Looking for some help.......

No. CT is known to be vicious towards newer members.

 

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Thanks for the info below that quote but I’ll go back to what’s in the quote above. Who are you to say what is ethical or not? I will make the right selection for this gentleman at the right price. The correlation to searching and filtering can be applied to almost anything really. People pay for what they want to pay for.

 

So here’s the story since enough of you jumped on and have shown your true colors.
My best friend, the buyer, who doesn’t own any coins PERIOD knows that his best friend deals in coins. He said to me I saw this awesome necklace in a store that he took a photo of and he said I want to make this. Can you get me a coin like this? I said Best friend, I don’t do ancient coins ( I knew enough to say that’s what it was) and best friend said I don’t care, find one for me and throw in a little extra for yourself because I trust you to do the research.
How much do you want to spend?
Hundred, hundred fifty.
Make it silver and about the size of a quarter.

Best friend has disposable income and he doesn’t mind paying people to do his work for him. He actually wants it that way so he can concentrate on his other hobbies.
So you say if he has soo much money why limit it to 100-150? Not my place to ask! Probably why he has money.

 

Acting as a Dealer to self-admittedly make a profit, asking for FREE advice and help? Calling folks elitists and saying folks on CT are vicious? And you are angry about that?

It is easy to do a google search for what you have asked, and not spend the time insulting those who have asked questions or commented.

I am surprised folks are even participating in this thread and have not hit the IGNORE button.

 

I’m not angry, I’m just pointing out all the garbage after it’s thrown at me. Pretty easy to see that. I don’t think I’ve insulted anyone who has genuinely offered only help. (And please do, hit the ignore button!)

 

Not really, at least not on the ancient board.

 

Haha Done!

 

I'm a "newer" member compared to a great many people here -- I joined at the end of January -- and nobody (with one completely unimportant exception) has been anything but incredibly nice to me since the day I joined. So whatever conclusions you may have reached from your experiences on the various U.S. coin forums here are entirely inapplicable to the ancient coins forum.

 

I’m glad that you have had a pleasant experience.

 

I hope you aren't being sarcastic, because I'm glad about it too. I just read through this thread for the first time, and I don't think anyone has been remotely "vicious" to you. You have to admit that yours was an unusual question, and reflects a rather unusual situation -- after all, you're not simply a new collector of ancient coins asking for advice, but a dealer of some kind. Therefore, people were certainly justified in asking skeptical questions, at least until you explained that the person you initially presented as a mere "buyer" is actually your "best friend" who specifically wants you to make the choice for him, rather than simply directing him to VCoins or some other online market.

Regardless of how you want to characterize the responses you've gotten, I think that by now you should have figured out that there's no simple way to find what you want (a quarter-sized ancient silver coin for which you can charge your friend $100-$150 and still make a profit), given that anything you find in that size for that price (a) isn't likely to be anything close to pure silver, and/or (b) isn't going to be in great condition. For example, you can get a nice 3rd century antoninianus for a lot < $150, but most are 21-23 mm. (a quarter is about 25 mm., right?), and even though they might look like silver, even the early ones were debased to a level of less than 50% silver fineness, declining to around 5% or less within a few decades.

If you're willing to compromise on the size or the price, you'll have a great many more options. Perhaps people are frustrated that you seemingly haven't fully grasped that reality?

 

@Bambam8778, we’ve known each other from the CRH forum and I’ve never had any bad experiences with you.

I do take exception with you saying that people here are unfriendly. That may be, and often is, the case in the US threads. But I can say without a shadow of a doubt that it isn’t here.

The guys, and ladies, here in the Ancients forum are some of the most generous, friendly, and knowledgeable people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.

I’ve said my piece and now will bow out of this thread.

 

Not talking trash, but its important to know that as a person with zero experience in ancient coins, you don't know a good deal from a bad one. Let's take the "cockroach" of silver antoninianii - Gordian III. He was a kid and wielded no actual control, but his finance ministers decided to phase out the silver denarius and replace it with the antoninianus to keep the troops paid while saving money. His antoninianii are stupid common. You can buy one in mint state for less than $50.

