I bought the two coins below on Ebay. I don't yet have the coins, but the deal looks promising. Each coin was offered at EUR 45. I offered 39 and and the seller accepted. Gallienus Obv.: IMP GALLIENVS P F AVG G M Rev.: VICTORIA AVGG I think its from the mint of Rome Note the obverse legend with GM (Germanicus Maximus) is kind of scarce and I think the coin is not in RIC. I found a similar piece on Acsearch https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=5251728 Valerian Obv.: IMP CP LIC VALERIANVS PF AVG Rev.: APOLINI PROPVG (I guess) Mint: Rome RIC 74
Thanks, I hope they turn out as nice as they look in the (not so great) pictures. The Gallienus really seems to be a bit scarce. Given the Germanicus Maximus title on the obverse, I guess that the coin celebrates one of Gallienus' many victories over Germanic invaders. I'm uncertain about the mint. I still think Rome is most likely, but Milan is also a possibility. The Jacquier coin on Acsearch has a distinctly different bust style compared to my coin though. I also like the reverse designs of both coins. Apollo as "Protector" armed with a bow is common for Valerian, but still attractive. I think the Valerian can be attributed to Rome with some certainty.
The Gallienus looks sharp. Valerian looks pretty good, too, though the pix are darkish. Maybe the coin itself is a bit dark? Not saying that’s a bad thing. It’s just a tad hard to see on my phone screen, is all.
Good gets! eBay is the only venue where prices are still reasonable. Of course you have to sift through pages of garbage, but it’s worth it!
Indeed. I try to limit my pages of garbage to my list of sellers who consistently have interesting coins. Or I use specific search terms. A search for "Byzantine follis" will produce pages of heavily worn objects that barely look like coins. "Byzantine Leo VI follis" yields much nicer results. These days 9 out of 10 of my purchases are from eBay. Cashed up COVID-era investors have hyperinflated the coin market in the big auction houses to the point where a common Gordian III ant can sell for $1000. Strangely, they've been ignoring some rare emperors (I saw Basiliscus and Anthemius hammer at modest prices in the recent Noble auction), so that accounts for 1 in 10 of my purchases. Of course it's a jungle out there on eBay - you need to be very good at spotting fakes!
Ironically, it's a huge buyer's market on eBay. Small time sellers like myself have a very hard time breaking even; I often sell at a loss to at least gain back some of the investment. I never understood how a common Gallienus ant could sell for three figures at an auction house, but I have trouble moving them at sub-$20 prices. I have good quality pictures, good descriptions, full attributions...but I often have to lower prices down, down, down to $10 and even then can hardly sell them.
I think the answer is lack of trust in eBay. Buyers are reluctant to bid because eBay is a minefield of fakes. There are Facebook groups dedicated to buying/selling ancient coins, where coins can be sold at more reasonable prices.
That sounds like a good avenue to try, Just sold this Claudius II for a whopping 8 bucks. I heavily feel this is valued at least twice as much, but over a month on the 'Bay and price cuts every week, that's where we end up at.
Nice new ones, @Tejas The portraits are exceptional on both and I love that Apollo reverse with the bow and arrow. I would agree there are bargains on eBay, especially at the lower end of things. As @hotwheelsearl notes, it is difficult to sell for a good price sometimes - I've had the same experiences! Here's a new Valerian I just got on eBay - at $6.49, I think it was a fairly good deal. Although standing VIRTVS is not the most remarkable type, the issue appears to be fairly scarce: Valerian I Antoninianus (256 A.D.) Viminacium Mint IMP C P LIC VALERIANVS PF AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right / VIRTVS AVGG, soldier standing left, right hand resting on shield, left hand holding spear. RIC 227; Göbl 1584b. (2.93 grams / 20 mm) eBay Sept. 2021 $6.49 Attribution Notes: OCRE and Wildwinds notes this as draped only, but this example is cuirassed as well; Wildwinds photo clearly shows cuirass.
Such a nice portrait with the prominent moustache. In the right market the coin would have fetched significantly more than 8 dollars.
The coins have arrived today. I must say, I am really happy with them. I usually don't land great deals, but these coins were cheap for what they are: Here is Valerian I again: I'm particularly happy about this Gallienus Antoninian. The bust is great, the obverse legend with GM (Germanicus Maximus) is scarce and missing from my collection. Again, I paid EUR 39 and the only comparable piece on Acsearch sold for 200 in 2018.
I just went back to the seller to get a few more coins: These are the seller's pictures. I just lightened them up a bit: These are my descriptions from what I can read: Constans: Obv.: DN CONSTA NS PF AVG Rev.: FEL TEMP REPAR ATIO -- PLC Mint: Lyon RIC VIII, p. 182, 84. Delmatius Obv.: FL DELMATIVS NOB C Rev.: GLORIA EXERCITVS - SMANI Mint: Antioch RIC 112 Claudius II Obv.: IMP CLAVDIVS AVG Rev.: MARS VLTOR Mint: Rome (?) RIC 66
