So there is this very strange seller on ebay https://www.ebay.com/usr/aurelius1962 He seems kinda shady, saying he ships from Norway but he ships from Bulgaria (talked to him via messaging and he said to me that in person). So as always Bulgaria shines a light to every collector. The thing though is that surely some of his items look dubious (antiquities), he has some coins that drive me crazy, they do really look real, and are sold in quite nice price also. I know that in Bulgaria is not legal to sell ancient and also that they always sell fakes, but in this time I don't know what to say. Especially for his Commodus Hercules Denarius which looks quite appealing. Am I getting crazy here?
I still am new in dealing with ancients, but I think the old saying of "if it seems to be too good to be true it probably is" applies here. There are enough red flags to have me pass on him as a dealer.
The weight which you did not include (why?) is 2.2g. That is low for a denarius of this period. But it has been chipped. Resolution is too low. But surfaces look a little strange. It may be genuine, just in poor condition. But the price is far too high for a coin in this condition. Personal advice: maybe better shop with reputable dealers instead of eBay.
I never ever stated on my post that I want to buy from him. I just find it strange that's all. I included this photo just for reference, I don't want to buy this coin so that's why I didn't add weight. Also I almost never buy from ebay, that's my long time rule since I started buying ancient coins. I will only buy from ebay if I know the seller from outside, or the coin is low cost and seems ok in photos. If in hand is not I can always send it back.
It was more of an observation. I was just wondering if some of his coins could be real or am I just missing something and probably all are fake. Just for educational purposes.
Private listing is always a Red Flag to me. I don't know why eBay allows it. For me it's a good way a crooked seller can hide shill bidding.
I’ve dealt with this dealer. That is my neutral feedback that calls out that he lists in Norway but ships from Bulgaria. Ask yourself this: if he is an honest dealer, then why does he not state right in the listing that he ships from Bulgaria? I asked him this pointedly when he contacted be AFTER my winning bid to tell me my coin was coming from Bulgaria. He refused to answer that. Of course, we all know the answer. I’ve stopped buying all coins from overseas because at least six times in the past three months I have run into sellers listing from one country (Austria, Spain, Norway, England, etc.) but then shipping from (drum roll) Bulgaria. eBay could stop this if they wanted to. They don’t. And vetting a seller does little good, as all from whom I purchased had thousands of feedback comments and 100% ratings. Even trying to stick to US sellers does not always work. I bought a denarius from a seller in Bristow, VA. This was very clearly stated in the listing… Bristow, VA. Item was shipped from Israel. It arrived a month later and was a fake (they showed a real denarius then sent a fake copy). VCoins has its own set of issues (buy one coin, get sent a similar but obviously different coin), so right now I am not buying anywhere (and I am still waiting for this dealer to make good and refund). Code of ethics… right. Caveat emptor. It is off putting, and speaking for myself, it really makes me feel distrust towards coin dealers.