For example:
Gordian III with Virtus reverse in EF, £120 on vcoins
https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/be...i_238244_ar_antoninianus/1292752/Default.aspx

Gordian III with Virtus reverse, in EF, bidding starts at $25
https://www.biddr.com/auctions/leu/browse?a=1089&l=1163974

I can tell you that:
1) Even though they are very highly regarded, you can absolutely find coins on Vcoins and FORVM that are marked up 200-500% versus buying one at a no-reserve auction.
2) You don't know enough to spot a solid deal from a solid rip-off, and that is OK
3) Your original post made it seem like you didn't really care as long as you made a few bucks from the transaction. And I think that is what rubbed some the wrong way. Your explanation does clear things up a lot.

When I was a novice I reached out to someone I thought was trustworthy to get me started. In the end I was sold probably $45 worth of coins for $150. Knowing what I know now, I'm still a little bitter over it.

 

Not being sarcastic at all. I’m glad you have. I’m a big advocate for new members and even those who stretch your patience from time to time. Sometimes to my detriment.
I said CT members can be viscous to newer members. I can hold my own. I appreciate all the genuine suggestions. I only asked him what he wanted to spend and the rest of the group if there was anything within those constraints. I think he’ll be ok with spending a little more to get what he wants.

 

I absolutely don’t know a good deal in ancient coins over a bad one or a fake from a real one. One of the reasons I like talking to these “amateurs” on here (as someone stated) over a google search. I usually like the interaction and these amateurs have a lot of good knowledge.
I didn’t take it as you were talking trash on This post. Lot of good info here.

 

So, a coin from young emperor Gordian III will be clamped into a bezel, to be worn as jewelry then?
He was a ruler that would make Dan Quayle look like Theodore Roosevelt, comparatively...
Maybe everything are just as they should be.

 

Unless the ancients forum consists only of a few people in this thread I don’t think you should hold any exception to what i said. I’ve posted a couple times in here with pleasant experiences. This time however, not so much.

 

You've been on for 4 years and almost 3,000 posts, do you think you are a "newer" member?

 

Perhaps it was because you referred to him as a "buyer" and expressed a desire to turn a profit. If you had said he was a friend and lost your profit motive, I think you would have found more help.

 

I've only started collecting ancient coins a few months ago, but I've absorbed a lot of knowledge in that time.

Having lurked on this board for that short time, and having newly joined as a member for about a month, I've found the members on Coin Talk Ancients to be very helpful to so-called 'newbies'. Yet, I've also noticed a justifiable reluctance to offer 'free help' to someone looking to only receive it w/out reciprocating, or at the least, w/out displaying an intention to contribute.

As for Doug.. I've seen him as one to not mince words and perhaps be a tad blunt in his delivery at times, however, I also recognize him as a someone who has "been there, done that before". I respect his being forthright with his opinions as a longtime collector with a myriad of knowledge.

Enough of that..

Is your friend looking for any ancient coin as long as it's old, or a coin that has an interesting story/recognizable historical connection behind it?

I had never even heard of Gordian III, until I started collecting coins. It wasn't until I saw how common his coins were that he actually registered on my radar. It could be stated that he is the 'Plain Jane' of Imperial Roman silver(ish) coinage -- as already alluded to in this thread.

Your friend wants one coin. Why not get him something cool, like an Alexander the Great tetradrachm, or perhaps a coin the features a portrait of Athena? Then he'll have a story that he can tell about his necklace(as a personal item/gift?).

Most people have heard of Alexander the Great or the goddess Athena. My guess is that only Imperial Roman history buffs and ancient coin enthusiasts have heard of Gordian III or Philip I/II or Decius etc etc etc...

Is $150 the ceiling?

If I were to purchase only one coin(and money wasn't a strong concern), I would want to get one that's in a style/type that I really liked and in a condition that showcases the details of the coin.

I'd show your friend what $100-$150 gets him, and what $200-400 gets him.

If the Gordian fits the bill.. So be it.

 

What you want is a Tetradrachm. They range in size from that of a quarter up to a silver dollar. This denomination will always command a premium, but with some careful shopping good deals can be had.

The next size down is in ancient silver is called a Stater/ Didrachm/ Nomos but more often than not these are closer to a nickel in size.

If it were me I'd go for:

Roman - A provincial Tetradrachm of Nero.
Greek - A Tetradrachm of Alexander the Great.

Those are 2 of the most well known names in ancient history, and a decent tetradrachm of either can be had in the $150 range if F-VF or the odd blemish isnt an issue..

It's likely the same with modern coins but the best deals are usually (but not always) found in auctions.