Looking to get my first coin. Does these appear real to you? Really nervous.

I just don't want to spend my money on a fake.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Welcome to the forum!

Those pictures aren't good enough for me... hopefully someone else chimes in.

I try to avoid coins that don't give me a warm fuzzy. I don't like gambling. I also don't buy coins from unknown or not well established dealers.

 

they look real ta me.. nice one's to start out with and welcome to CT's darkside

 

The Trajan raises a bit of caution, but the picture is not good so it's hard to say one way or another. Its probably good but just a lousy image. We need better pictures to really say. The Antony denarius is so worn it's difficult to say anything with certainty.

Probably best to pass on these and shop with a reliable dealer. For a first coin, try ancientimports.com . He has a nice one with toning...very appealing too. And lifetime warranty.



He also has some nice budget Trajans if money is a little tight for you. Here is an example for $70



Not the only dealer I can recommend you, but I always recommend him to newbies first because he has tons of inventory from budget all the way to high end...and I usually don't know what budget newbies have to work with.

 

The best advice I ever got regarding collecting ancients was "know the coin or know the seller". That is to say that you should at a minimum either know enough about the type to authenticate it yourself or be able to trust the reputation and expertise of the seller to do it for you. In this case, you don't seem to have complete trust in the seller since you came to ask us, nor do you have the expertise yourself, so my recommendation, in line with that given by @Sallent is to buy from someone else whom you can trust.

 

huh.. now i look at the Trajan again, i'm wonderin' how come that almost fitted chunk is gone.. its almost too symmetrical to be an accident.. idk.. make sure you can return and or get a guarantee.

 

Welcome, @Friedak

I'll echo others and say "know the coin or know the seller". The pictures aren't good enough to confirm or condemn the coins. The Trajan looks a bit "soapy" (and perhaps tooled) and I'd steer clear unless the seller knows ancient coins and offers a guarantee of authenticity (which I'll assume he/she doesn't since they look like crummy eBay pictures).

 

It is often possible to be 100% certain a coin is a fake just from a photo but it is never 100% certain the coin is good. Poor photos make many of us suspicious of good coins making us wonder what is hiding under that fuzzy image. I see nothing in the photos that tells me enough to make it a comfortable call and I refuse to say just from a photo that a coin is good anyway.

This technique will protect you in 99% of cases but coin collecting is not a good hobby for people who need 100% certainty of anything. Sometimes we are fooled when we try our best; sometimes we are just fools and don't try at all.

 

Welcome, @Friedak. Personally, I see nothing to suggest fake, but like others have said, it's impossible to know just from an image. The Marcus Antonius legionary denarius looks to be in "normal" condition. Can you read the legion number? I can't make it out from the image. I make it a point to only buy MA legionary denarius I can identify. Otherwise they are nearly non-collectible to me.

 

I found the items on an independent seller auction at Forum Ancient Coins. Does that make them more trustworthy?

 

In a word - yes. In two words - more likely.

 

I was inclined to think they were probably genuine but I also had the same concerns and advice as all the others. An independent seller on FORVM certainly increases the odds---at least I hope so since I often purchase coins from them as well. And I have purchased several coins from that particular seller

 

So should I bid on it?

 

Only you can answer that. I have purchased from FORUM auctions before because if someone were brazen enough to auction fakes on the FORUM site, a dozen users would jump down the seller's throat. I don't think a fake seller would last long on FORUM. It would be like trying to rob a gun show. Good luck making it out alive.

As Doug said, nothing is 100%. Personally, I would feel comfortable bidding on an auction at FORUM.

 

The Forum shop is also one of the best there is. Lifetime guarantee and lifetime buy back if you change your collecting interests.

 

Now, would you purchase it in its current condition?

 

Well, the difficulty with soliciting this kind of advice is that collecting is not a "one-size-fits-all" enterprise. There are coins that I would be pleased to buy for budget reasons that other folks on this board with deeper pockets would probably pass on. Again, only you can answer your own question.

Generally speaking, when I first started collecting I was less discriminating about grade. After collecting off and on for almost 15 years, I have less patience for lower grade coins. I would rather purchase fewer coins in better quality than several coins in lesser quality. Those simply are my priorities at this stage.

All this is to say that I would be happy to add that Trajan to my collection but would likely pass on the legionary denarius in the belief that I could find a better reverse in an affordable example. Your mileage may vary.

I go back to something Doug wrote in an earlier post. I paraphrase: if you stay in this hobby 10 years from now, will you look at this coin and be happy that you have added it to your collection? If you are no longer interested in ancient coins in 10 years, will you easily be able to sell the coin that you purchased to another buyer? For me, personally, these questions would earn a thumbs up for the Trajan and a thumbs down on the legionary denarius.

That rule of thumb is helpful to me as I make my own purchasing decisions. I have never regretted spending a little extra and buying a nice quality coin. I have, however, regretted buying low-grade coins and not waiting until something a little sharper came along, even if it cost a few more dollars.

But again, only you know your own budget and priorities.

 

That Trajan's a nice coin. I think you'll be happy with it long-term and you'll have no trouble selling it in the future.