My first try at eBay

I have always been hesitant to buy off eBay but gave it a shot and picked up these two for 22 USD. Did it work out, are they legit? I’m not an expert but followed general tips for avoiding counterfeits. Hopefully it worked. Any input from those with more expertise would be greatly appreciated!

 

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Look OK to me, though the photos are not great. The price is OK, too.
But be cautious. Check "Fake sellers" lists and do not buy from them....even if you think the coin is legit.

 

Are reviews a good way to tell??

 

I also bought with free returns...seemed like a good sign. I’m also in Canada and I made sure to order from someone close to me. I ordered them on Monday and they came today, Wednesday. Is that a safe way to progress in the future.

 

Some reviews are from knowledgable buyers. Some are not. You have no way of knowing which is which.

 

Free returns are not necessarily a good sign. Sorry to sound so negative, but there are clever crooks on eBay.

 

The first one is Antiochus IV not VI. Minted 173 to 168

 

Not really. 2 examples:

https://www.ebay.nl/usr/stpgallery

https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/elf52

 

..coins look legit to me..like @PeteB says..there's no way to tell about reviews and that includes scores of previous sales too...free returns are good...it's hard to get a good education for free anywhere...

 

With eBay I might just be modest and try 3 and 4 buyers that have sent good coins and stick with them.

 

A good rule of thumb to follow as long as you're just starting on ebay is to keep to the things you know and buy nonexpensive coins. Your two coins are a good example and you should keep it up. As time goes by and you start to get a feel for what is worth buying and what it's not, you'll be able to get decent things for less cash on ebay.

 

I think you got your money’s worth and then some! Nice little Seleucid bronze too.

Here is Antiochus IV in silver

Seleucid Kings, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, 175-164 Antiochia Tetradrachm circa 168-164, AR 32 mm. 16.2 gm. Obv: Diademed head r. Rev: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ANTIOXOY ΘEOY EΠIΦANOYΣ NIKEΦOPOY, Zeus Nikephoros seated l.; monogram to outer l. SC 1400. Attractive find patina.

 

If you need to pose this question to a group of relative strangers, my advice would be to avoid eBay and buy only from reputable, ancient-coin-specialist dealers. There are so many fakes on eBay that it's not worth the risk to save a few dollars. Also, by spending time browsing eBay, you'll miss the beneficial experience of reviewing authentic stock of specialist dealers. The benefit of looking at good coins is learning to recognize good coins. Ebay waters-down that experience with fakes.

 

Well said, Carausius

 

Are Apmex, Vcoins safe?

 

apmex is way overpriced ! on vcoins you can find better deals from time to time

 

No. It is almost impossible to leave a negative review on eBay anymore. Ignore the reviews and instead, check the fake sellers lists.

But what you did is smart--you bought inexpensive coins. Even if they were fakes, you are out only $22. If you continuing buying off eBay, buy inexpensive coins like these. When you are ready for more expensive coins, buy from trusted dealers.

But you don't need to hurry. There are thousands of ancient coins available for $15 or less. Take your time, and discover where your main collecting interests lie first, then think about moving on to pricier coins.

VCoins is safe, although some dealers charge way too much, in my opinion. One thing that I like about VCoins is that if you do a search for say, Antiochus IV, you can have the coins displayed in order of lowest to highest price. This way you avoid the overpriced dealers.

And one thing to keep in mind if you ask for opinions about the authenticy of a coin on a discussion group like this: it is sometimes possible to positively identify a coin as fake from a photograph, but it is never possible to positively identify a coin as authentic. All we can say is that it looks authentic in the photograph.

 

the way i found for the most coin dealers that they throw low grade coins on Ebay auctions and keep good ones for their websites like Vcoins etc

 

the best way i found to shop on Ebay -- 1. ask seller for picture of the rim ,2 . if photos are bad from seller more than 1000 feedback - avoid !( specially ones from overseas)

 

Because of the Ebay reputation I have never bought a coin on there. But I think Nathan that by focusing on some lower priced coins it does mitigate the risk.