So I like nice things and like others I will pay premium for it. I'm new to ancient coins and willing to buy the best. Searching ebay I want graded coins. What grade company is trustworthy to buy from?
Ebay is not the best venue to buy ancients. Graded ancients offered for sale there at fixed prices are very overpriced. But to answer your question, NGC grading and encapsulation is generally trustworthy. Reason being they have experts examining the ancients they grade.
I'm still fairly new to ancients, and am far from buying the best, but one of the things I like most about them is that for the most part they aren't graded. Unlike moderns where its all about the grade, for most with ancients its more about the history the coin represents. The exception seems to be high end ones where the authentication of the coin is important. I still collect and enjoy modern coins as well, its just two different worlds.
Here's a good alternative to eBay for beginning collectors of ancient coins: VCoins. Prices tend to be higher than eBay, but the dealers are more reputable, although a couple seem to be wildly overpriced. A nice function of their search engine is that you can list coins in order of price, going from low to high, so you can avoid dealers who charge way too much.
Perhaps a high roller like yourself would not be interested in the beginners FAQ thread that features a section on recommended sellers? But here it is anyway.... https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancient-coins-beginners’-faq-thread.324858/
The best coins probably won’t be on eBay. And they probably won’t be graded either. I cannot wrap my head around why anyone would see the need to grade an ancient coin. The ‘grade’ mindset just doesn’t work or matter in ancients for a plethora of reasons. NGC does it by far the best, but the only value I see in their slabbing is as a trustworthy sign of authenticity when you wouldn’t necessarily trust yourself or the dealer https://www.vcoins.com/en/Default.aspx is excellent but the very best ancient coins are usually found at auction. https://www.numisbids.com/
In the ancient field, graded doesn’t always = best. Many advanced collectors prefer coins that aren’t slabbed. You also need to consider that ancients have a lot of flan and strike variability that doesn’t always fit well with standardized grading used on modern coins. Should a poorly struck, but well centered example grade higher than a well struck coin that has devices off the flan? How do you factor a flan crack into a standard grade? How much of a reduction for Horn silver or crystallization, or uneven patina? Add in the fact that many ancients have been cleaned (which isn’t always considered detrimental as it is with modern coins) and you really have a lot of things to consider. I think you would do better finding a trustworthy dealer to help build a collection. You may pay a little more for the dealer’s knowledge and experience, but they can help a new collector navigate through the minefield. If you insist on buying graded coins, NGC seems to do a reasonable job, as others have said. Also, I recommend skipping ebay for buying high end ancients until you have some experience. It's too easy to lose a lot of money buying the wrong coin, even slabbed. Just my thoughts. Hope this helps.
Of course, if you are looking for really nice coins, you best bet is auction houses, like CNG, that specialize in ancient coins.
Gotta be willing to get dirty if one wants to find the goods. I mean where else is a person gonna find something like this for less than $7 shipped?
@Molon Labe Check out Heritage Auctions signature sale 3087 as Heritage offers nice coins and tends to cater to those who prefer NGC slabbed and graded ancients.
I'm not a big fan of slabbing in ancients and it makes sense only for high-value items. I pay for coins, not slabs. This, for example, is about a $75-85 coin at full retail and could be obtained at auction for even less. But because of the slab, it has a starting bid of $135. I don't pay $50-60 extra for someone to tell me it's "AU".
I am thankful that graded/slabbed has not become the norm in ancients. I was saddened back when VCoins added a feature to their "advanced search" that allows the return of only those coins that have been "NGC Certified". :-( I would much prefer to have a feature that allows the return of only those coins that are NOT "NGC Certified". (Just my two-prutot on the subject.)