New Harlan J. Berk, Ltd. Buy or Bid Sale, # 217

The new Harlan J. Berk buy or bid sale launched earlier this evening, with 500 or so ancient coins. See https://www.hjbltd.com/#!/inventory/buy-or-bid/ for the first of 22 pages of lots. Maybe it's just me, but I've always disliked their coin photos -- the coins always look very faded and dull, and it's difficult to see the details. But their videos of each coin are very helpful. I had a budget in mind and I've already used it up on one purchase (a Greek rather than a Roman coin; rare for me!), but I won't say what it is until I receive it.

 

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Sadly even the cheapest coin is out of my price range by many multiples of my budget. I hope that they have a table set up at the Baltimore Whitman show in November and they have the "junk box" like the last time FFIVN and I went. I think we got 12 coins for $100. We got all kinds of really neat stuff at a price we could afford

 

Few things that piqued my interest but like FF, the budget is limited & they aren't showstoppers for me to own.

 

Does anyone ever successfully acquire a coin in these HJB sales by bidding an amount below the "buy" price? Or do the coins all get sold at the buy price?

 

Yes, I've bought a few coins below their ask; as long as you're willing to take the risk that someone else could buy it out from under you if they're willing to pay the full price.

 

I am missing a scratch on Hermes's cheek in the cover piece from Ainos.

Here's the photo from the prior passage.

 

I bought a coin last year in an aftersale - 10% off reserve for some coins that didn't sell. The buy price was $250 and I got it for $150.

The Bid Or Buy is an interesting sales angle - if you're going to bid anywhere near the asking price, it's probably worth just buying it, which is what they want, of course!

ATB,
Aidan.

 

Many times! I don't think I've ever place a proper bid in one of their sales ... Gemini excluded.

 

Well I set the provincial filter to <$100, and there were no offerings. I’m outta here

 

Congrats @DonnaML !! Looking forward to seeing what you got. They had/have some nice lots in this sale.

I was heavily contemplating lot #72, but was heading out to dinner with my family so I figured I'd see if it was around still when I got home. It was sold by then. I guess it wasn't meant to be.

 

You raise a good point about the coin photos . The coins all look like they have been lightly sand-blasted. I'm sure his photos are top-notch, however, the software they are using to edit & present the photos is giving them a false image. I noticed the bronze enkolpion, #617, sold quickly at $650.00, that was a nice buy . Had I seen it first it would be in my collection .

 

Interesting.

The scratch can (faintly)be made out in the accompanying vid of the coin.

 

Pprp,

You are correct. There has been some smoothing done to the right cheek and other places as well.

 

I really don't like this "buy or bid" format at all. The interesting pieces sell quickly, on first come first serve basis. I was usually disappointed by HJB's buy and bid sales and have mostly given up on them.

 

I've seen the Berk videos on Facebook, usually posted by Aaron Berk. I have not yet bought anything from them yet.

 

Always the proper posts....

 

My Labienus denarius came from a Berk Buy or Bid sale and is one of my favorites. I was able to purchase it for a price well below their “Buy” price. Photos do it no justice as the minor surface roughness is exaggerated by the photo lighting. It’s otherwise EF with a superb portrait. I’ve picked up other coins from their sales and have been very happy with them. Aaron Berk is one of my favorite coin people and is always wonderful to deal with.

 

Yes, I've picked up a couple of nice coins that were actually good deals... I think one was at the buy price and I don't remember about the other(s).

I agree about their photographs vs videos. The real problem though is their very user-unfriendly website navigation. What a time sink!

 

Yes, that's what I loath the most. Most auctions sites I like to right-click into a new tab, but not Berk, I have to stay in the same tab and hit back just for it to take its time to reload. Many times it stops loading & I have to restart all over again.

 

Well dang. Browsing their BBS now and here's one I would have bought without hesitation but someone else felt the same because it's already sold.



Lot 372.
Germanicus and Drusus; Sardes, Lydia, struck by Alexander of Sardis, son of Cleon, high priest of the Koinon of Asia, c. 23-26 AD, AE 27, 13.49g. RPC-2994, BM-104. Obv: ΔΡΟΥΣΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΓΕΡΜΑΝΙΚΟΣ ΚΑΙΣΑΡΕΣ ΝΕΟΙ ΘΕΟΙ ΦΙΛΑΔΕΛΦΟΙ Togate figures of Drusus and Germanicus seated l. on curule chairs, one holding out lituus. Rx: ΕΠΙ ΑΡΧΙΕΡΕΩΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ ΚΛΕΩΝΟΣ ΣΑΡΔΙΑΝΟΥ, ΚΟΙΝΟΥ ΑΣΙΑΣ, within and around wreath. Ex CNG XXIX, 30 March 1994, lot 953. This coin was illustrated and discussed in the November 1994 issue of the Celator.. EF


That's typically what happens when I browse HJB's BBS... anything I really really want is gone the moment the sale goes live. Once I did snag a good coin the moment the sale went live:


Julia Domna
AR denarius, 19.5mm, 3.17 gm, 6h. Rome mint
Struck under Septimius Severus, circa AD 207-211
Obv: IVLIA AVGVSTA; draped bust right
Rev: Fecunditas or Tellus (Earth) reclining left under tree, resting arm on basket of fruit and placing hand on celestial orb; standing before her are four children representing the Four Seasons
Ref: RIC IV 549 (Septimius Severus); RSC 35
ex R.H. Collection

I underbid this coin in a previous appearance and kicked myself for the loss so it was extra sweet when I was able to acquire it for HJB for less than my highest bid in the previous auction, and without BP .

In browsing it right now I did find something that makes navigations slightly less annoying: Instead of clicking the back arrow on the browser, I clicked "<--Back to 217th Buy or Bid Sale" at the right near the top. At least it takes me to the page I was on, although not scrolled to the correct position.