New Robinson Auction Up

Frank posted a new auction that ends June 29 for anyone interested.

 

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Oh man, I didn't get an email about it! Thanks!

 

Hasn't been sent as I type this.

 

Just looking at the offerings more. Seems like there are more fakes listed than usual. I always disliked how he sells "copies".

 

I only bid on a couple of coins. Most are out of my price range. I highly doubt I will get the few that I bid on either.

 

Thanks! Took a look... there were a lot of copies (identified up front by Frank), including one of the Marc Antony legionary denarii that Kunker is still selling. I always find coin copies a real turn-off, I think it diminishes the accompanying real pieces...

 

First, I'm glad to see this auction at all, given that at the time of the previous one he said it might be his last, especially if prices continued to increase the way they have, making it impossible for him to buy new inventory he can offer at reasonable prices. And I do think that in general the start prices may be a bit higher than in his other auctions in the last few years.

FSR's selling of copies in general doesn't particularly bother me, given that he always discloses that fact up front in all caps. I don't think the percentage is any higher than usual. I do think it might be preferable if instead of using a fairly innocuous term like "copy," and not mentioning whether they are ancient or modern, he called them what most of them presumably are -- "MODERN FAKES." It also makes me slightly uncomfortable that the way he sometimes mentions how deceptive they are comes across almost as a selling tool. See, for example, Lot 113, the Marc Antony legionary denarius he describes as "very deceptive." (This is not the same legionary denarius he sold me as genuine last year, which turned out to be fake; see https://www.cointalk.com/threads/di...-in-the-latest-frank-robinson-auction.366104/. He accepted a return without question or delay.) See also Lot 166, a Balbinus ant. which FSR describes as a copy, probably plated -- and goes on to say, "pretty good looking, could fool a lot of people." Now, why phrase it that way, so it sounds like a positive attribute?

 

I think he is honest and names copies in a very obvious way - there is certainly no deception intended. Some copies seem to be collectable by some.. so its fair enough.

I purchased my first ever denarius from him a few years ago.. $48


I've placed many bids since then and keep getting blown out of the water...

I will probably try on a few again. He is a very good dealer - but the bids are the bids... and I will most likely miss out again.

 

I just dislike the way he runs his auctions like it's the 1970's. The tools are available to have it automated and out in the open. Why do we still have to email him with our bid, wait for a reply to see if we are the highest bidder and then hope he remembers to email us back if we've been outbid? Years ago I was the high bidder and assumed I had won, only to be told I was outbid after the auction ended. Since then I rarely bid in his auctions.

I know he's not being deceptive and is an honest guy. I just like to know where I stand with my bids. Why do all the extra work of keeping track?

 

I think he has his auctions up on biddr or something as well.

 

Haven't received the email yet so I was unaware - I'll have to check out fsrcoin.com.

 

Didn't receive an email yet either. But I did email Frank with my bids last night and he replied back so the auction is on.

 

Is there a link?

 

I too have not received an email.

 

http://fsrcoin.com/r.html

 

But he still prefers to have the bids emailed in...

 

I think his auctions are a welcome change of pace (including his methodology) from most others . His "opening bids" seem very reasonable, albeit, you can't control the other bidders.

His descriptions & commentary are refreshing, honest, and...well just check out these few on the current list:

On page 1:
40 JUDAEA
44 LESBOS
55 PANORMOS
96 THASOS

On page 2:
115 AUGUSTUS
120 CLAUDIUS ("They're not making coins like this anymore")
154 GETA

Hilarious (my opinion)! While there are more fakes/copies than one might expect or desire, they are clearly identified & explained (and yes, there is nothing that is not collected on this planet - as opposed to other planets, where they have strict rules on what you can collect! ).

 

His auctions remind me of some mail bid sales I used to buy stamps from, back when stamp collecting was a thing.

 

I find it interesting that some of you prefer sales where you bid a dozen times creeping up on the unknown max posted earlier. Frank's old style system tells you what you need to pay to take the lead rather than wasting your time and bidding up a lot you have no chance of winning.

I prefer the old fashion way. You send in one set of bids. When the sale closes, the high bid wins the lot. If you are honest and bid what you are willing to pay, you win coins. If you send low ball bids, you only win lots no one else wanted. Frank also allows the old fashioned 'bid limits' where you send in $1000 worth of bids and tell him to stop executing your bids when you have spent your limit of $200. My Favorite auction of all time was an NFA mail sale where I sent in 8 bids totaling $1000 and a list of 22 others to be executed only as far as would keep my bill under $1000. I won one of the 8 and 5 of the 22. How they picked which of my 22 to execute makes no difference to me. I assume it gave them the most profit. Those coins are still highlights of my collection. Without the bid limit, I would only have won this one as of Domna.


With the bid limits, it was joined by these. By NFA standards, these were trash lots.


If you don't like the way a business is run, shop elsewhere. There probably is someone else who will be glad you went away.

 

I don't think Frank is interested in the cutting edge of technology. He's a retired judge who retired not long after the commercial internet was born. I wouldn't be surprised if he still carries a flip phone. While I might not agree with some of his quirkier practices, his auctions make sense to me in the same way that reruns of the Rockford Files make sense. There's something to be said for that.