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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Reid Goldsborough, post: 62391, member: 34&quot;]Both services have been around for years, and both are truly excellent, among if not the single best online resources about ancient coins, particularly for gauging market prices. But the attributions found in both are only as good as the expertise of the dealers selling the coin in question as well as the care they put into doing the attribution.</p><p><br /></p><p>My experience, and that of others, is that relying on dealer attributions is hit or miss, even attributions from the toniest high-end auction catalogs. If you check the attributions by going to the original SNG, etc., often the variety referenced is completely different from the variety of the coin being sold. I&#039;ve heard that dealers/auctioneers often just reuse attributions of similar coins sold in previous auctions.</p><p><br /></p><p>What&#039;s more, dealers almost always refer to old standards such as SNG Cop., which may be 50 years old, and that they don&#039;t mention newer research that may contradict and credibly replace the attributions in these standards. Also, dealers almost never mention when there&#039;s disagreement among experts about the proper attribution of a coin, and I include here not only the date but also the minting authority (ruler, city, or mint) and the identification and meaning of the coin&#039;s devices.</p><p><br /></p><p>All this is understandable. Dealers can&#039;t be specialists in every coin type, attributing any given coin can take time, and dealers have lots of coins to sell. But if you want to nail the attribution of any given coin in your collection, there&#039;s no substitute for doing the research yourself. It can also be a lot of fun, adding to the richness of the hobby and to the enjoyment you get from looking at your coins.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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