lot! The coin rattled around noisily in its "slab", and that "slab" opened more easily than a Priority Mail envelope.

 

I love the 'slabbed' T-shirt, (T.I.F. you rock), but, (if I am allowed to say it), would it not be a more appropriate use of the fabric if it were used to make 'underpants'?

 

I think you're doing great work, @rrdenarius ! We all come at this wonderful hobby from different directions. Slabs or not! What an amazing hobby it is!—We're holding in our hands something that our great—great—great—great.....grandparents held in their hands.

 

My mom got me one once.
The funny part was it was from forvm. (was cheap though)

 

Wow, check out their latest special!

I've always wanted an Ancient Greek Dekadrachm.



This one looks a little poorly struck or maybe just undercooked?

Should I bid on this???

John

 

ROFL... you sir definitely win the interwebs today!

 

The strange surface suggests it might have been stored in a supermarket fridge for some time.

I would stay away (just my two cents)

Q

 

I have to admit, there is a "widow mite" slabbed coin like this in my collection. My only defense is that it's a gift from a family member with good intentions, but misguided execution.

He heard I started to collect ancients and mailed me a box with one of these, and a few other viable coins. One is a Theodosius that still has the $8 price tag and might be fake.

On another crappy coin topic - a friend gave me a bin of "collector" coins to go through for her sister that is chock full of coins designed to separate the inexperienced from their money. Things like gold plated mint cents, gold plated clad St Gaudins rounds, well worn walking liberty half dollars put in a holder with the same year Mercury dime and sold as "classic American" coin sets, etc, etc.

There are a few legit collector coins, but they are packaged in cellphone. So they look good, but have hairlines that make them all but worthless.

Nearly all of the packages have the same company name on them. I'm not going to out it there, but as a hint it starts with Little and ends with ton.

 

I have actually opened up a Ponzi-Fund for Slabbed Pepperoni Futures. Please feel free to open an account. Minimum investment: 100,000 Pizzas and/or cool coins of my choice.
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As always, Just JOKES!


Bruttium AE 18 Hemiobol 215-205 BC 2nd Punic Nymph Terina Nike Zeus

 

Can I get extra cheese with that?





Reproduction Greek Dekadrachm, light on the tomato sauce and cheese.

John

 

I send most of my coins to the international numismatic board for Certification,
you know they are serious when they have a super-fancy bar code on them.

 

You do know they don't guarantee the authenticity of any fast food they have slabbed???

So beware!!!

Ok, just kidding, I am sure they do good work in the areas they specialize. It is just too tempting when a joke presents itself.

 

I like the very detailed reference: widows mite size coin,,
I think we should just do away with measuring in millimeters and just use this logic:
a coin is either about a a 1/2 mite size, 1 widows mite size, a couple mites and tetradrachm or sesterti ,,,, the very precise --(several mites)
and for a big medallion it is the ever accurate umpteen mites.
and instead of grams we will just give a good guess.
oh yeah and the bar code is proof it is widows mite sized, so rest assured

 

When this thread popped up, I thought of this joker I found on eBay last night...

 

I've actually bought a few coins from them in the past. No premium for the slabs of course: just basic German coins for which I paid the amount the I judged them to be worth. As far as I can tell it is just an EBay seller who slabs his own coins and tries to pass them off as something special