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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;kaparthy, post: 328, member: 57463&quot;]<b>Coins in the Agora and the Forum</b></p><p><br /></p><p>There are two distinct motivatiions for slabbing ancients.&nbsp; Most of them are encapsulated as genuine because a mass seller wants to provide to an unsophisticated market an example of ancient coins so the buyer can own one.&nbsp; I bought my first ancient from Littleton.&nbsp; A recognized name lowers the risk to the buyer.&nbsp; For those who want to own more than one, the certiification services are an introduction.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Even so, for the collector who is otheriwse knowledgeable, certification and authentication can be important.&nbsp; I paid to have three coins certified.&nbsp; In the discussion thread here about Your Best Coin Buy, I refered to a Miletos Hekte I bought.&nbsp; I sent it to a dealer I know who teaches ancient history.&nbsp; I also showed it to J P Martin when he was manning the certification booth for the ANA way back then.&nbsp; I noted both of these Approvals on the flip.&nbsp; So, in that sense, I got outside, independent opinions.&nbsp; Previously, I had gone to the ANA and David Sear and would do so again.</p><p><br /></p><p>Going to ICG or ANACS is the same thing. </p><p><br /></p><p>It is true that the authentications are not what most active collectors of ancients want.&nbsp; In other words, the slabbing companies do not attach Sear or BMC or SNG numbers, do not identify magistrates, COS Years, etc.&nbsp; But the people paying for the mass service for mass marketing and their masses of buyers of &quot;just one ancient&quot; do not much care.&nbsp; The buyers are not sophicated.&nbsp; So, they own one Roman coin or one coin of Alexander.&nbsp; if they develop more interest, they get more sophisticated.</p><p><br /></p><p>And David Sear will provide you with very sophisticated authentication. His laminated write-ups are famous.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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