As far as I know all the sellers on Vauctions must abide by the same code of ethics as the dealers on Vcoins which includes a lifetime guarantee of authenticity (and refund should it be necessary). This got me to thinking about if there are other auction sites that you all know about that offer similar peace of mind. On top of that are there any good auction sites that some of you more experienced collectors can say have a good track record with, or specialize in, ancient coins? How do keep up on when new auctions are coming up?
Fine => CNG rocks!! There are a bunch of others as well (maybe even better), but I'm loyal and lazy so that's my usual feeding-hole (don't hunt my coins) ... animal-coins suck!! ... good luck hunting, my new coin-friend
Some I recommend: Harlan J. Berk CNG Pegasi Agora Auctions Frank Robinson Spartan Numismatics Pecunem Auctiones GmbH
My taste in coins is far more expensive than my budget at the moment so rest easy that your coins are safe. This is all hypothetical planning for when I win the lottery or find incriminating photos of someone famous
I've often found the auction world intimidating. Perhaps it's all the high-dollar coins that, paradoxically, have kept me from engaging. So I'm glad the OP started this thread. Might someone recommend a site for "baby's first auction"? An auction that's user-friendly and features coins for any budget? Or does that pretty much describe most of the auctions out there?
Beat it, Richardson ... nuthin' to see here!! *whatev* ... just jokes => don't be afraid of auctions!! ... be afraid of buying coins from dudes that buy their coins at auctions!!
CNG and Agora were my first two. They're super easy if you're in the US cause you're bidding in US dollars, in English, in timezones that are easier to work with and you don't have to think about things like import restrictions or anything like that. They just take a lot of potential variables out of the equation.
Thanks for the replies from everyone. Does anyone know if CNG, Pegasus etc. has a lifetime gaurentee on the authenticity of the coins they sell?
I have used most of the sites mentioned by @Roman Collector I would also highly recommend: Numismatik Naumann Naville Numismatics Forum Ancient Coins Kunker Roma Numismatics Savoca
CNG is my favorite US auction house. They are very easy to use, friendly, quick to ship, and diligent with their coin attributions and pedigrees. Their archives are my first stop when searching for price comparisons for any coin (ACsearch.info is the other main place I use for research). Pecunem (Gitbud-Naumann) had major bidding platform problems last year, causing a few auctions to be interrupted and postponed. One auction was halted and then moved to another virtual venue at a later date. Pecunem reopened recently but Gitbud and Naumann split up. Nauman jumped to Biddr. I've bid with them many times. Gitbud stayed with Pecunem and their auctions resumed recently but it looked like a relative dud with only 347 lots. Naumann has had much greater success on Biddr and they have been offering many coins of high interest to me (stay away!! Mine mine mine ) Auction houses I use most often: CNG, Naumann, Naville, Roma (although sometimes Roma's opening bids are too optimistic). I picked up a couple of killer coins at remarkably good prices in HJB Buy or Bid sales this year. HJB gets the coins in the mail lightning-fast, which is nice. If you're killing time saving up for your first auction forays, watching auctions or studying them right after they close can be enlightening. Which auction houses have the greatest percent of sold lots? CNG is certainly one with a high sell rate. Which auction houses fail to sell a large number of their auction coins? The last few times I studied them, Pegasi had an abysmal sell rate, probably because their opening bids were higher than most coins were worth; most of the sold coins did so for opening bid. If you bid on a coin in Pegasi you will probably win it-- and you probably paid top dollar. Some auction houses show bidder names. CNG, Roma, and a few others do. That can be instructive as well. After watching many auctions you can identify people who always bid early, people who you can probably outbid, and people you will never be able to outbid (cough *Clio* cough) Lastly, don't forget to factor in the buyer's premium. It ranges from ~12% to more than 20% so check carefully for those terms.
Curtisimo, I've only recently started bidding for ancients and am quite happy with those initial baby steps. I had some concerns about trustworthiness and was somewhat intimidated by the amount of "beyond my budget" listings contained in some of the sites until I realized that they are for the most part designed to cater to everyone, from people hunting for Aureus' to more affordable Roman LRB's and everything inbetween. So far my experiences have been very positive, E-mails to Vauction staff with questions about bidding procedures, bid increments, registration, payment etc. brought prompt replies. Don't be shy about asking questions, any auction house worth it's salt will want to make sure that you are comfortable with bidding. To date I've bid at Vauctions and CNG, have had winnings from both and am quite pleased with how the sites were run, quick post-bid communication listing the total price and relatively fast shipment of winnings. I have no experience with non-US auctions and will leave that discussion to others. One word of caution, take into account the buyers premium, which may hover around 15%, plus shipping, a cost that can be in the $10 range. What you thought was a $50 coin can end up costing $67.50 USD when everything is settled. Hope this helps and good luck.
One other good auctioneer, if you're interested in Near Eastern and Asian coins (especially Islamic), is Stephen Album. I've dealt with them a number of times and always been happy. Also second the mention of Frank Robinson as a good place to start if you don't want to feel intimidated by super-high-priced coins.
CNG and Roma are my favourites. Easily navigable websites, easy to bid. A good rule in business - make it easy for the customer to give you money.
