I was able to snag a Widow's Mite coin for 35 bucks. Do u think these are legit? the seller is pharaoh_crypt I dont know about this guys reputation. I was not able to find much info about him on various forums. but he does seem to have good ratings.. but i loath that brown patina thats on this coin. The brown patina's are seemingly risky.
I don't see this or any other of the listings of this seller as particularly cheap but I see no red flags either. I never say a coin is genuine when all I see is a photo. I suspect this one is but that is far from a guarantee. The brown is either dirt or artificial dirt as discussed here many times. Either will wash off but you never know what is underneath. I do not suggest importing common coins that can be found locally. The seller has some more rare and interesting coins that might tempt a collector but this is a pretty standard item available without the hassles of international post offices/customs so I don't bother. You may be more adventuresome. I have seen worse sold for more but can not suggest using a dealer I don't know. When you have the coin in hand and determine if the soil is old dirt or new makeup (search Coin Talk for Maybelline) you can post a follow up and decide if this is what you consider a good source for coins.
Looks fine to me, but what brown patina are you referring to? It appears to have a relatively even dark green patina with some lighter dirt remaining which provides a nice contrast. I do see a few tiny spots of bright green to the right of the argead star which may be active bronze disease, a problem that will need to be arrested but something I generally consider an indicator of authenticity.
Hi All, Pharaoh_crypt is a reputable dealer and sells nice coins. The brown patina is normal for these 2000+ year old coins and, if you don't like 2000+ year old patina, don't buy 2000+ year old coins. The coin is genuine and lovely with a nice patina. I wish that mine was as good. Your check on the dealer's record should have been enough - intimating that he or the coin could be doubtful on this Forum only tends to hurt a good dealer's reputation. All the best, Col
For ancient coins it has been proven that checking dealers "records" (feedback) on eBay is not enough.. sounds like this seller is trusted by many here which is great and means a lot more than anonymous feedback. I think this was a fair question from a new collector.
