Suggestions for Sellers on VCoins

If I'm not mistaken, Frank Robinson might have a Marcus Aurelius in his current auction.

 

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I have bought from many outlets on vcoins and m-a shops, as well as FSR Coin (Frank Robinson), John Anthony, Forum Ancient Coins once in awhile, Zurqieh (who tends to keep a large stock of Roman-Egypt coins, and many other dealers. I have never purchased anything on Ebay.

 

Haven't people raised some of the same issues about Zurqieh that they have about Athena?

 

Donna: There are several posts / threads in the past that discuss these two Sellers... Some called A and Z, but we know what was meant when they posted. Or Yellow and Red sand finishes. Very much agreed with you.

 

Does any one have knowledge of London Ancient Coins on Vcoins? I've seen a lot from them on there and they have a beautiful Aurelius for only 50 pounds

 

Where would I be able to find this auction?

 

fsrcoin.com

 

Do you really recommend Athena Numismatics, even given the issues people on here have with them? I can't argue with Ken Dorney or GIN though. No experience with Aegean or Incitatus.

I've dealt with Ken in person. I think I ended up buying a warring states knife coin and a Wang Mang spade, but I also looked at an Otho denarius when I was there. Good guy, fair prices, knows what he's doing. Ken would probably be a good one stop shop if you're already looking at his Chinese inventory.

It's not really a "feature" per se, but every listing has an "inquire about this item" link you can use to make an offer. Some will be more receptive than others. Just don't lowball, and you'll be fine.

I bought the Ptolemy II octobol in my avatar from him. It was a pricey coin, but they always are. I just love my big ol' bronze hockey puck.

I'm personally avoiding both Athena and Zurqieh due to stuff I've read on here. Not sure I would be making that recommendation to a beginner.

LAC is a reputable dealer. If you're not in Europe, the only thing you might want to watch out for is shipping charges.

It's not hard to find nice coins of Marcus Aurelius for not much money. He was emperor for a long time and issued a lot of coins. I would say the denarii are most accessible in terms of price, and you don't have to worry about bronze disease, either.

 

Thank you!

 

Thank you! That was a lot of helpful information so I do appreciate it. LAC has quite a lot of him so I was hoping they would be reputable especially for the price.

 

welcome Nate! I buy at MA Shops - https://www.ma-shops.com/?curr=USD

 

I've bought several Roman Republic bronzes from London Ancient Coins over the past few years. No complaints. Always good prices and prompt service.

 

I've bought several coins from them and have been very happy with them. Also, they're the seller that has recently shipped coins to me in the USA via DHL, which have arrived within 48 hours.

 

That sounds expensive. How much were the charges and for how many coins at a time?

 

John Anthony has one too but it's bid up to $200 already I think... not sure if that's in your price range or not.

 

I think it was either $28 or 28 pounds -- I forget which. For two coins, but it would have been the same charge for one.

 

I didn't buy anything with a sandy patina.

 

I think that's the issue that comes up most commonly for both Zurqieh and Athena. At least for Athena, there's also the issue of artificial toning, as with this Hadrian denarius I bought from Athena, which I still think is a nice coin, but looks even more artificial in hand than in the seller's photo:



I didn't know enough back when I purchased this coin to recognize the issue. I wouldn't say the coin is ruined, but I do believe that it would look better without what was done to apply the artificial blue tone.

 

That's a really nice denarius...except Hadrian is singin' the blues...

 

Actually many of these sellers also list on eBay, but you're right, eBay is a minefield full of fakes, so only the knowledgeable should buy ancients and coins from other periods on that website.

Also, eBay collects sales tax now for both domestic and international purchases. Purchasing the same coin through MA Shops or VCoins does not include state sales tax, but may include VAT, depending on the country of origin for the purchase.