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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;IdesOfMarch01, post: 4986573, member: 39084&quot;]I thought it might be worthwhile to provide a counterpoint to the somewhat apocalyptic view of ancient coin auctions, dealers, and advisors that is presented in this post.&nbsp; My comments are based on 13 years of experience buying coins at auction and from individuals based on the advice of my dealer.&nbsp; My dealer aided Mike Gasvoda in accumulating his magnificent collection that was sold by NAC, beginning with auction 86.&nbsp; If you want to read Mike&#039;s profusely complimentary comments about my dealer, feel free to read them online in pages 9 - 10 of the catalog:</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.arsclassicacoins.com/catalogues/auction-86/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.arsclassicacoins.com/catalogues/auction-86/" rel="nofollow">https://www.arsclassicacoins.com/catalogues/auction-86/</a></p><p><br /></p><p>First, it is not my experience that auctions have turned into a casino.&nbsp; In any auction there always will be a few coins that inspire spirited bidding, with a hammer price that seems far in excess of the coin&#039;s fair market value.&nbsp; This does not make the auction a casino, nor even that particular coin.&nbsp; While I have experienced some auctions that seem preordained to result in higher prices for most or all of their coins, this can be due to any number of factors -- new deep-pocketed buyers, pre-selling by the auction house to its clients, etc.&nbsp; If you have a reasonable budget based on thorough research, you simply stick to your budget and let the hammer fall where it may.</p><p><br /></p><p>Second, it seems somewhat invidious to imply that an advisor could possibly be/have been dishonest and even colluded with the auction house without having any firsthand knowledge of the situation -- the advisor him/herself, the actual advice given, the auction house and its reputation/personnel, etc.&nbsp; Of course dishonest advisors exist, and of course dishonesty has, and will continue, to occur during ancient coin auctions.&nbsp; But it&#039;s clear from AncientJoe&#039;s post that he received an outstanding evaluation and advice from his dealer, as shown by his confidence in posting his dealer&#039;s comments.</p><p><br /></p><p>I&#039;m still trying to figure out what purpose is served by the post that I quoted.&nbsp; If it&#039;s intended to be cautionary, then I would observe that it would have more relevance by citing a failed bit of advice from an unscrupulous advisor, rather than a successful piece of advice from an advisor who did his/her homework.&nbsp; If the post was intended to illustrate the &quot;casino&quot; nature of auctions, then I would expect that AJ&#039;s coin would have hammered for more than the advisor&#039;s suggested budget rather than less.</p><p><br /></p><p>I believe that most of the collectors here want to learn from others&#039; actual experiences, both good and bad, and AJ&#039;s experience is an example of a good one.&nbsp; There have been bad experiences posted here as well, and they serve as useful guidance for the future.&nbsp; It&#039;s my belief that we learn the most from posts focused on specific, actual experiences rather than general, personal assertions about the direction of our hobby.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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