There are MANY caveats about buying e-bay coins, one of which is "Don't buy coins from Eastern European countries (Slovenia, Albania, Serbia, etc.) and be careful about coins from many foreign locales (and many US locales also), but I do notice a lot of "uncleaned coins" from Serbia, Albania, etc and am tempted by them since these coins actually do occur in these locales. Any comments, advice?
There does seem to be a lot of uncleaned coins originating in Eastern/Southeastern Europe, most of them are authentic IMHO, just a PITA to clean up. Coins from the Middle Eastern areas seems to be better preserved for the most part because of the lower precipitation levels. However, those pristine coins of Constantine and sons may very well be fakes, so watch out. Best to avoid those on Ebay.
They're not all bad. Since there are a lot of counterfeits running around, it is probably best to be safe rather than sorry.
I assume these coins are in the $1-$3 each range. Expect to receive mostly common 4th-century bronzes. Some will be junk, some will be keepers, with the keeper/junk ratio increasing along with the per-coin price. Although there have been occasional reports of fake uncleaned coins in the past--I still have one in my collection--you can be reasonably confident that the coins are old and authentic. If this seems reasonable to you, then go for it.
I try not to buy anything from other countries unless it's something I really want/need the long shipping times/big p&p costs turn me off I've only ever bought 2 things from abroad both came relatively fast though
The uncleaned coins I've gotten from such locations have all been fine, though depending on the seller they can be genuinely uncleaned coins with good ones lurking within or partially-cleaned and searched unsalvageable rejects. Serbia in particular (for me) is an amazing source of fresh dug ancient coins and especially artifacts, so despite the charlatans selling fake junk there is lots of good stuff you'll miss if you completely avoid items from those areas. Fakes are abundant and not restricted to Southern or Eastern Europe, I honestly see just as much or more fake garbage coming out of Germany, Spain and the UK as I do from notorious places like Bulgaria, and from my view the fake sellers based in the UK are the worst of them all, it's completely obnoxious. Seems like Ukraine is rising up the list lately too. Research the sellers, look at all current and completed listings, feedback etc. and if you see any fakes then walk away from everything.
I've bought coins from all over the world on eBay. Sometimes, several times even, I've purchased from sellers in countries members here would suggest not buying from and from countries I would not suggest the average member buy from. My only advice is to spend enough time studying and handling the coins you're buying to know what you're buying regardless of source. If you're not confident in that, stick to known good sources.
I prefer US only since I live here.. at least The person I am dealing with will speak the same language as I, and the shipping doesn't require a signature like international shipping usually does.
